Sometimes on the beaver study path you learn about an important player that you didn’t expect. That’s especially true with WOLVES, who turn out to be really important for beavers because their wary predation prevents elk from loitering and munching coppicing willow, which means beaver get to eat it instead. The presence of the wolves actually change the grazing patterns of the elk, because they avoid open ares and streams, which means beavers benefit.
Which brings us this issue of the Grand Canyon Trust’s 12 reasons for grazing reform.
Given that cattle and sheep grazing is the single most widespread commercial use of America’s public lands, it’s no surprise that grazing by these livestock (as well as rising numbers of elk) can impact or even eliminate the thousands of native species living on our shared public lands.
The Trust is fortunate to be partnering with Colorado artist Heidi Snyder to illustrate stories of 12 Colorado Plateau native plants, wildlife, and habitats that are impacted by excessive livestock grazing. These 12 are just the tip of the iceberg. Our first blogdescribed impacts on broad-tailed hummingbirds and sage grouse chicks. This second installment looks at some livestock impacts on wolves and aspen.
Wolves and aspen (along with cottonwood and willow) go well together, as these trees have an exceptional ability to regrow when chewed on (browsed) – but only if they aren’t browsed too heavily or too frequently. And that’s where wolves come in.
In a natural setting, wolves help keep elk and deer populations in balance with the aspen, cottonwood, and willow. Perhaps as importantly, wolves keep elk and deer on the move. Without wolves present, elk are likely to hang out where the living is easy: near streams and ponds (riparian areas) where willow and cottonwood thrive. Or in shady, cool aspen stands, where abundant grass, wildflowers, and shrubs grow beneath the aspen. While these elk and deer hang out, they eat. And the tops of aspen, willow, and cottonwood—when at mouth level—are a favorite.
Wolves know where to find these aspen-eating elk and deer. More wolves equal fewer loitering elk, which in turn leads to more aspen, cottonwood, and willow trees.
It’s enough of a struggle for wolves when hunters want to be the only predator of elk and deer. But add ranchers for whom every cow or sheep is money on the hoof, and wolves are relentlesly targeted. Then aspen, willow, and cottonwood become easy food for too many mouths.
There are options: many ranchers know how to manage their livestock in the presence of wolves; many hunters welcome wildness; and many public lands users favor a better balance between public lands that are grazed and not grazed by livestock – especially if it means we can share our world with animals such as wolves, who walked these lands before we ever did.
There’s no mention of beaver in this article but you can bet its coming. Water is a big issue in Utah, as it is in California and the GCT is devoted to anything that keeps it on the land. They are releasing one article on the last day of each month, and the next issue is biocrusts and cutthroat trout, which you know is going to be fascinating. The artist they’re working with ‘Heidi Snyder’ happens to share my name, and that is relevant because a month ago I received an email from Mary asking me to do a radio broadcast with her on 12 reasons and I was like, huh? She wrote back that she had mixed the emails of her “‘two favorite Heidi’s” and said she would explain later.
Ha!
Like water itself, Dr. Obrien is literally a force of nature working beyond tirelessly for this issue, eroding away every obstacle in her path. I know beavers are high on her internal list even if they never make the top 12, but I am guessing we’ll see them. She has the intense focus of the deeply committed and is as likely to behave like an absent minded professor in one moment as she is to hone in with lazor-like focus on a single issue and disregard everything else in the next. I have great respect for her work, and can’t wait to see what the next ten reasons will bring.
Here she is inspecting our tile wall at the beaver festival in 2010.
Meanwhile, across the pond, the beaver mascot of Devon has been given a name. You will remember there was a public contest a while back to name the mascot. Well, a Sidmouth shop owner chose the name because it the beavers habit of gnawing on trees and plants. I guess if you’re from Devon ‘Nora’ sounds like ‘Gnawer’?
Flipping Nora!The new name for Devon’s six foot otter mascot. A competition held by Devon Wildlife Trust to find a name for its beaver mascot has revealed a winner.
Nora is the name chosen for the six-foot tall mascot which is being used by the charity to promote its work for England’s only breeding population of wild beavers which live on the River Otter, East Devon.
The name, which plays on the rodents’ habit of gnawing on riverside trees and plants, was the idea of Sidmouth shop owner Karen Greenslade. Speaking at her Humbug Gifts shop, Karen said: “I was delighted when I heard that Devon Wildlife Trust had picked Nora as its mascot’s name.
