Who stole the trees?
Beavers in Vancouver? It's been quite a while since beavers were a common sight in the Vancouver area, and while they still aren't common in our urban setting two recent incidents are reminders that as we restore the natural environment in the city, we are making Vancouver more hospitable for wildlife.
In 2007, the riparian area of Still Creek along Cornett road in east Vancouver was rehabilitated and replanted with native species. In the process, city officials recognized the value of several mature trees growing along the banks and went to great efforts to preserve these trees during the construction phase of the project.
Early one fall morning workers arrived at the site to find that two of these mature trees were missing! How do trees go missing? A careful examination of the stumps and woodchips left behind show clear evidence that beavers had visited in the night and helped themselves to these trees as a snack and taken them to another location.
Beavers create large caches of food for the winter months and it is not unusual for them to fall trees and transport them to their lodges where the trees are cut in shorter lengths and stored for future use.
This spring, at the other end of the city, a family of beavers recently made their home inside a sewer manhole. The parents likely swam up a culvert from Musqueam Creek into a manhole where they made a nest for themselves and their kit (baby beaver).
Culverts usually have a grate across the front to prevent materials and wildlife from entering them, the one on this culvert was missing. Because spring and summer typically have drier weather, city officials don't expect the nest to interfere with the function of the sewer and the beavers will be left undisturbed until the fall when the kit is old enough to be moved, or until the family decides to leave on their own. Once the family leaves the manhole, the screen on the culvert will be replaced.
It is unusual to see beavers in Vancouver and their return to various areas is a good sign that environmental protection and restoration efforts undertaken by the City and community groups are working.
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