Now they're chomping their way through river corridors like chisel-toothed, energetic, furry weed whackers. Name an area of the county that has a stream in it, and you'll find evidence of beavers at work. One area where beavers have been especially active is at the confluence of Squaw Creek and the Eagle River, in Edwards. There, they've chewed down dozens of mature cottonwoods. They've even dammed Gore Creek near the Vail Golf Course, but that dam was removed and it doesn't appear it will be rebuilt.
Few people see the shy nocturnal creatures.
Mushrooming, too, are the numbers of complaints from landowners of problem beavers and of property damage. The influx of people to the mountains has put beavers and people in a conflict sure to leave both gnashing their teeth. Bill Heicher, a field officer with the Division of Wildlife based in Eagle, said in previous years he used to get 20 beaver complaints a year. Now he gets 120. And like everything else in this county, the problems for humans are getting pricey.