Branta Canadensis Meets Castor Canadensis

A while back I came across this article from Jim Junttila of the Mining Gazette in Michigan.

Woods, water & worse/Jim Junttila

Area beavers busier than you know what

Any Yooper brookie fisherman will tell you the economic stimulus plan has kicked in big-time for beavers. Yooper beavers have been busier than you know what this spring, putting on a full-pond press and enacting liberal overtime policies to complete multi-dam projects like their lives depended on it.

They do. The only reason they build dams is to protect themselves from predators. It’s what they do. They can’t stand the sound of running water. If new dam starts, construction and completions are any indication, the economy is making a comeback in the Keweenaw. I keep a close watch on beaver dams as a leading economic indicator, especially when it comes to my brookie stock.

It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. I like beavers but I’m torn, and here’s why. Their work is fishcally responsible in the short term, but destructive long-term.

Ahh he had me until the part about beavers ruining habitat for fish over time. So close! A beaver advocate manque again. So of course I wrote him about the research on the relationship between beavers and trout. I was very pleased to get this back, which he agreed to have posted as a guest blog. Great photos, enjoy!

Wow! Thanks for the kind words and the wealth of research reference. I also clicked around your website, very nice and informative. I have been a beaver fan since I was a kid and admire their work ethic, ambition and persistence. Here in the U.P. of Michigan, they have become a favorite food of the wolf and coyote who know they are easier to catch than a deer. Jim

Natural-born architectural, engineering and building skills are evident in the strategic site selection and quality dam construction using natural riparian building materials nearby to turn this stretch of meadows along a Yooper trout stream into a working beaver pond. The hard-working nocturnal mammals can throw up a dam like this overnight. Photos and caption by Jim Junttila.

Wow, thanks Jim for the kind words and amazing photos! It is always lovely to see how beavers show themselves in other parts of the nation. Keep us in mind if you find any beaver troubles or questions on the horizon, and we will definitely wish you happy fishing!

If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

Lewis Carrol

For our gulf update I thought I’d share something take-charge and powerfully presidential with you….and no, its not what you think.

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