Well that’s a rare treat. I enjoyed Maine reporter Sue Pike’s recent article about the enjoyable aspects of living with beavers.Here’s a tidbit, but go read the whole thing.
While it can certainly be annoying to have beavers living in your neighborhood, just think of what wonderful creatures they are. They can cut down entire trees in minutes. They lop off the branches and sit, turning them in their front paws, gnawing off the nutritious bark as we do corn on the cob. They haul the branches under water to stash in a streambed for winter-time snacks. They build well-designed lodges that are safe from most predators, well ventilated, and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Their dams are built to match stream conditions: slow-moving streams call for straight dams, while fast-moving streams require curvature to the dam to help dissipate the force of the water. Because dams are frequently built from wetland trees like willow, birch and poplar, the branches used to build them can take root under water and grow into hedges; this makes the dam that much stronger and provides habitat for nesting birds and insects.
I thought she needed a beaver-benefit-boost so wrote her with more facts and research. Did she know that beavers were a keystone species? And were credited for making essential habitat for juvenile salmonids? I sent her Michael Pollock’s article just so she’d know I wasn’t making things up. To my delight she wrote back very interested. Turns out she enjoys beavers. She said the article had generated enormous response, but all beaver-bemoaning. She was very interested in the relationship between beavers and salmon. She wondered if there was corresponding research for East Coast fish. She wanted to know more about beaver reintroduction around the country to combat the drought effects of climate change. She said she wasn’t given much time for research, and she would value whatever information I could send her way.
Ahhh, step into my parlor said the spider to the fly! Have I got information for you! I sent her questions to Michael Pollock asking about east coast literature. Also to the Fish & game friend of Brock Dolman working with him on a literature review of the issue.I sent her the video from the washington project, and the utah project, and introduced her to the document lodge at the Lands Council. I added Mike’s announcement for good measure.
I feel fairly certain that our interests have the potential to be represented in Maine. How cool is that?
