One of the many things I like about the new website is that I can switch out the banners and margin whenever I want. Yesterday I thought we needed some coolunderwater shots. For the first time I”m not using our photos because we didn’t do any underwater photography with our beavers, but I like them anyway. I’m sure that’s how they would have looked if we had!
Another example of sudden praise for beavers came from this article, which is full of the kind of ‘almost nice’ things you say about a cousin that really gets on your nerves, bless her heart,
Industrious, creative beavers a perfect Alberta ambassador
Fort Saskatchewan’s beaver families are keeping busy this summer doing what comes naturally – raising their young, chewing trees and generally trying to keep out of everyone’s way.
Signs of beaver activity, including felled trees and gnawed stumps, are a common sight in riverside towns and cities across Alberta. The large rodents—at up to 77 pounds, the largest in Canada—make themselves at home anywhere there is suitable water and food.
“There are beautiful tall trees along the river that would be very attractive for dam and lodge building material and food supplies for beavers,” Mark Heckbert, provincial wildlife conflict specialist with Alberta Environment and Parks, said of the local river valley.
“And so like many river communities in Alberta, you can expect beavers to be found throughout the open water periods in the community, probably coming up into the areas that are closest to the river foraging for food and bringing those building materials back into the river.”
Ahh beaver ambassadors! That’s a nice thought. Our beavers were Martinez ambassadors for years. Of course people don’t usually kill their own ambassadors, but I’m sure it sometimes happens.
Beavers also have a reputation for making a pest of themselves, sometimes taking down significant numbers of trees and damming up waterways.
“For the most part, beavers go about living their life and don’t cause too much grief. Although on occasion their actions of creating their habitat of deeper water by damming up streams causes localized flooding,” Heckbert said.
“Beavers are quite fascinating creatures,” Heckbert added. “They really are a perfect Alberta ambassador. They are industrious, creative, and persistent. And those are all qualities that Albertans are known for.”
Hrmph. “Dammed with feint praise” I’d say: Although the article does finish with a nice tail slap. Take that, Heckbert.
