Posted on 12/29/2020 12:36:57 PM PST by SJackson
Among the more humble recipients of our longer walks and affinity for nature during the pandemic: beavers.
On recent mornings, shortly before and after sunrise, small groups of people have traveled to a bridge on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston. Some leave willow branches. For the beavers.
“They’ve got this whole following,” said Tamar Selch, who stops by regularly with her husband, Zach. “They’re very cute. And how often do you really get to see beavers out there?”
Illinois’ largest rodents are in city lagoons, rivers and streams. They’re on Instagram and TikTok. Sometimes a nuisance, and at other times a welcomed presence, beavers have found respite all over the state, a switch from when they were wiped out by hunters by the early 1900s — and a sign that water quality and habitat possibilities have long been on the upswing. Now they’re making their last push as the cold sets in to shore up their lodges and stock up on food.
And offering another reminder of what we notice when we spend more time outdoors.
“When I was a kid, the idea that I would see a wild beaver on my walks in the morning was unheard of,” Zach Selch said. “So it’s sort of cool to have them right here in the middle of Evanston.”
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
I’ll check back later, for the jokes of Leslie Nielsen saying nice beaver in that movie, the exit sign for Big Beaver Road, etc.
Persona non grata in my mind, they're territorial and will kill a swimming dog. Interestingly Evanston, an urban area, has lots of swimming dogs. And trees. Don't know if Evanston does, but many suburbs in the area have ordinances required any tree cut down to be replaced, unless certified by the city as diseased. Now they'll have to make a BeaverLivesMatter exception. But what about the willow's lives?
I think the largest rodent is in the governor’s office.
United States Congress too!
The biggest Rats are in Chicongo......................
I hate Illinois Rats.
We have a ‘Beaver Creek’ here that people keep stealing the sign. The city finally quit putting one up...................
The Rats in Springfield are just as big.
I enjoyed spotting some in a creek I paddle but a flood last fall caused them to relocate.
Too greasy, like Black Bear.
Troy, Michigan
“The biggest Rats are in Chicongo”
And the biggest one there sits behind the mayors desk.
I prefer the hairless variety.
You mean Beetlejuice?
“They’re very cute. And how often do you really get to see beavers out there?”
You can say that again!
“the exit sign for Big Beaver Road, etc.”
That was me, posting about a Hooters at that location in SE Michigan.
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