THE BEAVER

Soon after we purchased the house in the fall of 2010, we noticed that the water level of our pond was rising. A few weeks later, we saw what looked to be a beaver lodge on one end of the pond and a dam on the other. The impact on the surrounding landscape was immediate, leading to the flooding of the adjacent forest. Having no experience with beavers, or any large-ish wildlife for that matter, John, with the help of my 70-year-old father, decided to remove the dam themselves. After many hours of labor (think two men in wellies with an assortment of garden tools), a few broken rakes and at least one sore back, the water level in the pond began to lower at a noticeable rate. Unfortunately, however, it didn't take long for the beavers to also note the change in water level. No sooner had our team put down their muddy shovels and hoes than the two beavers emerged from their lodge. Running the risk of sounding anthropomorphic, the beavers did seem quite upset by our efforts. There was some tail slapping and a few very close dives before they started re-building the dam. When we stopped by the property the following day, the dam was fully intact, appearing stronger than before, and the water back up to pre-work levels. Long story short, feeling over-matched and defeated, we placed a call to a local trapper. Over a year passed, and we didn't hear anything from the trapper or the taxidermist who agreed to mount one of the beavers. Recently, we began to worry that the beaver had somehow been lost in the shuffle of middlemen and turnover within the taxidermy company. Much to our surprise, when we came up to the house this weekend, we were greeted by a very large beaver, sitting in on our kitchen table. I cannot overstate the size of this thing. It is huge and fascinating to behold, from its webbed feet, to its long teeth and beady eyes. We are looking to find a special place for the beaver in the recently furnished great room and hope that the pond continues to remain beaver-free for the foreseeable future.