Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave it to BEAVERS!

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More and more scientists are starting to ask the question: Could beavers be the ally we’ve been waiting for when it comes to saving the environment? Travel with host Joe Hanson to Central Oregon where a group of scientists set up a kind of beaver laboratory to learn more about the crepuscular creatures. We’ll also speak with a scientist who studies how beavers help to mitigate wildfire and drought.
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Hosted by Joe Hanson from It's Okay to be Smart, Overview uses incredible 4k drone footage to reveal the natural phenomena shaping our planet from a 10,000-foot view-literally.
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[@DownTopable]

Beavers are like nature’s engineers, fiercely intelligent

[@AuntieDawnsKitchen]

Plenty of good reasons beavers are the mascots of both MIT and Cal Tech

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

@@AuntieDawnsKitchen Don't forget OSU!

[@bloodaonadeline8346]

i mean humans are natures engineers too.

[@bloodaonadeline8346]

@Sir Eebral no we aren’t we live on Earth that’s nature. We don’t live in a state of nature if we live in cities but we’re still a part of nature.

[@bloodaonadeline8346]

@Sir Eebral ok I agree with most of what you said but the US doesn’t need foreign oil we have tremendous oil and gas and coal reserves.

[@guychocensky3585]

Beavers saved Mill Stream in Searsport, Me. 30+ years ago it was polluted with sewer overflow. In August the water was dead calm. Once people stopped trapping, the beavers came back aquafarming the wetlands and bringing it back to life. Best neighbors EVER!

[@jacobcarolan1172]

In Missouri we have beavers everywhere. They are incredible habitat builders. I have seen beavers turn a drained and dry lake bed into a flourishing wetland in a few years.

[@fede22081]

That's amazing

[@primesspct2]

wow! Incredible

[@rmar127]

One thing to consider is the fact that for every beaver 🦫 dam created means more water percolates into the subsoil and thus helping to recharge the natural aquifer

[@pamtnman1515]

More beaver dams also mean a lot of damage to human infrastructure

[@russellringland1399]

@@pamtnman1515 Yes. Exactly. SO? This is the mentality of the old ranchers. But guess what, more water in and on the landscape help cattle get through a drought. They are just not bright enough to see it.

[@FirstDagger]

@@pamtnman1515 ; More human infrastructure means more damage to human infrastructure also.

[@pamtnman1515]

@@FirstDagger i agree. That’s what happened with the tornadoes last week. Tons of sprawl developments in tornado alleys, where humans are guaranteed to experience widespread destruction. Bad/ wrong/ high risk places to live

[@connordrake5713]

@@pamtnman1515 We, humans, had destroyed a lot of rainforest, savannah and ecosystems to the point we made a lot of "literal deserts" because the ecosystem is too dried up for illegal logging and illegal hunting. I find it ironic that beaver dam destroy human infrastructure where in fact we destroyed a lot than beavers.

[@grantmccoy6739]

I really think that this world needs more natural solutions to our problems. Harmony with nature isn't just effective, it's rewarding. Seeing ecosystems thrive is not only entertaining, it's also beneficial. I've heard about beavers being keystone species before. They are trying to reintroduce them in Britain as well. That operation beaver drop was hilarious BTW 🤣

[@tiacho2893]

Considering the sheer numbers, acreage of habitat, and their effect on water flow on a continental scale, keystone is right. And like the various invasive species introduced into Australia to solve "pest issues", humans seem to be crap at artificially engineering a ecosystem. Nature is better at it. Unfortunately, some species need large populations just to be stable. As a Canadian, I hope beavers make a comeback in Britain. And the beaver was one more near extinction so that the wealthy could wear a luxury hat.

[@terredee]

The beaver drop wasn’t hilarious for the beavers, many of whom died from the impact. Beavers are monogamous and live with their babies for 2-3 years; most never found their families. And you can see how roughly the men handled them. Just general disrespect for Nature and individuals who are not homo ‘sapiens’.

[@j4yd34d5]

@@terredee I agree but I also find it hilarious. It's not amusing that animals suffered, but peoples capacity to act with such overwhelming stupidity is hysterical. You can laugh at the absurdity of somebody's perspective without supporting it.

[@terredee]

@@j4yd34d5 yeah. It’s just too sad for me what people have done to beavers. They are amazing critters who have family and friends and work just like we do, and random ranchers just knock down their homes and ‘shoot, shovel, and shut up’ about their crimes against Nature.

[@absalomdraconis]

Hopefully they introduce the Eurasian beaver (a real species) instead of American beavers to Britain, since that's the type that would have been there previously.

[@careless3241]

It's good to see the younger generations trying so hard to protect nature after all the damage that's been mindlessly done

[@---usr]

I am also very glad that the younger generations are more intelligent than our ancestors

[@primesspct2]

Yes , Yes it is! People are always talking about the younger generation being this or that, never anything good. Just like every generation before us, its like old people forget what its like to live in a time when the world is changing so quickly. Remember the 60's absurd slogan " Don't trust anyone over 30". News flash you people are 80 now and saying the same thing as your parents and grandparent! Its human nature for some I suppose. But when I see stories like this, it makes me so happy! Its a very good thing, progress we can point to and say nonsense, look at what young people are doing here and here and here. This story gave me the biggest smile I have had today! We cannot continue to be afraid of and fight change. The world stands still for no man or woman or generation! That's a good thing. Apparently beavers don't either. I had the thrill of seeing a beaver dam on an old farm pong here in Ohio in the US. Busily at work , changing our world for the better, My heart sang when I saw all those beaver chews! They are the only beaver I have ever seen in my 62 years on this good earth. Hopefully I will see more! Setting about repairing what mankind has set awry. p.s Natural fire break, of course they are. When the wild fires were so bad out west I thought to myself, well humans have rerouted ALL the water from surrounding states to water farms built in the desert. Of course there are fires. Here is hoping beavers can reappropriate some of the water stolen from other lands and bring some of it back home !

