Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Badass beavers - April 7 is International Beaver Day
Honoring 'nature's engineer'
Beavers are shy creatures - and in North America, the population has shrunk to 10 percent of what it was before Europeans came to the "New World." It's a rare sight to catch beavers at work in the wild.
Heroes of the wetlands
There are two species: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver. Both build dams as protection from predators. In doing so, they create wetlands, swamp-like areas with shallow brooks and ponds that harbor rich biodiversity. Beavers don't actually live in the dams - their homes are called lodges - but they defend them vigorously.
Busy beavers
Beavers use their large front teeth to fell trees, with which they build dams. But the ponds created by these dams contribute to global warming. Organic material ends up in the bottom of ponds, where a lack of oxygen "leads to anaerobic decomposition, which generates methane," biochemist Colin Whitfield told DW. Although it's a relatively small amount, compared to other greenhouse gas emissions.
Urban wildlife
Expanding urban areas lead to more beavers in cities or suburbs, which can cause conflict with humans. Beaver dams and lodges have been sighted in Chicago's Lincoln Park or in Napa Valley, in California's wine country.
Farmers' enemy
This conflict is even pointed in populated countrysides. In Germany, a farmers' association has asked for permission to hunt the protected rodents. The farmers say that the beavers cause damage worth millions of euros by flooding their fields, meadows and basements.
http://www.dw.com/en/badass-beavers/g-19170955
24 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
during those long frozen winters?
http://www.troyhistoricvillage.org/feb-23-2015-called-big-beaver-road/
~ snip ~
The name Big Beaver can be traced back to the pioneer era. The village of Big Beaver, settled in 1825, was located at the intersection of the Paint Creek Trail, today known as Rochester Road, and an east west two-track that became Big Beaver Road. The 1877 History of Oakland County states, “The place derives its name from a large dam, erected by a colony of beavers, across a little brook near the place.” The stream, nearly gone in 1877, was better described as a seasonal creek. The industrious rodents probably disappeared before or when pioneer Ira Smith and his neighbors established their homes in the area. Taverns, blacksmith shops, a number of stores, and an inn replaced the wildlife. However, Big Beaver did not grow beyond the intersection. Economic development in Big Beaver and Troy Corners, located at the intersection of Square Lake Road and Livernois, stopped when the Grand Trunk Railroad was routed from Detroit through Royal Oak and Pontiac, and bypassed both communities. For many years, only prosperous farms dominated the landscape.
Change came after World War II when industrialists abandoned cramped factories in Detroit to build sprawling single-story facilities that could accommodate new manufacturing technologies developed during the war. They found large tracts of inexpensive land in Oakland and Macomb counties. Planners were drawn to Big Beaver Road, a direct artery between the two counties and Selfridge Air Force Base. Big Beaver Road was also a convenient half-hour commute from Detroit.
~ snip ~
Bong Rec Area.
You'll be glad you did!
They ARE amazing creatures!
I mean, putting yourself in the shoes of the person writing the OP:
am I really going to announce today is beaver day?
"Say 'cheese'."
"Cheeeeese!" 
