Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made AmericaBeavers, you may have noticed, are having a moment. These tireless engineers build woody dams that form ponds, which in turn filter out water pollution, sequester carbon, furnish wildlife habitat and avert drought. The Los Angeles Times recently called the beaver a “superhero,” and the New York Times has deemed them “furry weapons of climate resilience.” Wetlands with beavers are so good at fighting megafires that some researchers have urged the U.S.
Of course, the most valuable beaver-based commodities were their pelts. Beaverland’s subtitle, How One Weird Rodent Made America, is no exaggeration. The industrial fur trade drove westward colonization, hurled tribes into centuries of resource war, and lined the pockets of John Jacob Astor, the country’s first multimillionaire, who parlayed pelts into a New York real estate empire. By destroying beaver ponds and wetlands, the fur trade also distorted ecosystems.
Among the challenges of writing about beavers is that they’re seemingly linked to everything—the rise of capitalism, the transformation of American landscapes and the fight against climate change, to name a few enormous themes. “Beavers,” Philip admits, “were leading me astray.” Indeed, we’re treated to lengthy digressions about coyote ecology, the history of New England’s stone walls and a documentary about naked mole rats.
Ben Goldfarb is a journalist and author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/ E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.by Christopher PriestAcclaimed science-fiction writer Christopher Priest has a long history of creating high-concept thrillers, including The Separation, The Islanders and the World Fantasy Award–winning The Prestige.
Garbage!
' Wild Maine: Episode 8 ' on YouTube is an example of Maine's state game management and land owner co-operation to target so-called nuisance baby beaver. Wanton waste of a resource for what reward ? Who is liable for deadly incidental catch and kill ? How much bounty in 18 dead ?