Some days there are only nice things to say about beavers. Like today for instance, when the news is all glowing and charitable about their beavery pursuits. Like the very nice promo the beaver believer’s documentary this week.
Walla Walla premiere of ‘The Beaver Believers’ set Wednesday
Sometimes the best solutions to the biggest problems can be found in the most unlikely of places, according to a release.
Five scientists and a sassy, spicy hairdresser, tackle climate change one stick at a time in the film “The Beaver Believers,” which will see its Walla Walla premiere at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Power House. The whimsical story is about an unlikely cadre of activists who share a common vision: restoring the industrious, ingenious, bucktoothed North American beaver/engineer to the watersheds of the arid West.
Sarah’s film has definately been making wonderful waves around the country, and I’m sure it was an extra special treat to have it showing in her home town of Walla Walla. Congratulations on a job well done!
,The believers encourage viewers to embrace a new paradigm for managing western lands, one that partners with the natural world rather than overpowers it.
Amen.
Just reading this headline from the Chewalah Independent in Washington state made happy. I’m sure you’ll understand why.
Known for their elaborate dams, they create habitat for more than just themselves…
According to scientists, giant beavers that could have been as large as seven feet existed until 10,000 years ago. Their smaller modern day version is still a marvel to behold. Beavers can create dams that cause creeks to flood surrounding wetlands.
While this is bad if you’re a farmer, it’s a good thing for some aquatic species which rely on the dam’s created habitat.
Meadows created by beaver dams can also feed deer and other animals. Their dams can also provide protection for young salmon and trout.
Beavers make their dams out of wood, mud and rocks. They’ll chew down small trees and may even dig a canal to float trees back to their pond. Their webbed feet make them excellent at swimming. They warn each other by slapping their wide tails on the water. You may have remembered doing this with a canoe paddle at Browns Lake, only to get the same reaction from a beaver’s tail in response.
And hey you know what? It turns out those dams can recharge the water table which is great news for those farmers after all. So everyone wins! Welcome to beaver thunder-dome. An infinite number of species enter and every single one is better off for it.
I was amused to see this bright headline from Connecticut, because after watching beavers closely for many many years of mornings I never ever saw a single ‘dispute over a branch’.
Beaver video shows the cutest dispute over a stick
Matthew Male, who describes himself as ”a biologist sort of” — he has a degree in biology and works for the American Museum of Natural History, as well as for the Audubon Shop in Madison — managed to catch some beaver video Tuesday, and it’s right out of Animal Planet.
The video shows one beaver munching on what must be a particularly tasty stick. Then another, presumably more important beaver comes along, ousts the first beaver and takes ownership of the stick.
“I just happened upon them,” Male said. “The video was through a spotting scope. The beavers were maybe 20 feet away.”
The video was taken in Male’s hometown of Chester, but he’s seen them all over the area.
For example, on the way to the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam. “There’s a big lodge there,” Male said. “At least in this part of Connecticut there’s beaver dams everywhere.”
What I will say to Matthew is that beavers, while not being pacifists, are certainly pragmatists. Arguing over a stick takes a great deal of effort and most of the time beavers would just prefer to get a different one. Even in this instance where a kit makes a point of stealing mom’s apple, she makes sure the actual confrontation is never head-on.
