I don’t know why exactly, but July seems to be the month the few straggling holdouts left are getting around to reading “Eager: The Secret Surprising Lives of Beaver and why they Matter.” It works for me. July is a good month for beavers as you know. Their new kits are visible and easy to spot. Plus old enough that they get to spend lots of time on their own without parents to cramp their emerging styles. I always loved July for just this reason. (Until that one horribleJuly which shall remain nameless.)
Well. get ready for more “Good July’s”.
Northwest Passages Book Club: Wiley Miller of Non Sequitur, Summer Series authors and Ben Goldfarb’s ‘Eager’ beavers
The club’s selection for September was indeed one of the titles I would never have picked up on my own: “Eager: The Surprising Secret Lives of Beavers and Why They Matter” by Ben Goldfarb. What surprised me was how quickly I was engrossed in this book. Beaver dams were important to managing flooding? Weren’t those pesky creatures responsible for the flooding?
Well, not exactly. Through Goldfarb’s engaging, easy-to-read storytelling, I found many things about this creature that I misunderstood. I was schooled in how beavers are a critical solution when it comes to drought relief and flood control. It is difficult not to become a “beaver believer” while reading this book.
No it is not. And that’s why we love it. Thank you for being the next fan to jump on this crowded bandwagon.
The person who recommended that I read “Eager,” The Spokesman-Review’s outdoors editor Eli Francovich, will lead the conversation with Goldfarb on Sept. 18 at Montvale Event Center. The VIP reception includes a copy of the book, drink ticket, reserved seating, meeting the author and starts at 6 p.m., followed by the event at 7.
Wanna go? Me too. There’s a lot of Washington events I’d like to attend in July. Including the KUOW discussion of its book of the month.
Eager reader? Join ‘The Wild’ Book Club!
We heard from so many of our listeners that our episode on beavers was one of their favorites, so we decided to take it to the next level. Introducing: The Wild Book Club!
In the month of July, we’ll be reading “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Lives of Beavers and Why They Matter,” by Ben Goldfarb, who we featured on our episode.
- Read or listen to the book this month.
- Send us your questions or comments: Instagram (@thewildpod) | Facebook (The Wild podcast) | Online form
- Join us for an online meeting of the club with author Ben Goldfarb the last week of July (details coming soon!).
Well isn’t that fun! As if there weren’t enough reasons to like public radio, this month there are readers just carrying around Ben’s book and thinking about beavers. I can’t wait until all those NPR listeners get to ask their questions and think aloud with the author!
I think I’ll send in mine right now. Hmm, “Is that town you mentioned in California really so excited about beavers? And is that crazy woman still doing a festival?”
Or maybe you’re a more private person for who reading isn’t a group activity. There are still plenty of reasons to rejoice. Like this article from Susan’s Inklings at the site “Today I’d like to sit and Read” It seems Susan has some beavers of her own to keep an eye on, so was very motivated to do her homework.
We’ve been watching beavers on the pond at home. For months they have been chewing our cottonwoods. They’ve significantly damaged many and taken some big trees down, expertly placing them in the middle of the pond for nibbling each evening on leaves and bark. My husband and our neighbors have spent many mornings unplugging the outflow that they clog each night with branches and mud. Once they heard the water running freely again, they busied themselves, like beavers, and stopped up the flow.
Believe it or not. There is a new and complete book about beavers and their behavior and this is how it fits into my beaver story. Ben Goldfarb, the author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter was brought to Yakima Valley College in collaboration with the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy in mid-March, 2019 to present for the Winter Biology Lecture Series. My husband and I decided to attend. Mr. Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, regaled us with fascinating facts and photos about beavers. I spoke with him after the lecture and he gave me several avenues to pursue for help relocating our furry friends. We left the lecture admiring these creatures even more than before and began pursuing the author’s leads.
Susan, meet Ben. Ben, this is Susan. How fortuitous! I’m sure you’ll have LOTS to talk about!
While the first several organizations did not pan out, Ben continued to email us and make suggestions. He gave us a promising lead with Trout Unlimited in Leavenworth. When we communicated our dilemma to Cody, the project manager for Trout Unlimited in the Wenatchee area, he heard our plea and started the ball rolling to help us, including getting special permits to move The Cleavers to a new locale. In the meantime, Jim and I could almost set our watch for Leave it to Beaver every evening around dusk. Better than TV.
Ahh so Ben connected her with the SEP squad from yesterday’s post but before she sent them packing she says they enjoyed watching them in the evenings. Better than TV. They can’t live here, but in the mean time they amuse me a little. Ahem. Mighty white of her.
On the afternoon of June 10th, three interns with Trout Unlimited met me at the house to scope out the situation. Tessa, Serena and Kate were well-prepared and determined to give this story a happy ending. They sized-up the situation, found a suitable new home within the Yakima River Basin, set up two live-traps that we could see from the house and settled in for the night. Early the next morning they found the smallest beaver in a trap. They graciously let me “help” them put it in a cage for transport and they took off to their pre-determined site for release. Early that same evening, they reset the traps and within a very short time, another huge beaver was caught. I was so impressed with their humane methods and care for the creatures and equally impressed with the calm demeanor of these fascinating creatures now detained and surely confused.
Oh okay, relocating beavers is generally better than killing them. I agree with that. But she still has a nice luscious ponds surrounded by cottonwood trees and how much do you bet some new beavers are going to move in?
Is there a book about that? Why it’s better to solve your problem than to relocate it? Start writing one now, Ben.
