This morning there’s a collection of beaver news on the horizon. The first comes from CSU which reminds us that wolves aren’t the single magic bullet in Yellowstone.
New study shows Yellowstone’s ecosystem dynamics more complex than previously understood
Since their reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park, wolves have been heralded as the controversial savior of Yellowstone’s ecosystem. However, new research by ecologists at Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources proves that many diverse variables must be taken into account to fully understand how ecosystems respond to changes in food web structures.
This research, funded by the National Science Foundation, was a large-scale study that extended across the entire northern range of Yellowstone. The study was a follow-up to more than a decade of research by CSU scientists in Yellowstone, including a 2013 paper that concluded beaver dams’ impact on water levels were equally responsible for vegetation health as herbivore browsing increases caused by the removal of wolves.
I don’t wanna say I told you so, but…
A nice column and an amazing photo from Simon Jackson at Ghostbear photography, who writes (apparently reluctantly?) about an exciting close encounter of the beaver kind. He’s a wildlife photographer whose life will only improve when he spends more time with beavers!
Never get between a beaver and its tree
The rotund, lumberjack beaver, apparently, had a predetermined route for his tree branch and was not going to take the long route to the pond, just because some inconsiderate photographer was blocking the path. The beaver was, no doubt, going to wait me out.
Apparently, a beaver must go where a beaver must go. And if you block its passage, it’ll just wait you out, treating you like the person double parked on a busy street during rush hour. Never say you weren’t warned.
Nice! Simon you say this is your last post about beavers, but I hope you’ve been bitten by the beaver bug and will visit again soon. Maybe in time for the new kits to emerge? It will be a wonderland.
Cheryl just pointed out something I missed! This beaver is a nursing female! That means where ever in Canada this was taken they have kits on the scene. No wonder mom was making a beeline!
