‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,
To give these mourning duties to your father:
But, you must know, your father lost a father;
That father lost, lost his,
Ten years ago on this very morning two very significant things happened at once. I was waken by a telephone call telling me my father of 84 years had died during the night which was not unexpected and while I was waiting for dawn to be able to meet my mother and sister at the home where he died I was sent a hot-off-the-presses advance copy of the just-completed beaver documentary by the Jari Osborne. Even now hearing the haunting initial tones of the theme song reminds me viscerally of that morning.
I had been corresponding with Jari and her assistant producer ever since they started the original documentary in Canada “The beaver Whisperers“. I was thrilled to help ‘Amercanize’ the story and enjoyed passing nuggets along that they might want to follow up on. At one time there had been discussion of including our Martinez beavers in the story, but that never transpired for reasons you couldn’t possibly believe even if I bothered to explain them.
The odd thing is that during the filming of the piece Jari’s father had also died which I only knew because of the strange coincidence that the father of her assisstant producer died around the same time. The double loss slowed production and upended the lives of both women. So in a weird way it made absolute sense to me that this would arrive in my inbox on the very morning that my own father had died. And of course I had to wait a few hours before meeting my mom and sister, and I did exactly what you would think I would do in those calmly suspenseful hours.
I cried lightly the entire time. Partly with sorrow for my Dad, and partly with joy that this story was finally being told. I knew when I saw it was the beginning of seismic change. Remember that this is the documentary that Emily Fairfax quotes as convincing her to change majors that lead to her amazing fire research that lead to beaver policy being changed in California. The rest of the world would see it the following year and my morning would get significantly worse from there but it will be forever ingrained on my mind, how the best and worst possible things happened at exactly the same time.
Because life is like that.
It doesn’t really make any difference at all, but I was still pleased to see this when it finally aired, We make what ever difference we can in this world while we’re in it, one stick at a time.
PARRY SOUND SIDEROADS AND SHORELINES — Winter is the time of year when many wild animals living in the Parry Sound area have adapted to escape and wait out the heavy snowfalls and dropping temperatures. Bears hibernate in cosy dens, squirrels have built nests and stashed food away, and frogs have dug into the lake bottoms and drastically reduced their temperature. But the industrious beaver continues to be quite active during winter until the lakes freeze over completely, and even then this animal can be seen busily repairing any damage to its lodge or dam.
The resulting dam sets in motion an entire alteration to the ecosystem. Hence, beavers are considered a “keystone species” (one that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions. Without keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether). The building of dams modifies and creates a dramatic change to the surrounding environment. The backwater flooding from the dam floods the lowland near the creek; trees die creating an opening in the forest canopy; aquatic plants and shrubs soon develop, making a favourable habitat for waterfowl, herons, moose, amphibians, fish, insects, muskrats, otters and a score of bird species. Their activity purifies water and prevents large-scale flooding.
A few years ago, the television program The Nature of Things featured a show entitled “The Beaver Whisperer” outlining the efforts of a few Canadians who have studied and/or worked with beavers, giving an in-depth account of the beaver. The Parry Sound area is home to many beavers and if you are lucky enough to see one around twilight, watch and observe the complex behaviour of this fascinating animal. 