[@montygates8767]

I lived on a large beaver pond in the Adirondack mountains. They are beautiful, curious and friendly neighbors. They were nothing but joy

[@user-pu2ho4ip3d]

Were..?

[@klayvonisme]

This is so awesome! This confirms my so called “Ridiculous thinking”. As a teenager in the 80s, I had this thought about how much water had been held by the millions of beaver that created millions of dams creating huge areas of wetland, lakes and ponds. And how this had been lost when the beaver were trapped almost to extinction. And how this changed massive eco systems. Now I know that It wasn’t just some foolish idea!

[@holdthetruthhostage]

You were ahead of your time man

[@klayvonisme]

@@holdthetruthhostage Haa! Thank you!

[@Eurydice870]

Killing the beaver created the dust bowl. That's been known since it happened.

[@katherineirving7189]

🤗👍🥰

[@Onewitekrow]

Love these engineers ! I camped out with them. Great neighbors. We only had one squabble over certain piles of willow branches and a tree. We came to amicable terms. We also changed the course of a stream to both our advantages. I treasure our times together

[@jodyfulford8215]

Cool story!

[@deepsleep7822]

Yes, they are amazing creatures. Doing what they do naturally. I watched a YT vid where a guy was actually bragging about how many he’s killed. Stupid idiot. He has no idea what positive things beaver’s do for the environment.

[@nenmaster5218]

@@jodyfulford8215 We need to share Knowledge and even bring it to our Schools. At least watch yourself but maybe even consider going to your next-neatrest School and ask the School-Board if they can show the Kids the Climate-Coverage of UpisnotJump, Hbomberguy, Some More News, Climate Town, OCC.

[@KimRho1231]

Cool Story Bro

[@brokentombot]

Cool story bruh!

[@nancyfahey7518]

I like the fact that the water isn't running downstream and going straight out to the gulf or where ever. I know rerouting rivers can slow it down. But this is exactly what we need to cool down the land. This makes sense.

[@earthknight60]

That's one of the ways beaver dominated ecosystems help to mitigate flooding intensity as well. The broad, meandering channels and associated floodplains allow flood waters to spread out and slow down, and that slowing down reduced peak flow enormously. The vegetation in those ecosystems also helps to slow water flow, further reducing flood peaks.

[@jandrews6254]

This system was trialled by Peter Andrews in Australia, to rehydrate the dry countryside. KZbin has a video on his “leaky weirs”

[@rmar127]

@@jandrews6254 I’ve seen those videos and I had the same thought too.

[@TheIVJackal]

I wonder how beavers would affect a river that struggles to reach the ocean already, I would think it makes it worse? I'm thinking of the Colorado river.

[@robertwoodroffe123]

The increased bio diversity huge apparently!

[@willm5814]

Beavers and Bees….both SOOOO critical!

[@nickybrooks6942]

I love Beavers , we just reintroduced them here in the SW England and they are rocking the rewilding efforts !!!

[@bruubies]

Beaver*

[@Keatoil]

@@bruubies time for glasses

[@bruubies]

@@Keatoil I think its important to be loyal.

[@pryncecharming2133]

I love seeing this😊

[@Tsass0]

England and Scotland are also using beavers to restore waterways and to prevent runaway flooding.

[@terenceconnors9627]

Beavers can't solve all our wildfire problems, but they sure will help, if we let them. They increase fish habitat in rivers, too; more beavers means more salmon, trout, alewives, etc.

[@bookbeing]

Definitely better than fast tracking it out to the ocean which is s.o.p. for LA county regarding their nearby mountain areas now.

[@russellkeeling4387]

Beaver are a keystone species from which all nature benefits including humans.

[@fuzzamajumula]

Okay, and can we just admit that beavers are adorable? I mean...who can resist that cuteness?

[@DouglasBalmain]

As I walk through our arid Western landscapes, I try to imagine how the land might have looked prior to European influence. It would be unrecognizable in comparison to the land as we now know it. How wondrous it would be to see this continent’s wild ecosystems as they had evolved to be. Beaver in every drainage, 60 million bison fertilizing the grasslands, old-growth forest networks, grizzlies and elk in the lowlands, abundant plant and species diversity: Balance and Abundance.

[@HkFinn83]

Yeh you might be sentimentalizing a little to be fair...you’d also see a fair bit of internecine warfare and child sacrifice to that glowing orange thing in the sky😂

[@damiansanchez7823]

@@HkFinn83 While I agree that Douglas might be a little over sentimental, The Americas before European contact must have been a sight to see! So much of the pre-contact knowledge and history were lost due to European exploitation and abuse. One could even go as far as to say "Genocide". As for the ecological landscape, The Americas were and still are home to some really interesting plants and animals. If you're really into the natural sciences, I highly suggest reading more into the fascinating history of the once great land we call America.

[@elliottlytle]

Agree, wolves as well. They have come back in Yellowstone but are now being massacred in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Just for sport too. That's so messed up on every level, morally, scientifically, and spiritually. Glad to see there are people working toward an approach that lives in harmony with nature. We don't have to kill everything around us to get by. Quite the opposite. We benefit from live and let live.

