RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES - Mixed Blessing
Depending on your point of view, you may want to refer to Beavers as those dam builders or those damn builders! But in general, Beavers are considered to be a vital part of their ecosystem. Despite the problems Beaver dams sometimes cause humans, it is believed that they may have immense value in preserving and even creating valuable habitat.
Beaver trapping began in the early 1600's, when there was an estimated population of 400 million animals, and continued for 2 centuries. Our search for Beaver pelts helped shaped our continent's history, but by 1890 only a small remnant of the Beaver population remained. Today the Beaver is making a slow comeback, with a current population of approximately 2 million animals. Unfortunately, civilization has not left much room for these rodents to expand their valuable dam building, and too often they come into conflict with humans.
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Beavers shape their environment for their own survival, of course, but in doing so provide habitat for a wide variety of other animals and plants. Decomposing plant material in Beaver ponds recycles large amounts of C02 and nitrogen. Furthermore, Beaver pond waters encourage the growth of one-celled bacteria and diatoms -
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the organisms at the beginning of the food chain.Nutrients and microbes also seep through the dam and improve and renew an entire system well downstream from the original pond.
Many of our western valleys suffer from considerable erosion and overall habitat degradation due to overgrazing . In these overgrazed valleys, streams have eroded deeper and deeper, without adequate plant cover to hold the soil. As these stream levels drop, surrounding surface soil dries and the remaining plants become vulnerable to drought. In the worst cases, these valleys have been reduced to parched areas, all but barren of plants and animals.
This cycle of valley deterioration has occurred to some extent in thousands of western valleys, but researchers are having success in reversing the downward spiral by bringing Beavers back into the system. Furthermore, they feel that the Beaver had a dominant role in the earlier buildup of topsoil in the valleys; in a real sense they feel that many of us are living on capital that the Beavers had arduously built up in eons past. Farmers and ranchers who begrudge the Beavers a few flooded acres on which to continue that service may well be working against their own best interests.
INDIVIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION - Make fuel efficiency a high priority when you buy your next car.
Burton, M. & Burton, R. 1969. The International Wildlife Encyclopedia. M. Cavendish Corp., NY. Johnson, P. Jun./Jul. 1984. The Dam Builders are at it Again! National Wildlife. Washington, D.C.
© 1990 John Wiessinger Box 453 Etna, NY 13062 Recycled Paper 9052
Please contact Dan Williams (706 542-1571 about using the park for class sessions.
