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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
16 Wednesday, October 9, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson The mighty beaver The beaver is Oregon9s state animal and is displayed prominently on our state flag. It9s the largest native rodent in North America. History books state that as early as 1540, Europeans worked the fur business hand-in-glove with native peoples. The Europeans traded beads and trinkets for beaver fur and it wasn9t until the mid-1800s that colonists had learned enough from them to go at trapping on their own and keep all the profits. But, from 1790 to 1859 and on into the mid-1860s, competition between English and American trap- pers grew to the point of bloodshed. The quest for <soft gold= (beaver, otter, and other lightweight and highly valuable fine furs), created financial fortunes for beaver-killers 4 which had a lot to do with Oregon becoming part of the Union. Beaver have been trapped relentlessly all over North America by trappers bent upon making a living from their fantastic fur. At one point the trapping was so heavy our beaver almost became extinct. During the Great Depression making money for food and shelter was paramount, and selling the beaver9s fur was one way to do it; so much so they were almost trapped into oblivion. But wiser minds stepped in to protect the beaver and stopped trapping, preserv- ing this incredible animal for generations to come. Thanks to those efforts and wise state management of the species there are an esti- mated 15 million beaver in the United States today. The beaver fur that was so valuable during those early days of colonization is still going for a good price today. In the east, beaver pelts are selling for around $14 each; while lower-quality pelts are selling for around $9. Castoreum, a rich chemical that is part of the beaver9s makeup, is still valuable in the perfume industry and is selling between $50 to $70 per pound. Beaver-fur clothing is still on the market. One fur- rier, featured on Google, can be found selling men9s beaver jackets for $5,999. While a tanned beaver pelt is selling for $79.95, and you can purchase a beaver blan- ket for $2,057.38. Another site had a men9s beaver fur and cashmere scarf on sale for $279.95. A beaver hat is made from felted fur. They were fashionable across much of Europe during the period 155031850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a wide variety of hat shapes. Used winter coats worn by Native Americans were actually a prized commod- ity for hat-making because the wear helped prepare the skins; separating out the coarser hairs from the pelts. The fashion world can get along quite well with- out all that beaver fur, but aquatic communities with a need for dependable water supply need the beaver as their partner. Studies by hydrolo- gists have revealed that the mighty beaver9s dams back up water and replenish aquifers, with which they have the power to shift the biodiversity of ecosystems and alter the level of water tables. A beaver 9s preferred habitat is one with plenty of water, since that9s how beaver stay out of reach of predators. If a beaver moves into a forested area that9s a little too dry for its liking, the beaver simply becomes an engineer and changes the shape of the landscape. They use the forest around them to create dams that make huge ponds that provide water to other wildlife 4 even during the height of summer. And when they leave an area to live somewhere else, the dam breaks down, the flooded area eventually dries, becomes a meadow and then a forest. Beaver dams are helpful in other ways. A study car- ried out by the University of Rhode Island measured just one of the positive ben- efits of dams: They can help remove up to 45 percent of harmful nitrogen from streams and creeks. Beaver can reverse the effects of ruined waterways, help to prevent water short- ages and revitalize drought- stricken areas with fresh water. Teaming them up with human engineers could PHOTO BY BRIDGET TINSLEY Alison Luce, one of several ONDA volunteers creating habitat to bring the beaver back to eastern Oregon. make a difference for water- parched places. Beaver are returning to areas they were once trapped out of, as a result we may see an impact on a larger scale in protecting drought-prone areas from suffering through the worst of dry times. That in itself should remove them from Oregon9s fur-trapping list. Jefferson Jacobs of the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) has begun several long-term projects to bring beaver back in eastern Oregon. All are multi-day planting efforts in locations as diverse as Tumalo, Cottonwood State Park, Malheur National Forest and tribal lands near Malheur National Forest. Every year ONDA has about a dozen work/project oppor- tunities for folks to join in on. They9d love to have you out helping the mighty bea- ver to heal the land! And for another look at these hardy hydraulic engineers, go the website Reese Mercer sent me from Think Wild: www. beaverworks.org. Let us show you how much you can save this year! Call 541-588-6245, for a free quote! 257 S. Pine St., #101 www.farmersagent.com/jrybka Auto • Home • Life • Business Crowd participation time! When I say grilled, you say YUM. When I say ahi, you say YUM. ANTLER LIGHTING $175 & UP! GRILLED. AHI. AVO. TOAST. Designer Shades Separate $59 & Up Authentic Shed Antlers! Our most spectacular special to date! 541.549.2699 | 403 E. Hood Ave. PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON Beaver skull. 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