Animal Wednesday - Beaver Dams...(Damns?)

One of the reasons to go kayaking on Sunday was to see if we could see signs of the recession while on the water. I was particularly concerned about Beavers - as I know that the recession has hit builders hard.

These two were "beavering" away - and it looked like all might be well for the river beaver.


The first place we saw was a bit small and somewhat unprofessional looking. We were told that it was a starter home and that he and she had built it together. No kids yet, but the community was waiting to see what would happen next.


Here's the same place seen from afar, it does look kind of disheveled doesn't it?

The second place was a bit more impressive, with a more modern look - see that decorative element of the vertical branch? This couple has been in this lodge for a few years, and have had time to settle in and express themselves. Our guide was a bit snobby about this place, and snorted about "new ideas" and "young people" but we thought that the place showed originality.

The third place was a well established lodge, with a few generations living inside (or so we were told) It's been in the family for years and is well set up for a nice size family, with room for visitors.

The last place we saw was the beaver mansion at the far end of the river. This place was GORGEOUS and was swimming distance to a nice avenue thru the reeds. It was HUGE and showed evidence of recent additions.





Best of all, this last place was very close to the ever important dam, which is a community project but is considered a benefit to live close to. This family has direct control over the dam, and can raise and lower the water in their house as they see fit. It was the best lodge on the river! Since no one was home, we got a quick tour of the inside and I did a quick sketch to show you what it looked like inside. I left out the furniture, didn't have time to draw it, but the decorations were enviable. Fresh greenery grew on the inside and outside walls - allowing for snacks whenever needed.


We also got a tour of the lumberyard - where you can see that there is no shortage of raw materials.

There is a speciality grocer near the big mansion lodge, so I took a picture of the produce section. Doesn't look to me like anyone is going hungry on this river, don't you agree?

So, I feel comfortable saying that the recession doesn't seem to have hit the beaver population very hard, and the builders are keeping up with demand. We didn't see any foreclosures, or abandoned lodges, and certainly didn't see any homeless beavers. Everyone on the river seems to be "busy" - so we left with light hearts.

That's our report for Animal Wednesday - have a good day all!