[@TheOneAndOnlyCiV]

@@HkFinn83 nothing wrong with a couple sacrifices to help give your village a robust harvest smh

[@Vapingaftersex]

First European settlers saw that and said “bet you 20 bucks we can fuck this up in the worst possible way”

[@stevep5408]

A local community was worried about water quality from a series of beaver dams in their local valley. After taking a vote the dams were removed, beavers trapped and relocated. The next dry spell they had all their wells dried up because the beaver dams we're recharging the local aquifer. The law of unintended consequences is unforgiving.

[@urbanwarchief]

proof that the majority is not always right

[@venator-classstardestroyer568]

It's sad how changing the environment for optimal industry created a cascade of problems and only now we are realizing the extent of it.

[@altmosetz_01]

Industrial revolution and European Settlers & rulers - these have done max damage to earth & environment, many of which are irreversible

[@sunnysied713]

People were aware of this hundreds of years ago. People do have eyes and brains. This isn't exactly a 'new' revelation.

[@IsleOfFeldspar]

But the eyes and brains of greed are always bigger.

[@Bonzi_Buddy]

Gky

[@singingfalls]

This needs to repeated more in dept and more frequently. Thanks so much for taking these initial steps in the right direction. Not only will they help recharge aquifers, increase biodiversity but without them our salmon and trout runs will never recover. Restoring beaver ecology is a no brainer. The question really should be, "Can beaver be restored soon enough?"

[@Trythis837]

So wolves slaughter beavers. It’s their main summer diet. Should we wipe out wolves to save beavers?

[@singingfalls]

@@Trythis837 We've translocated many beavers in collaborative work with the State of Oregon (Beaver State). We fully acknowledge that the beaver is a prey species. They are very capable of protecting themselves when given the chance to sequester water. I doubt very much that the wolves have beaver as summer diet unless there's a severe drought. They only become vulnerable when in dispersal mode once a year. That's very near breading season in late August. Our first release consisted of 14 beaver. In short order half of the beaver were predated. By the next Spring we were back up to 14 beaver and counting. The colony is now well established in a watershed in which they were extirpated in the '50's. The main predator in our area is the Mountain Lion. They like them too. So do eagles. So do coyote. etc. That's why prey species are more prolific. Savvy?

[@spotty67]

@@Trythis837 I am not sure its their main summer diet, but Wolves are hard on many populations in wildlife. When a pack moves to a new area, just within a few months many different creatures are wiped out.

[@Trythis837]

@@singingfallsbeaver is the main summer diet of wolves. That’s a known fact. Those Yellowstone goofs praise wolves for taking out beavers and allowing the streams to regenerate. Now you guys are saying it’s the opposite.

[@singingfalls]

No actually, the regeneration of riparian areas goes like this. Since the wolves were trapped out, the ungulates, (elk, deer and bison) kept over grazing the riparian areas. Now that the wolves have returned they no longer hang out strictly in the riparian area. The wolves keep them moving (including in summer). That has allowed the riparian vegetation to recover from over grazing. Riparian vegetation recovered. Beaver have food again. The ecosystem recovers due to flood plane reconnectivity brought about by beaver dams. Simple and beautiful really.

[@blucheer8743]

Beavers love to fix things. I lived on a river in the northwest studied them as a boy on the old ranch my grandfather homesteaded. they’d dam up whole valleys but where I lived on a good size river they were always going up and down the tributaries fixing older dams. They loved to come along and work on spots that were started by other beavers. They actually invented the term “work smarter not harder”

[@anne12876]

A couple years ago, my city had a problem with beavers cutting down city park trees. They tried to relocate the beavers but they were coming back. So, they put metal wires around the trees to prevent the beavers from cutting them down. If beavers think your land is a good spot to build their hut, they will come back no matter what. The good thing is that they are highly territorial. Only one couple lives on a given territory. Their offsprings will find a new spot to found their own family once they are old enough.

[@pratiksharma3538]

which city are you mentioning about ? i will google it for more info

[@anne12876]

@@pratiksharma3538 Montreal

[@HkFinn83]

Why not just poison them?

[@lanialost1320]

Typical moronic municipal policy. In the hands of utterly dimwitted employees.

[@christinalynn8143]

Yard moles burrow through yards and ruin the landscape, some insects are also harmful to crop growth and longevity. It is clear, in example that there are added benefits of animals, of some and not other. It would seem the fencing idea of good use to keep beavers and other wild rodents at a distance because it would also seem their determination is perhaps fierce. 😁 Cute beavers, God gave the earth so many fun animals. 🦫

[@jarvisjarvis1773]

I'm an Idaho native. I live near the Oregon border. This episode was close to home but in general I have thoroughly enjoyed the last three videos.. the content was very educational and thorough. Keep up the good work guys!! I love the channel

[@craigmiller4199]

As an Oregon resident I have definitely been loving the local focus of so many stories. When they showed the painted hills, my initial thought was ‘I know that place, I go camping there!’

[@andrearupe8094]

Idaho native here too ✌

[@xochitlahuia]

@@andrearupe8094 what tribe? :D

[@roystonmason9125]

@@xochitlahuia lol

[@dallasmore6703]

There are farmers in TX and Australia doing exactly the same thing Beavers do, slowing down water, creating biodiverse wetlands, refilling aquifers. Beavers are the best thing to ever happen to the dry western US.

[@leoniemusgrave9322]

Sequential farming.

[@samsmom1491]

It's refreshing to see my home state working to bring the beavers back. I remember over two decades ago seeing a documentary about the importance of beavers in the ecosystem and how they assist in raising the water table, thus limiting damage from drought and wildfires. If only we had invested in the beavers then. We may not be facing the extreme droughts that plague the Western United States. It's not too late! Thank you for sharing.

