Of course we are fond of beavers (official emblems of Canada!) but too often they tangle with humans over waterways, beavers being highly opinionated, persistent and well able to divert streams according to their own plans. The town of Hinton has accepted beavers for what they are, and instead of fighting them, created a Beaver Boardwalk at the edge of the town. From the boardwalk and observation towers, people can watch the beavers and admire their dams. Unfortunately the day we visited it was very hot (for Alberta) and the beavers were probably quietly napping in their cool dams while we walked around getting sunburned and mosquito-bitten, after being stuck in traffic ... (and we're supposed to be advanced?) We were disappointed not to see any beavers, but it was interesting to see their work. They have created an amazingly perfect environment for themselves. And the park is lovely.
Beavers here cause a huge mosquito problem, so my boys always liked to go break up their dams so they would move on down to a new spot, far away from us!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photos - it is a shame that someone would break up a beaver dam just because of mosquitoes - they breed in water so moving the dam is just destructive and probably doesn't stop mosquitoes in the area. One time our youngest daughter stepped on an ant hill for no reason - she was 6. We explained to her that the ant hill was home to mothers, fathers and children ants, and that we should protect nature and help it to help us - each creature has a place in the cycle of life. She tried to build it back up and was happy the next day when she saw that it was repaired by the ants. She then ran into the house and got some stale bread and crumbled it nearby for them to fetch for food. She is now an organic farmer who loves the land and the creatures.
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