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 ...
LOL!!!
Zappa!
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