The image above was created by John James Audobon (yes, of bird fame) in 1844. It is in the public domain but is held at the Brooklyn Museum. Note the long yellow teeth and intimidating claws. Beavers (Castor canadensis) are critical residents of the Mountain West - building their habitats and creating healthy ecosystems while also being highly prized for their fur. Whether it was through the fur trade or through their essential biological habits, beavers have been busily creating history in this region for millions of years.

Episode 6 Synopsis - In this episode, Emily tells a terrific story about parachuting beavers and asks us to think about all the ways these animals have helped to build (literally and figuratively) the Mountain West. She and Michelle are then joined by animal rights lawyer Asha Ramakumar and New York Times bestselling author of Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America, Leila Philip. This episode is a little longer because we were having just too much fun conversing with Asha and Leila. And we have fewer sources to list below because most of the episode is comprised of the interesting ideas of our guests.

Postscript. Click here to listen to our Postscript on the sources that most inspired the stories we share in this episode.

meme via: San Jose State University Writing center

Links and Citations for Learning MORE THAN you already know!

Beaver have created fascinating historical stories like those that Emily tells in the Introduction to this episode. Of particular note was the 1948 decision of Idaho land managers to parachute beavers out of planes to repopulate remote Idaho locations. You can learn about that more here. An iconic image of Idaho Fish and Game shows personnel with a beaver and some of the boxes used to contain the beavers as they dropped out of the plane.

Also you must watch this video of Geronimo (the beaver)!

• Of course the beaver nearly disappeared in every region of the country, including the Mountain West, because of overhunting. Beaver fur was warm and attractive and fed into a fashion craze which began in the 1600s and continued well into the 19th century. The National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site has an intriguing article about how much a hat would have cost at different times in the 1800s and who might have purchased them.

  "....scattered pieces of evidence support the conclusion that a beaver hat, whether "superfine" or of a lesser quality (plated or roram), was a common accessory for gentlemen of means and status, available at prices in line with other items of wardrobe. This is especially true if we consider that a good hat, well cared for, would last several years. For men of the laboring classes, however, such a hat would have not only been an extravagance, but also not in keeping with their station in life." from, How Much Did a Beaver Hat Cost?

  

• For some sources on the historic fur trade in the Mountain West region see: the Wyoming Historic Society; History Colorado.

• Lewis and Clark and others on their expedition documented beavers in their journey west. Many of the journals have been digitized and you can peruse them here. They noted the beavers' role in utterly transforming landscapes -especially in places where they had gnawed on the cottonwood and willows in the riparian areas.

Beaver gnawed stump. Photo by Michelle K. Berry

In 1805, William Clark reported:

"there was a remarkable large beaver caught by one of the party last night. these animals are now very abundant. I have met with several trees which have been felled by them 20 Inches in diameter. bark is their only food; and they appear to prefer that of the Cotton wood and willow; as we have never met with any other species of timber on the Missouri which had the appearance of being cut by them."

• The beaver's biological behavior is essential for soil health and riparian vibrancy. Rivers and streams with beaver present look and work very differently from those places where beaver has been removed. The image below was taken in Yellowstone National Park in the 1920s.

To read the 1969 children's book that Emily discusses in her introduction - scroll on the image below (the book is embedded).

The beaver continues to inspire humans to take extraordinary actions to reintroduce them. Whether it is the British Isles, the northern Rockies or even the Sonoran Desert, conservationists are working to ensure beavers (and thus ecosystems and the humans who rely on them) survive.

For examples of the efforts of beaver believers check out the following links:

• this organization based in Wales and England;

• the beaver count in southern Arizona through Watershed Management;

• the importance of beaver in the movement to restore the Rio Grande Headwaters;

• the Blackfeet Climate Change wetlands and beaver restoration project in Montana.

There are two excellent books on the beaver. One was written by our guest Leila Philip. The other was written by Ben Goldfarb.

Thank you for tuning in and for wanting to learn MORE THAN you did before!

Join us for the next episode as we howl at the moon with one of the most renowned environmental historians in the United States, Dan Flores. Episode 7 is on the mighty Coyote.