First there’s this very fun “Cromwell Critter Cam” entry describing beaver activity in Cromwell Park Maryland.
I checked the beaver today, and discovered that the tree is still standing.
Courtesy of North Carolina State University, I leave you with a list of Beaver Pond Benefits
Active Ponds
Improve downstream water quality
Provide watering holes for agricultural and wildlife needs
Supply important breeding areas for amphibians and fish
Provide diverse wetland habitats
Furnish feeding, brood rearing and resting areas for waterfowl
Encourage many reptile, bat amphibian, fish and bird species
Nice! You really should look at the WORTH A DAM website for more beaver benefits, but now I’ve established first contact, so maybe they’ll be back!
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And then there’s this lovely lodge photo from Huntley Meadows Park in Virginia. I introduced our friend (and the photographer) Malcolm Kenton from D.C. to Ann Siegal the Washington Post photographer/reporter whose been keeping an eye on those beavers, and he went out the other night to see them and just happened to meet Ann in person who was doing the same thing! Small world and beaver connections everywhere! Enjoy:
Photo by Malcolm Kenton
Just imagine what that bench is going to sound like next month!
Too much talking and not enough beavers! This is how I was feeling around day three of the conference, so I thought it was a perfect time to share our friend Ann Cameron Siegal’s excellent photos of the beavers at Huntley meadows in VA. It’s a great spot for watching wildlife. I first met Ann when she wrote an article about beavers for the Washington Post. I thought it was a good idea to establish first contact and found out she has been watching and photographing beavers for years. Remember it can be freezing but it’s fairly balmy there at the moment, so these beavers decided to make a break through the ice for the ‘outside’ when the weather warmed up.
Our ‘boots on the ground’ spies liasions attended Tom Purdy’s lecture on Urban Beavers in London Canada last night. It had more than 370 attendees and folks were turned away! Feedback from one lucky attendee follows:
I thoroughly enjoyed last nights talk at the library. Tom seems to know his stuff and I felt his view of beavers and urban beaver issues were spot on. He even mentioned the Stanton beaver story, but he was careful not to get into the politics of it. Good stuff. 80% of his presentation was about the life of a beaver, things we all know. At the end he mentioned solutions, again, all the ones we agree on and promote. He would be a great guy on our side if we ever needed that extra help to convince the naysayers!
Margaret Gelinas Dog Rescue Volunteer co-owner of the Market Pet Shop Great Canadian EcoFest Director www.greatcanadianecofest.ca
Great Canadian Ecofest? Ecofest with a beaver on the logo? Be still my heart! Can we possibly chat about how beavers will be ‘featured’ in this fest? Wowowow! New friends for beavers! Here’s some more good news. Jon saw our newest family member (last summers kit) going into the old lodge this morning in the wee hours. He’s not a yearling yet, but he definitely isn’t a baby anymore….beaver-tween? And if you miss seeing beavers yourself, you will enjoy photographer Ann Cameron Siegal’s amazing beaver slideshow here.
(And doesn’t this photo look like ‘Dad’?) Cick for a fantastic beaver slideshow - Ann Cameron Siegal
The county says beavers are not threatening to residents.
Beavers are prevalent in Virginia. Credit: Eugene Hester, VDGIF
Beavers in the ‘burbs? Many people think of beavers as wilderness animals. They do live in wilderness areas, but also seem comfortably at home in northern Virginia.
Two places in the Mount Vernon-Lee area where you might see beavers are Huntley Meadows Park and the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve.
Recently, beavers have been very visible in Huntley Meadows Park, said Park Manager Kevin Munroe. “This may be best time to see them because they’ve decided to build at the beginning of the boardwalk. They are very cooperative at the moment,” he chuckled.
What a nice intro to an article! You will remember Huntley Meadows from back in November when they were protesting that beavers were moving things around in their beautiful marsh park. Well they are still in residence and even after the rabid beaver attacks in the county this year, they are still much appreciated.
The beaver lodge, seen from ground level. Credit: Ned Stone
Singing their praises, Munroe remarked: “Beavers have more effect on their habitat than almost any other animal outside of humans. Beavers have a very positive effect on watersheds because they create wetlands that provide wildlife habitat, consolidate silt and allow for deep pools during both winter and summer. They reduce erosion by slowing down the water.”
Mr Munroe! You get a letter from me and a free t-shirt! I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet an old beaver friend that’s a complete and total stranger and lives in a state that has more than its share of beaver foes. Well met, sir! And Glenda Booth who wrote the report really paid attention and listened when he was singing! Good job!
Usually active at night and known as “nature’s engineers,” beavers chew down trees to construct dams and lodges in lakes and streams. Beaver dams usually form ponds. They eat primarily herbaceous vegetation, woody and aquatic plants. They store limbs and logs underwater near the lodge for winter.
In Virginia, beavers are found in the northern piedmont, mountains and coastal plain, but between 1911 and 1932, there were no beavers in Virginia because of over-trapping for pelts. In 1932, state game managers “imported” 35 beavers from other states and released them in nine counties. By 1953, the beaver population had recovered enough so that DGIF allowed limited trapping. Today, the state manages them as a game species.
Beavers create new habitats that help other plants and animals. Their dams can slow moving water and allow other wildlife and plants to colonize. Beaver ponds can attract waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles and aquatic insects. The dams can also allow more sediment to collect and cause flooding of roads and other property. Beavers kill trees and the higher water levels they create can kill trees.
Ooh you forgot ONE sentence Glenda. Let me help out “Dead trees later make important homes for obligate nestors like the woodduck. Stands of beaver drowned trees become rookeries for Great Blue Heron.” Other wise excellent work in every way!
Oh and by the way, do you know who makes a point of regularly visiting and photographing the beavers at Huntley Meadows? Our friend Ann Siegal who wrote about beavers in the Washington Post last year. Very small world.
Great Blue Heron & Hooded Merganser - Ann Cameron Siegal
I checked the beaver today, and discovered that the tree is still standing.
