Creativity in the Wild

beaver dam along the flanks of Sugarloaf Mt.

In the Catskill Park, certain areas are designated a wilderness areas, thereby limiting the types of recreation and preserving the ecosystems.  Hiking down the northeast slope of Sugarloaf Mt. yesterday we were treated to an amazing structure, a beaver dam that extended over seventy yards and stood over five feet high.  The pond it created extended about 200 yards.  Standing their marveling at the structure, the successful containment of force by a wall of sticks and mud, my thoughts went in many directions:

… back to the beaver fur trade and the thought of just how prevalent these masterpieces must have been across the American landscape to fuel that international trade system.

…the engineering intuitions of a child playing in the sand at the beach are correct.

…our ownership of land makes it impossible to allow for the beaver to have the freedom to play pond builder.

…this is another example that shows our gains are also our loss.

…preservation of wilderness is as vital for us as it is for the ecosystems it protects