You’ll be happy to know the website and domain names are repurchased for another year. Thanks Bruce who got us started way back in the early days! As proof of the good it does to have a grand spider’s web of a site that catches whatever beaver goodness flows downstream, I wanted to suggest you check out this from the State Parks of Arkansas blog. Seems some rangers had a kit adventure a few years back with pretty stunning results.
Things started to get interesting when the lost little kit accepted an invitation to climb up on their paddle, and started using it as a diving board, no I’m not kidding, there’s a photo.
He’s so tiny! I assure you that no Worth A Dam member or beaver supporter would have let him wander off gently into that good night, but the report goes into great detail about not wanting to interfere with a sleeping fawn because its mother is going to come back for it soon. Which is true for deer – not true for beaver. Here in Martinez we have learned that Mom never lets a kit that size outside the lodge where harm could come to them without a chaperone. For one thing, with no ability to dive underwater and get into the lodge they could never get back! We never even saw kits until they were twice that size!
These were the smallest I ever saw and I only saw them on an adult they were probably about 6 weeks old. babies get a ride
The rangers brought him home and let him stay in an open carrier near the water until he decided to paddled off. Given that this is Arkansas I am heartened by how compassionate this was, and how touched these folks obviously were by the experience, but, honestly, I’m grading on a curve. The article was sent to me by an unknown retired librarian from the University of Georgia who thanked us for our advocacy! Georgia! (You know that state that suggests you keep all the beaver tails you harvest in the freezer until the government comes to give your bounty!) Okay, so there are much kinder people in the world than you might expect and you can’t judge a state by its beaver policies. (But, still, note to self, you better hope the parks department of Arkansas isn’t the one to rescue your missing toddler: because even though they might pick him up and take him home, the first time he crawls towards traffic they’re going to let him go with love!)
Go read the whole thing and if you say HI from us be nice!
This very nice film was sent to me this morning and I can find almost nothing about the team who made it except it was an entry in the Grand Canyon Youth’s River Runner Film festival for 2010. Enjoy!
Wildlife at Work from Seth Ring on Vimeo.
