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I never ever thought I’d live to see the day that we heard about beaver benefits from Arkansas! But what do I know, anyway?

Busy Beavers: Pests or Heroes?

Amanda Bancroft

Beaver habitat is riparian zone, and these vegetarians are good creators and maintainers of wetlands. First they create the dam (which they can rebuild overnight if necessary) with mud, stones and timber. Once the water level begins to rise, they turn their attention to building their lodge. Interior rooms are hollowed out after the structure is finished. They take in lodgers who live in the same rooms as the beaver family: muskrats, frogs, insects, deer mice, fungus, and more. This sort of community hospitality is unique.

They can be pests to farmers currently benefiting from fertile land that was once a beaver pond. When beavers return and build a new dam, they cause flooding. But beaver whisperer Michel Leclaire has found that placing a recording of running water where you want beavers to build their dam entices them to build in places convenient for people. Other advice for farmers, road crews and the general public for getting along with beavers can be found on Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife’s website at BeaversWW.org.

Whooohooo! Give Amanda a hand for spreading the beaver gospel AND teaching how problems can be managed. Never you mind that she doesn’t mention a certain beaver-saving group that shall remain nameless, she does a great job anyway. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised because we had a great donation to the silent auction for the beaver festival last year from Arkansas. Remember these from our friends at ozarkmtnhomestead?

There was only one part of the article that worried me a little bit. And it came at the end.

Beavers create a wetland habitat which is great for a plethora of species but not so great for species like the endangered Arkansas darter, a small fish that does not need a beaver pond bringing in predatory species that may eat it. Beaver ponds are also not so great for climate change, contributing a small percentage of methane gas into the atmosphere from their ponds. That’s a pretty small downside for an animal that provides big benefits to North America overall – particularly in areas prone to drought.

OK, first of all you’re wrong about climate change. I mean in the big sense, the only one that matters. And second of all I’m not so sure about the darter. You might want to check out what happened to the near by state of Alabama when they removed a beaver dam and threatened the rare watercress darter. I believe their fine for doing so was in the millions.

Now it turned out that Scott didn’t start the website upgrade, because terrible things (as you know) happen when you do that sometimes. So he would never do it unexpected. WordPress just dragged me kicking and screaming into the future. And eventually we’ll straighten it out.

‘m feeling at the moment like I’m extraordinarily lucky to be able to depend on others to help the parts that I can’t reach. I was worried about making it in Sonoma yesterday and thought we’d need to cancel because of the heat.

Rusty volunteered and will be ending the day with Lory and Cheryl and bringing stuff back to Martinez after. This morning we’re off for a children’s photo shoot making beaver puppets with Suzi for RR and tomorrow I will turn 50 doing what I love to do.