Beavers Make their Home in Fairfax County
The county says beavers are not threatening to residents.
Beavers in the ‘burbs? Many people think of beavers as wilderness animals. They do live in wilderness areas, but also seem comfortably at home in northern Virginia.
Two places in the Mount Vernon-Lee area where you might see beavers are Huntley Meadows Park and the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve.
Recently, beavers have been very visible in Huntley Meadows Park, said Park Manager Kevin Munroe. “This may be best time to see them because they’ve decided to build at the beginning of the boardwalk. They are very cooperative at the moment,” he chuckled.
What a nice intro to an article! You will remember Huntley Meadows from back in November when they were protesting that beavers were moving things around in their beautiful marsh park. Well they are still in residence and even after the rabid beaver attacks in the county this year, they are still much appreciated.
Singing their praises, Munroe remarked: “Beavers have more effect on their habitat than almost any other animal outside of humans. Beavers have a very positive effect on watersheds because they create wetlands that provide wildlife habitat, consolidate silt and allow for deep pools during both winter and summer. They reduce erosion by slowing down the water.”
Mr Munroe! You get a letter from me and a free t-shirt! I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet an old beaver friend that’s a complete and total stranger and lives in a state that has more than its share of beaver foes. Well met, sir! And Glenda Booth who wrote the report really paid attention and listened when he was singing! Good job!
Usually active at night and known as “nature’s engineers,” beavers chew down trees to construct dams and lodges in lakes and streams. Beaver dams usually form ponds. They eat primarily herbaceous vegetation, woody and aquatic plants. They store limbs and logs underwater near the lodge for winter.
In Virginia, beavers are found in the northern piedmont, mountains and coastal plain, but between 1911 and 1932, there were no beavers in Virginia because of over-trapping for pelts. In 1932, state game managers “imported” 35 beavers from other states and released them in nine counties. By 1953, the beaver population had recovered enough so that DGIF allowed limited trapping. Today, the state manages them as a game species.
Beavers create new habitats that help other plants and animals. Their dams can slow moving water and allow other wildlife and plants to colonize. Beaver ponds can attract waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles and aquatic insects. The dams can also allow more sediment to collect and cause flooding of roads and other property. Beavers kill trees and the higher water levels they create can kill trees.
Ooh you forgot ONE sentence Glenda. Let me help out “Dead trees later make important homes for obligate nestors like the woodduck. Stands of beaver drowned trees become rookeries for Great Blue Heron.” Other wise excellent work in every way!
Oh and by the way, do you know who makes a point of regularly visiting and photographing the beavers at Huntley Meadows? Our friend Ann Siegal who wrote about beavers in the Washington Post last year. Very small world.
