|
Beavers and streams are intimately linked. Until the beavers were trapped, natural riparian habitats and water flow patterns were shaped to an enormous extent by the dams. Ecologists studying today's forests are studying streams with far fewer beavers than previously inhabited these areas. This means that all our observations of what makes a "natural" stream are really not accurate. |
|
|
Beavers prefer slower-moving streams and ponds. Photos courtesy Naomi Woods.
For thousands of years, beavers managed and shaped these streams. Humans took thirty years to wipe them out. We can't see streams in their natural state any longer; they were destroyed along with the . |
beavers -- page 5 of 5
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
related topics
[forests through time] [riparian zones] [threats to forests]
view the condensed version of the beavers article for faster printing/reading
return to the mammals article