[@MaxBrix]

Most of the flat places in the mountain valleys of Colorado were made by beavers. Meadows and camp sites are slowly washing away without them. Beaver are one of the most important geoengineers.

[@scenichwys4952]

I did a lot of hunting and fishing in my life time. While hunting I often came across beaver dams. I remember telling my dad we should start a land scaping business and hire beavers to work for free. My dad's response was are you kidding, they would probably form a union and there would go your free labor.

[@russellkeeling4387]

I have always had this mental picture of a native chainsaw. It's a native american holding a beaver by the scruff of the neck and the base of the tails while it chews a tree down.

[@katherineirving7189]

🤣

[@russellkeeling4387]

In 2002 when my area had a very bad drought the only streams that still had water flowing in them were the streams that had live beaver dams in them.

[@stampscapes]

When I was in high school, some entity planted some beaver on some federal land near where I lived on the central coast of CA. There was a little seasonal creek where they let them go but after a year or two, that little area had multiple clear running streams and multiple year round ponds with tons of little minnows and turtles. It was really amazing what they created in a short span of time. There weren't a huge amount of trees in the area after a couple years of getting chopped down and the beaver were gone after a few years so I don't know if they were relocated or just ran out of food but it was a real treat to witness.

[@christinalynn8143]

Sweet story. 🦫🦫🦫

[@centrist3684]

The show's name is OVERVIEW, for anyone who was confused like I was trying to find it in the survey. I kept looking for PBS Terra.

[@danijelandroid]

If I remember correctly an Australian farmer did something similar what beavers do. He slowed down stream and it got greener.

[@davestagner]

It is incredibly important that beavers are so effective against wildfires.

[@regularfern]

My dog who passed away about 4 years ago, we went down in the Washington Ridgefield area of woods and used to watch the beavers go by as I played my guitar. Good times

[@brandondavidson4085]

Humans: *creating artificial beaver dams* Beavers: "Oh hey, this house is pretty nice."

[@karenf9137]

One beaver to the other: Yeah, I think I saw this on Zillow last week.

[@myinnermagpie]

Let’s redecorate

[@tomdillan]

Nature always knows what needs to done. We just have to leave it alone and learn to work with instead of against her.

[@edwardh3020]

I know right!!

[@johnransom1146]

I’ve got a huge beaver complex across the road from my property. It holds back so much water that if you broke the dam it would flow over the road because it’s higher. They do alot for flood control too, imo

[@russellkeeling4387]

In the mountain village where I worked until I retired a lady had a large beaver dam near her home. She did not like it because it covered much of her property. Due to the fact I worked for the water district she asked me about getting the dam removed. She used a well for her water source and was not connected to our water system. I advised her if she broke the dam her water level in the dam would go down. She did not listen and had the dam breached. Her well went dry. After that she purchased more property contiguous to her own and let the beaver rebuild the dam. Her well is doing great and the beaver dam is huge with very large brown trout occupying it. The expanse of the water has caused the willow and aspen growth to accelerate thus growing more food for the beaver. I would guess there are at least a dozen or more beaver in the dam and now the lady is very protective of them.

[@TheaLorraine]

so she is drinking beaver water dig a proper well and dispatch the rodents

[@russellkeeling4387]

@@TheaLorraine Leave the rodents alone. Beaver are a keystone species.

[@johnransom1146]

You’re an ignoramous @@TheaLorraine

[@pathtobillions8070]

I’ve actually been fascinated by beavers recently so this video is aptly timed! I’m curious how much the near extinction of beavers played a part in the droughts out west.

[@terredee]

Huge effect to this day - and we’re still suffering mightily.

[@davebauman4991]

Knew it!!!

[@MikeY-nh2we]

@@terredee we've got plenty here in Maryland come get some of these little buggers

[@lobodiablo841]

Listen to the song Winona and her big brown beaver

[@jodyfulford8215]

@@MikeY-nh2we Might actually be a good idea. It would introduce new bloodlines and strengthen the genome.

[@aaronmeehan8161]

Just did a 4 day trip down the green river in Utah! Cool seeing some beavers out there.

[@justjulie2859]

Such a great informational video. I had no idea. I wish all schools were required to show this. As adults, it will be lost on us.

[@dealeru.3532]

An often overlooked benefit is the deep water pool down stream of a dam that is scoured during years of spring floods by the energy of the water dropping over the dams height. This is the only mechanism where the bottom of a water channel is deepened or naturally dredged, and provides the deep nursery pools necessary for juvenile fish.

[@leejuicy]

So basically, beavers got the full Native American treatment.

[@lettucesalad3560]

Pretty sure the Native Americans' were making scalps out of their enemies.. not the other way around(in reference to beaver hats).

[@nandy9285]

@@lettucesalad3560 yes, but I'm pretty sure the oc was referring to the decimation of a population...

[@Hype7media]

In Australia we would call it the the indigenous Australian treatment,

[@Hype7media]

@@lettucesalad3560indigenous Australians got the same thing, but without the scalping and turned into Hats

[@nandy9285]

@@mrdelder1007 additionally, even if natives did create the practice. Who ultimately got the short end of the stick by far

[@davidbryden7904]

As a lifelong Californian, I wonder if beavers would be beneficial (or viable) in restoration of river systems in the greater LA basin? There's growing recognition that concrete systems are wasting precious H2O that should be recharging the ground water. Could this help?

