“Beaver Troubles?”

Scouring through the latest beaver trapping articles, I came across this  ominously named specimen  from Ontario’s Frontenac EMC. Given the title and a few of the tag lines I wasn’t expecting such a beaver friendly article. What a nice surprise.

Although there are short-term issues associated with local beavers, their long-term contributions to the environment make them a worth-while neighbour when managed effectively. The beaver is an ingenious ecosystem engineer that shapes the unique rural environment that Canadians take pride in, and its ability to beneficially modify its ecosystem renders this species one of the largest contributors to Canada’s aquatic environments. In addition, beavers ensure productive ecosystem functioning, which creates and upholds the natural beauty and species diversity of southern Ontario. This species ensures the integrity of aquatic habitats through the enhanced growth of aquatic vegetation, which prevents erosion and acts as a buffer in the face of contamination, restoring pristine conditions. Beaver damming also shapes the species diversity in the surrounding area by providing ideal habitats for a variety of charismatic bird, mammal and fish species. Not only are these animals captivating, but they also provide recreation for birdwatchers, fishers and hunters alike.

That’s a great paragraph! It goes on to mention tools like the beaver baffler and the Clemson pond leveler as a means to humanely manage pond height, I posted information about more modern techniques and will send it to the authors as well. (The danger being that if people try outdated methods they run a greater risk of them not working, and the inevitably of trapping looms that much closer.) The general idea that beavers are good for Canada’s wetlands and that their challenges can be humanely managed is a great one. I wish there were so many of these that our “who’s killing beaver now” dance card was impossible to fill. Sigh.

Frontenac even had the good sense to post a photo of an actual beaver, unlike the nutria and woodchuck images I’m getting sick of seeing. Good job.