Yesterday was a beaver madness day. I can’t possibly hope to catch up with all the important developments but easily the biggest was the launch of Frances Backhouse huge CBC ideas program. There are so many really fascinating parts to this well rounded hour, including the man who fed beavers so they would build him a skating rink, and Glynnis Hood summary of why we need the animals I hope you’ll make time for it all.

Rethinking the Beaver: Why beavers and humans have to learn to get along”

Four centuries of fur-trade trapping nearly wiped beavers off the North American map. Now they’re back, big time, and we’re discovering that sharing the landscape with such tenacious ecosystem engineers isn’t always easy. We’re also learning that there are compelling reasons to try to coexist with this iconic species. Contributor Frances Backhouse explores how two control freaks — humans and beavers — can get along.

Listen to this excellent report, staring Glynnis Hood, Mike Callahan, our own Judy Atkinson, The account of public response in Port Moody so parallels our Martinez story that it melts my heart. Make time for this or bookmark it and listen later.. Meanwhile there’s a huge article about beavers recolonizing the tundra in Science News which spawned a dozen headlines around the globe. Believe me when I saw I’m typing as fast as I can.

Beavers are engineering a new Alaskan tundra

In a broad swath of northwestern Alaska, small groups of recent immigrants are hard at work. Like many residents of this remote area, they’re living off the land. But these industrious foreigners are neither prospecting for gold nor trapping animals for their pelts. In fact, their own luxurious fur was once a hot commodity. Say hello to Castor canadensis, the American beaver.

Much like humans, beavers can have an oversized effect on the landscape (SN: 8/4/18, p. 28). People who live near beaver habitat complain of downed trees and flooded land. But in areas populated mostly by critters, the effects can be positive. Beaver dams broaden and deepen small streams, forming new ponds and warming up local waters. Those beaver-built enhancements create or expand habitats hospitable to many other species — one of the main reasons that researchers refer to beavers as ecosystem engineers.

I especially enjoyed the description of the way beavers benefit for moose and wolves and smaller animals.

The beavers are not only persisting on the tundra, they’re thriving. The moderately sized streams and flat terrain provide ideal habitat. And once they gain a foothold, these industrious creatures set about making improvements that are probably an overall plus for myriad other species, Tape says.

For instance, frigid conditions in the region cause shallow streams to freeze solid in winter. But when a beaver builds a dam, the water that gathers upstream of the structure becomes deep enough to remain liquid below a sheet of ice that provides insulation from the chilly winter air.

Pay special attention to the detailed list of how beaver are making a difference in this previously frozen area. Much better than when the beavers were just described as hastening climate change.

Meanwhile, in Port Moody the flow device installation has merited an news story. Perfect timing for a beaver trifecta of the North.