If beavers are present, it’s usually not hard to find them. They not only leave lots of gnawed trees, branches, and cuttings, but create new wetlands (ecological communities) while flooding previously dry areas. They are supreme engineers and the sound of running water puts them in serious work mode.
While beavers at Bernheim sometimes have active sites with dams and lodges along sections of Wilson Creek, way back in Bernheim’s Research Forest, they are occasionally spotted in Lake Nevin, especially in the evening near the Cypress Tupelo Swamp. Perhaps you have been on a night hike with Volunteer Naturalist, Bill Napper, and heard the loud slap of a tail. Such an encounter is always memorable and may make you want to learn more.
Questions to Ponder at Bernheim:
If you look at a beaver, or even a photo of one, what do you notice most? Have you ever wondered how beavers know how to construct such strong lodges, and even a bear bouncing on top of it, usually can’t get in? Does watching a beaver remind you of anything?
At Home Activity: Watch the PBS documentary, Leave it to Beavers. It is wonderful!
Links to Learn More:
Beavers Making Themselves at Home in Bernheim
Worth a Dam: Beavers at Bernheim
PBS: Leave it to Beavers
