Do you remember that grumpy english teacher who never said anything nice, always brought a thermos to work and marked your papers down on purpose so you wouldn’t feel cocky. Except for that ONE moment in time he complimented your Dostoyevsky essay with a single muttered adjective?
Well I guess Mr. Reid is the Beaver’s english teacher.
Exploring The Last GreenValley: Beavers are nature’s engineer
I have to admit to a love-hate relationship with Castor canadensis, the largest rodent in the United States, and the unparalleled builder of dams.
Too often, however, my amazement at this industrious animal turns to frustration when I have to haul my canoe or kayak out of a river and around or over yet another tree felled by the busy beaver.
Over time and through personal experience, I have come to appreciate beavers not only for their industrious, wood-gnawing construction abilities, but also for the positive impact they can have on our natural world and habitat. This understanding and appreciation took time.
About 15 years ago, my father returned from a walk in the woods to declare that he had found a beaver pond right smack in the middle of the forest. The beavers had built a dam across a small stream, were busy felling valuable trees and had flooded trails and logging roads. In all, they had created two separate ponds covering several acres of land.
Trapping and removal of the beavers was recommended by our consulting forester, so we filed applications with the State of New Hampshire and hired a local trapper to remove the animals.
The trees were spared, but not for long. Two years later, the beavers were back. Since then, we have kept an irregular schedule of trapping and removing the beavers depending on their numbers and amount of tree damage.
The result of having beavers on our property is the same as what has occurred throughout history in North America – beavers play an important role in the ecology of the land by creating enhanced wetlands that benefit a variety of wildlife species.
When I walk in our forest, my first stop is always at the beaver pond to check for damage to valuable trees as well as to look for salamanders, turtles and frogs. Our pond attracts all sorts of wildlife and on its muddy banks I have found tracks from deer, fisher, coyote, black bear and moose.
It took a while, but I have found a greater appreciation for what the beavers brought to our land. We try to keep a happy medium by maintaining the pond, but keeping their numbers in check to minimize their damage to our important tree crop.
Hmm. It is so tempting to be heartened by this article, from the wilds of New Hampshire where beaver activity is never beloved. He looked up the phrase ecosystem engineer and has noticed positive changes on his land. You have to admire that. But I can’t help but resent his grudging appreciation. I think a beaver would say ‘that’s mighty white of you to value my work while you insist on controlling my pond and killing my relatives’.
But maybe that’s just me.
Let’s have something adorable to brighten our horizons. H/T to Robin from Napa.