[@draggy6544]

Assuming its clean enough and a creek/river deep enough they can survive and eventually thrive and create fantastic river habitats

[@jeffreychandler8418]

california currently treats them as invasive because of a pretty prominent animal distribution survey a while ago, however they definitely did live in the sierra nevadas and the central valley. The la basin is really hard because the vegetation types are typically very different from what beaver can utilize, and even more updated historical distribution maps rarely put beavers in that basin. It may be helpful in the upper reaches where there's typically higher precipitation and greater willow establishment, but it's hard to know for sure. The Riverscapes consortium has some tools and manuals on designing these types of structures and may be a good resource on what habitat can qualify for effective establishment. Its called the beaver restoration assessment tool. Joe probably has some videos on it somewhere

[@draggy6544]

@@jeffreychandler8418 i mean if they dont wanna introduce the animal just start to emulate them ppl make artificial beaver dams in other states why cant california a state who could benefit the most from being able to slowdown and retain moisture for longer allowing the groundwater to regenerate. A beaver habitat can absorb enough water to last through 2-4 years of severe draught without the vegetation running out of moisture thats how effective beavers are

[@skie6282]

Probably..

[@mnomadvfx]

The problem in California is purely demand. Demand is fast outstripping supply. If it's not for human domestic use it's for industrial or farming use. There is only so much rainfall. What would help far more than beavers is no more lawn maintenance. Lawn maintenance accounts for a giant amount of water use in the US, water that is for the large part wasted as much of it will simply evaporate away quickly in a hot climate.

[@riohenry6382]

Makes me proud to have the beaver as our national animal. No joke. Canada

[@eyeofthebeholder7936]

How fascinating and educational. Makes me happy to have beavers in the creek behind me 😁

[@pnf197]

Up in Canada, and ya'all know we love our beavers!! What really hit me about this pitch perfect piece was GAIA! Yes. Gaia, the idea the Earth is a self-sustaining organism (I may be fudging a bit, but that's the idea that I love most.) This so clearly points to the truth about Gaia -- that the Earth is a inter-species eco-system and if man just did his little part, the Earth would be a healthy place. But, alas, man does what man does: destroy. In hope that the connection between science and reality is closing in on us, and we need to accept the truth. We are not Earth's care-taker, we never were. Leave to Beaver!!

[@sunnysied713]

Earth created humans, so that's her fault. Lol

[@anandsharma7430]

@@sunnysied713 A bit like a cancerous growth

[@sunnysied713]

@@anandsharma7430 Every lifeform is like a cancer. A bunny will devour, reproduce and multiply until all resources are consumed... unless coyotes devour them to restore balance.

[@T410ce]

We are earths caretakers in fact. We just need to stop being so selfish and greedy and find our true place in this world. This video shows how we as humans can be teammates with wild animals and ecosystems.

[@DS-lk3tx]

Man does what gets women. If women selected males based on their passive qualities, we'd all live in mud huts and ride bikes. 😂

[@richardgaspar4590]

It is beautiful when the rivers get restored, riverside woody habitats can really take me back in time.

[@valho9]

Nature will always know more than we do. We have much to learn from how nature does it. Love what these scientists are doing.

[@trnrarmy]

I love this kind of thinking! We Need more of this all over the world!

[@AngusRocker22]

More Beaver content, please!

[@jamesd2128]

Beaver paratroopers ! Now I've seen it all thanks to the all knowing KZbin algorithm. Seriously though, beavers are absolutely amazing creatures that have a profound and positive impact on the landscape.

[@patriciaeddy7629]

Three cheers for beavers ! What an amazing animal 😍

[@alcalavi]

amazing documentary!!! Love the fact that we finally are open to learn from Mother Nature!!!

[@seantomlinson3320]

This is so neat. My older son adores the Wild Kratts and one of his first episodes was watching Build it Beaver over and over again. We happened to visit the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, the headwaters of the Colorado river in the Kauwunechee valley and he still remembers the impact the "Beaver Ponds" area had on him when was not yet 3. He happened to meet one of his favorites stuffies, Beaker the Beaver, there too (thanks Grandma). I love this, what a wonderful episode. Perhaps my son will follow these beaver scientists.

[@fayebird1808]

The Kratt brothers graduated from Queens University In Kingston Ontario Canada, in an area hopping with beavers .

[@guve25]

I'm far from being an environmentalist, but in the span of geological timeline, humanity is just a spec of dust. Want to save the earth? Just watch and learn. This video hits hard on the concept. Love it.

[@andrewhoodz101]

80% of wildlife animals benefit from the habitats that beavers creates. Seems like a great indicator of intelligent design to me. Every good creation has a purposes. Beavers seem awesome to me!

[@inventor121]

This reminds me how, as kids, we would gather rocks, logs, sticks, and mud to dam up the creek and make a fishing/swimming hole.

[@jaredhill8721]

I dream of owning land with a stream running through, and I would love to host a beaver.

[@oldcountryman2795]

@Eric C People who kill beavers should have a hand cut off.

[@davidrogers6287]

I have beavers on my land in Oregon. They are a joy to watch and they do a great job in maintaining the eco system along the riparian zone.

[@qwertylife]

My dream too!

[@levisnyder6585]

As a 530 Northern California native, I have been saying this for years! The problem is not global warming - it is lack of beavers. With the water come the ruminants (elk/bison) and with them come the mountain meadows. All that’s gone now, the trees grow like matchsticks.

[@privatemale27]

Skinny matchstick trees are perfect for beaver dams too. The critters are great at thinning out woodland areas near the water, which help the remaining trees survive drought and fire...

[@snorfallupagus6014]

I thought Northern California natives were 420s.

[@guylewis7418]

Must be up by Redding?

