The Holly chieftain., 1902-08-22
WORK FOR BEAVERS
Colorado Game and Fish Commissioner
Believes that Beaver Dams Can be
Made Valuable as Irrigation Reser.
voirs-EstinAtes that One Beaver
Will Do as Much Work as Man.

Among the many waiting to see f. II.
Newell. the chief Of the geological sur
vey. who is expected here this week TO
look over the Colorado field with
view 10 the establishment of national
irrigation works, is Charles w. Harris,
Colorado game and fish commissioner,
says the Denver Republican Of July
10th Mr Harris has i plan which he
believes VII spread the benefits of
government aid over the entire Rocky
mountain region.
"If the government will spend about
Sl,cUO,oJo a year In the propagation
and distribution Of beavers, there will
be plenty Of water in every stream
that comes down through the mountain
valleys TO the plains" said Mr.. Ha ris
last night
The beaver is an indefatigahle dam
builder With trees and stones and
mud Le throws a barrier across a
stream which viii resist the Hoods OF
spring. and all through the summer
holds suspended several thousand gal
Ions Of water This water Is slowly
seepiu. out through the bottom of the
stream. under the dam, keeping the
rOw constant all through the >ummeF.
All summer too. the beaver j. AT work
making the dam thicker and higher
and stronger. Now. If you have 1909
beavers at work in n stream. building
dams, the amount of water which viii
be stored altogether will be enormous.
And IN the dry season, all this water
goes down III" stream. a small trickle
may be coming down at the head of 4
chainOf beaver dams. or there may he
no water Al all. bUt below the chain of
ponds you Will lind strong flow of
water
Years ago there were millions Of
beaver III the mountains of Colorado,
aud no one ever complained of a short
age of water then. but the value OF
their peli~ doomed them to destruction
There is 4 sufficient number of the an
imalS left to form the basis of a com.
prehenslye scheme for rcplenishing the
supply. Let the government start
beaver farms, and let it provide also
for the protection of the beaver dams
and the colonies along the streams, and
1t need not be long before there are
beavers at work in every valley. Many
of the mountain valleys. which wery
once n succession OF grassy meadows,
made hy the beavers. are now dry
gorges. and the fertile soil, which
backed in behind the dam has all been
washed away again. To establish Il
new colony in the new surroundings
would require that the beavers be fed
until they had framed their own cnvir-
onment, so 10 speak. and had the roots
of ruShes to fall back upon for winter
diet. But IL the beavers were propa-
gated on beaver farm. they could
easily be ttained to subslst on alfalfa
or potatoes. Human aid might also be
extended. TO degree, in the building
of their dams. 10 assure their strength.
This done, the beaver would attend to
the rest
Il estimate that each beaver will do
as much work in a year rs a man
could do in building DANG and storing
water Now 1t would not cost more
than $3.50 a head 10 raise the beaver.
Their working life is about ten years.
50 for $3.50 the government can dupli-
cate for ten years the work of n man.
They can show no such result from
any, other plan that has been suggest
ei, that | have heard of"
MIR Harris is having large number
,of photographs taken of the beaver
colonies. which still remain in the
state. showing how the water supply
u '"INtiN'h. ana lie Is correcting also
the testimony Of the men living along
the streams which We're once always
flowing. but which have formed the
habit Of drying up since the beavers
Were eXterminatcd He believes he can
make Il convincing showing and that
his plan. which on the face of it may
look chimcrical, will in the end appeal
strongly TO the minds OF the govern
ment experts.