This lovely website featured some local beavers the author is keeping an eye on this week. She’s on the East Coast and bravely went to the library for information on them where she learned that beavers are rodents and responsible for 20 million dollars of damage every year. I wrote her something about beaver benefits and she was very happy to have the information. You should go read the whole thing because its fun to watch another person unwrap beaver mysteries!
To my knowledge there is no dam on the pond we visit locally. It’s not really part of a stream; it’s a wetland that was once part of the river, till the curve of the river shallowed out and straightened. At one time a brick-making factory was located at the pond, manufacturing bricks from the mud at the bottom. The bricks rebuilt the town when the entire business district — then constructed of wood — was ravaged by fire in 1849. Now it’s a nature preserve where countless other forms of life make their habitations — including beavers.
Later in the day Brock Dolman sent me this landowner guide to living with beavers from Animal Protection of New Mexico. It’s a great resource about flow devices, wrapping trees and beaver benefits. APNM brought Skip out for a training and video taped it. Remember?
I wrote them that they should add some other resources including Sherri Tippie’s book and Mike Callahan’s DVD and the director wrote me back to say it will be added to the website along with our address. Excellent!
Last night, Jon and I took a visiting journalist working on a national beaver article around the dams. We met a scruffy character on the footbridge who explained helpfully that he had been watching these beavers for 5 years and they used to be SMALLER. Also that Moses knew everything about them and those “internet people” knew nothing! (Ahh, what a relief to finally find an expert!) And useful to show the journalist that every single stray person in the town has a dearly held opinion about these beavers. Our shivering efforts were rewarded by a some great sightings and a very unusual vocalization display that lasted nearly 5 minutes. Even though the weather was artic we were enchanted by the experience, which reminded me of the beaver-whining that got me involved initially lo these many years ago!
Oh and if you need one more really good thing, allow me to suggest you add this website to your favorites. It is either tear-streamingly funny or head-scratchingly inscrutable or both but it is brilliant in a way I cannot possibly describe. Of course I sent them a beaver picture and I’ll let you know if it says anything!