[@user-ft9tw9zw5p]

I love to see how people really care about nature, and taking actions. Of course, we need more videos like this, to help people understand how important it is to keep our earth clear and sustainable.

[@richdub7769]

I love it, not a die hard environmentalist but grew up watching all the animal in the wild shows on pbs. I would love to see more about restoring the environment, solar, wind, tidal and biodiesel using algae review options to tackle the big issues of water quantity, quality and alternative energy options.

[@katherineirving7189]

🥰

[@mloftus8618]

Beavers are friggin cool. I hate that some people poach them. Amazing animals

[@ajourney50]

Without the beaver there would be no Canada, and we know it. There are even native legends about giant beavers changing the land, you got to respect a creature that can heal the land. Interesting that we classify it as a rodent.

[@urbanwarchief]

there once was a story about Beaver, Otter, and Muskrat trying to create land for humans once upon a time

[@susansisson366]

We had a family of beavers create a pond just off the Napa River in the heart of the Napa Valley, California. After the one season, they disappeared, but the cousins or grandkids of that pair are back on the river again this year. Wonderful creatures!

[@carvalhocarv8835]

Watching beaver videos as a kid was cool and funny. Watching beaver videos as an adult is a fascinating. I give them my respect. They’re very important to Earth and serve a purposeful niche. Which is still cool lol.

[@chrishoo2]

Beautifully simple & obvious.I love that everything & everyone benefit from this.

[@treering8228]

A kid in my mom’s classroom proudly told her about how him and his father had trapped some beavers. I soon found out it was the pond I frequented. There were babies in the pond that always floated by me appearing like little logs. This was over 10 years ago in Alaska in a pond just off the AK hwy. Its difficult to enjoy the wildlife here when they are constantly being killed for sport. BTW when beavers are trapped, the trap is under water so they drown.

[@terredee]

Hunters want people to believe that it’s wholesome. Hunting is not wholesome, it’s a completely unlevel ‘playing field’ and in time it will be regarded with the same disdain we have for the jack holes who killed off so many species. It’s sickening that this kids dad thinks it’s a good idea to teach him cruelty and lack of emotion for causing someone’s death for selfish reasons - psychopathic traits.

[@jasonreed7522]

@@terredee Hunting has a place in ecology, it is generally the most humane death an animal can have. A very basic concept in ecology is the carrying capacity of an area, meaning only X deer can sustainably live there before the start dieing in horrible ways. Including: Starvation Disease (diseased animals can spread it to livestock and humans) Predators, many of which will happily eat your intesines while you are concious, and many display behavior that can only be described as cruelty and sadism. (Like housecats playing with their food, orcas tossing seals into the air instead of just eating it as soon as it can) Wildlife Accidents, as in people crashing their cars into them because the animal jumped in the road at the last second, especially problematic in suburbs with high populations (both human and animal). A bullet to the heart/lungs on the other hand is a very quick death much more preferable to a prion like Mad Cow Disease or having a coyotes tear your intenstines out while you're still awake. Dont demonize hunters without first understanding exactly what role they play in keeping the balance of nature. And overhunting is now very rare in the USA because of regulations in terms of Tags and bag limits which limits how much a given person may take, in NY its 1 deer per person per year. Bag limits refer to limits per day which is used for birds and fish that have a much faster reproduction rate. That said i wont be a trapper because the traps inflict unnecessary suffering on the animal.

[@parkerj9868]

@@jasonreed7522 I would push back and say if it weren’t for generations of hunters doing the same thing in the past messing up the entire ecosystem such that no apex predators exist. Thus, requiring the intervention of humans which isn’t good stewardship but rather a patch work band aid. Humans really need to reconcile our place in nature and understand that we will never be able to replicate or do justice to the intricate complexities that arise out of properly functions ecosystems

[@akhasshativeritsol1950]

I don't personally hunt, but I wouldn't have any qualms about hunting an invasive species like feral hogs, or a species that's overpopulated in the absence of predators the way deer are in some locations in the US

[@iak706]

@@parkerj9868 while historically hunting played a role in reducing or even eliminating wildlife populations, this has likely not been the primary cause for a long time. Instead it seems likely that mostly non hunters developing once diverse ecosystems into monoculture farmland, urban or suburban landscapes is the culprit. It is estimated house cats kill somewhere between 1.3- 4 billion birds annually and at least 6.3 billion mammals in the U.S & Canada. Commercial fishing, for which the market is distant urban populations, has and will continue to destroy wild fish populations. In this video, the hats shown made with beaver pelts were not for function but fashion in urban environments. I live in alaska also. I hunt, fish and do some trapping when needed. Wild animals are the most nutritious and local source of protien available. One moose will provide two houses protien for almost an entire year. Fur is the best available material for extreme cold weather period and is also local. The alternative is to import nearly everything thousands of miles by ship or airplane. That is not without consequences to ecosystems either.

[@EDW-task8]

Love it! Xo. We all need to take care of the planet like the animals do...it's just how things are ment to be.

[@agoodun]

Ohhh I love my beaver hat. It's literally the warmest and most water repellent hat I've ever had. 10/10 would recommend

[@guylewis7418]

Beaver does make a great hat. More beavers, more hats!

[@jesper112183]

I don't think that our relationship with beavers is complicated; they are important and should be left alone.

[@Meagan-Renee]

The stop-motion was adorable. 💕

[@mimischiffman626]

Dr. Emily Fairfax (who made that) is a scientist and an artist! :D

[@0HARE]

Thanks for a super interesting episode. I remember as a child in the ‘60s going on a school field trip to a beaver pond in North Carolina. It was fascinating back then, but this work being done now could be a game-changer. We should try to help these beneficial creatures help us all.

[@sarge420]

I love being a native to Oregon since 1957. Our state animal is the beaver 🦫.

[@ulrichspencer]

Could you do more content on unsung ecological engineers? I love learning about them.

[@emilyfairfax5435]

Thanks for making this fantastic video! I was inspired to start studying beavers by a PBS documentary, so it’s very cool seeing this come full circle.

[@mimischiffman626]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to appear in this video! And for sharing your great stop motion skills with us!

[@amyhayutin1738]

I loved your stop motion and your enthusiasm. Do you have any advice about convincing neighbors on watersheds to stop murdering beavers? I will definitely share this video. What federal or state agencies are my allies in this? Who else gives a dam? ( Had to.)

[@madoxxxx06]

The stop motion was amazing Dr!

[@BillLayton]

Great video and great work by all the scientists to develop and understand the importance of the beaver, thanks!

[@cameroncurrie7208]

I'm Canadian and I climbed a beaver dam that had 20 foot walls. When I got to the top it was jaw dropping they had been building it for many generations.. every cast was a trout.

[@MrRedberd]

I saw some funny marks on trees while kayaking down the river. My suspensions were confirmed in a local article about beavers returning to the area. How exciting! It will be interesting to see the interaction between the beavers and wealthy land developers with crazy property values outside Ann Arbor.

[@katherineirving7189]

The evil land developers will slaughter those darlings.

[@sherriianiro747]

​@@katherineirving7189Conservation groups are working with the public to protect them, because most states are not.

[@aviancypress5181]

I have beavers at my relatives land and its so cool how they can change their environment but its also a bad thing when they flood 10 acres

[@beverlyreiner-baillargeon6205]

It's amazing how long it took "smart humans" to figure this out. Every animal on this planet has a job on this planet that benefits the planet!!!

[@eyerealeyezd9238]

I live now on the rogue river in Oregon, years previous I lived in applegate got to see river otters in applegate . I have recently seen 1 beaver here in my backyard in the rogue river he was just cruising and had gotten onto the bank for a short break, I really wasnt expecting to ever see a beaver in the rogue, as I thought they generally would be in an area far more shallow than my backyard river is. One thing completely new to myself I discovered that "Nutria" are all over in my backyard, I'm not sure how or if they fight with the beaver for territory or how it works I guess I'm waiting to see them in an interaction, I do have a wyze cam on my back porch facing the river I use it mainly to record my hummingbirds at the feeder but you can clearly see both the river banks and the birds, so I review them occasionally in Hope's il catch some beaver nutria interaction , they look so similar their tails are pretty much the only way I can quickly spot the difference. Anyways, wanted to say thanks PBS for making this about our BOI tha beaver ! He was my mascot in grade school at Griffin creek (I proudly got to wear the bucky the beaver costume once ) and I still preach on how important he is and too often overlooked!

[@triccele]

This is also an incredible opportunity to talk about what make harmfull an invasive species: beavers are fundamental to the North American ecosystems, but are actually incredible dangerous for South American ones, as here in the south our ecosystems evolved without beavers and their presence despace native species and can destroy natural water sources for other animals down the stream.

[@BuzzKirill3D]

Just translocate tons of coyotes and bears there. That will solve it.

[@triccele]

@@BuzzKirill3D and wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death

[@absalomdraconis]

@@triccele : Gorillas were never mentioned, and aren't relevant to North or South America.

[@triccele]

@@absalomdraconis it was s joke, is from The Simpsons, that's how they dealed with an invasive species. I'm sorry, that joke wasn't clear.

[@pugdad2555]

I think the Hippos would pose more of a problem at this point since they were considered human in the court of US law not that long ago so..... Sorry for that🤷🏽. US law is funny, non-human species are given human status and are protected from death while regular humans are not, solely due to the color of their skin or how they "look"

[@resilientfarmsanddesignstu1702]

Fixed land use is a major part of the problem. The current dominant human economic system requires it. Consider all the levees we have created to “protect” land and structures from the Mississippi River. Then consider all of the disastrous consequences that have resulted from doing that - including harm to the surrounding land and damage to the surrounding structures. Allow and facilitate Nature to adapt dynamically and you fix a lot of the problems.

[@veruspatri]

Fun fact: Canadian Army engineers use the beaver as their emblem. A very fitting icon indeed

[@jakeelo]

Good video! The plural of beaver is beavers though, at least according to a quick Google search

[@terredee]

You’re right, Jake. Calling a group of beavers ‘beaver’ is a mistake. It’s done all the time but it’s still wrong, because when someone calls a family of beavers ‘beaver’ they are using a hunting term that puts beavers into a product category (hats, for example) rather than acknowledging the amazing and important individuals they are. Is it grammatically correct? People have tried to make that case but there is no agreement on that. One beaver is a beaver, one thousand beavers is obviously a bunch of beavers - plural. Simple.

[@paulgroth3345]

Always interested in beavers. I wish we could return the giant beavers

[@jasonbeary5771]

Beaver are hard on trout streams. They remove the over-head cover of trees, dam the stream which exposes water to the sun and allows it to warm.

[@derptothemaxclearly]

Historically, beavers have been hunted for their fur, meat and castoreum. Castoreum has been used in medicine, perfume and food flavoring, while beaver pelts have been a major driver of the fur trade. It wasn't JUST for frivolous hats.

[@lettucesalad3560]

Nice beaver!

[@IrenESorius]

👍‍‍😎

[@jesper112183]

Not sure if it's going to get mentioned in this video but the Smokey the Bear campaign resulted in larger wildfires that were hot enough to kill trees. By preventing small naturally occurring fires, the campaign allowed dead plant matter to build up at the bases of trees, and when fires finally do come through, they destroy at least part of the forest.

[@mimischiffman626]

Producer of this piece here! We actually did a video on a fire lookout that discusses this very issue for the same series!

[@mimischiffman626]

link here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqWcooysgKuoo68

[@bobcukla6017]

That's only partially true, the race to clear all the bushes and undergrowth from our forest is stupid, most neotropical birds nest on our near the ground. Also the race to remove all the dead trees from the forest is ignorant too which is exactly what the stupid National Park Device is pursuing right now! With out dead and dieing trees you make the whole system vulnerable to insect and disease, dead trees are the most important tree in any forest .

[@davebloggs]

Where i live here in Alberta beavers do an amazing job of controlling and storing water they are a keystone species and also fun to watch if you are there at the right time.

[@donaldduffy8947]

Elk island

[@d.m.collins1501]

Amazing video. One of your best. I knew the beavers were important to ecosystems, but I never thought that they might fight fires!

[@AidanRatnage]

I thought the plural of beaver was beavers.

[@Shepfax]

It seems both are acceptable. Source: that's my older sister Emily in the video and I get plenty of beaver brainwashing when she visits for holidays.

[@emilyfairfax5435]

Both are accepted and used by the scientific and practitioner community! Usually when people say "beaver" they're talking about the population/species in general, and when they say "beavers" they're talking about a specific group of them. But that's just a tendency, not a rule. Example: Beaver were pushed almost to extinction by the fur trade. But today, thanks to conservation work, you might be able to see beavers in a creek near you!

[@bburger1213]

My massive interest in beavers and the amazing things they do amazingly started with a game. Timberborn is a pretty interesting game that made me interested on how beavers actually make their damns, then i kinda went down the rabbit hole.

[@grash8]

was looking for this comment lol XD

[@qwertylife]

Down a rabbit hole, then onto a beaver dam 🦫

[@kenyonbissett3512]

I live on the Atlanta coast. My dad company was the the one installing drainage system throughout our are. Huge amounts of concrete, rebar, tunnels, bridges and sewer systems with tunnels you could walk through. But, riding on a weekend with him to observe how that weeks works was holding up after a rainfall he told me that beavers do it better in most places, work for free 24/7 365 days a year with no vacations or call outs. That was 45 yrs ago. Some of the huge systems he put in that look like the Los Angeles river drainage system are still in use but are ugly concrete eye sores. Imagining a system of beaver pond systems would increase the livability, value and encourage a sense of community that is definitely not their now.

[@surfwriter8461]

This is very informative and inspirational. Please do more like this. By the time I saw this, the survey referred to has already closed, so I'd like a chance to also provide more suggestions to PBS through survey instruments. Frankly, I don't think many Americans watch PBS channels often, which is sad. But some of that is due to PBS not creating and promoting the kind of programs that could be very popular. I hope this program and others are being connected with schools across the country, too. We need to excite and encourage children to take up environmental interests and pursue careers in the field as well as just push their elected representatives to do more to protect and expand the environment for so many good benefits.

[@johnl5316]

Wildfire is vital to the ecology in many areas. Drought has always been a natural phenomenon. They should not be cured and cannot be

[@everythingisfine9988]

Beaver 🦫 is a gift 🎁 from the gods 🗿🌩️

[@ananya.a04]

The whole of nature is a living, breathing, and delicate system that works in complete harmony. We humans have been disrupting this balance for ages with our small sightedness and greed. There are thousands of creatures like these precious beavers who have suffered because of our actions and ignorance. It’s high time we let Mother Nature do her own thing.

[@mountainbuttons]

Looks like the Painted Hills and Bridge Creek are a 5 hour drive from home, can wait to go visit this project! (and observe from a distance)

[@trevorlucas9971]

There is a reason Canada's national animal is the Beaver :)

[@tommyd4018]

Wrong it’s because of the success of the fur trade in early Canada

[@mrzjohnson4]

Well beaver is an excellent material for wears, as it’s extremely waterproof and warm. I’ve had gloves, hats and even coozies made from them. But I live in an area where there are so many beavers, they’re classified as a nuisance in most cases. So we manage the population, to help protect the overall health of their population, and to protect our shorelines, rivers, bridges, etc. It’s all about balance 👍🏼

[@yowtfputthemaskbackon9202]

it is similar in our area, here beavers are a big problem as well. It's a region very prone to flooding, so storm drains, flood channels and such always need to be on top of their game, and beavers are a massive problem with that. the location, given, is maybe not the best place to build a city today, but it was from the neolithic to the late medieval, a hill between two joining rivers in a swampland. sooner or later the city expanded down from the hill (roman era ish) into the swampland and that's when the flooding became an issue. today we have up to 6 meters of flooding tolerance for each river before it gets really bad, yet still, in 2006 we had the complete southern half of the city flooded by a weak dam, and in 2014, the northern half got wet feet from the river there simply going over the maximum tolerance. beavers clog up the channels and systems that work in between the two rivers to regulate them, and they also strongly affect old mill channels, which themself have flooded before, due to beavers turning a small stream between houses into a big pond with houses in it. I can see how they are beneficial to very rural areas, where flooding isn't a concern, but here locally, if you see a beaver, it is in your best interest to turn it into a hat in due time.

[@elastrorey5722]

@@yowtfputthemaskbackon9202 Sounds absolutely fascinating! Where do you live?

[@yowtfputthemaskbackon9202]

@@elastrorey5722 germany