Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-07-29
Too Ia" Es.-.,.s.

iooay tneir NUMBERS are so great and
their activity so extensive as TO make
the matter of their proper control a
serious problem.
lnhabiting the North Woods in
numbers estimated at a round million
at the coming of the white man in 1909
the beaver came to occupy so important
a position commercially that it was
represented on a seal of New Neither
lands and upon that of both New
Amsterdam and New York. The long
struggle for control of the new world
fur trade that occurred in the Adiron-
dack region in the ferepart of the
seventh century marked the beginning
of the end for the beaver in that dis
trict. Up to that time the little ami
NAL had lived on neighborly terms with
the Indians. In fact, the red men APP
peared to entertain superstitious re-
gard for the beaver-even asSociating
it with the creation Of the world
which may have been responsible, in
part at least, for the beavers practical
immunity from pursuit.
This all changed, however, according
to the ConservationiSt, which points
out that few years after the estab-
lishment of fur trading posts in Can
ada and the first permanent Dutch set
Elements at Fort Nassau in 1914 and
New Amsterday in 1926, the coun-
try became overrun with trapperS, both
red and white, and the slaughter thus
inaugurated did not cease until the
beaver had all disappeared entirely from
the Adirondacks. In 1895 the late
Harry V. Radford, who made special
study of the beaver, estimated "there
could not have been more than five or
ten individuals equivalent of
single family-in the whole Adiron-
dack region"
1t was in that year that the first pro-
tective Legislation was enacted for the
benefit of the beaver in New York
State, when the Legislature passed a
law that read simply: "There shall be
no open season for beaver" Slowly
the Adirondack beaver began to in
crease and the increase received addi-
tonal impetus through an act of the
Legislature in 1904 providing $500 for
the purchase of beaver for restocking
purposes and 81 900 for the same pur-
pose in 1906. Today it is estimated
/ by the Conservation Commission that
there are between $4,000 and 10000
! of these valuable and interesting fur
bearers in the Adriondacks, and, BY in
PRODUCTION, they have become establish
ed in the Catskill Mountains also.
The beavers food consists almos,
entirely of twigs and bark, especial.
ly poplar, birch and alder. To obtain
this food, and also to get material with
which to build their dams, the beavers
teeth and gnawing powers are wonder
fully developed. One of these little
animals can fell and trim tree with
Its teeth as neatly as a man could do il
with an axe. Trees less than a foot
In diameter seem to be prcso--~r :, 4,
beavers do not hesitate to attack trees
OF much greater size, and if thew feel
inclined they can lay waste quite an
area OF woodland in short time.
When laying up their Winters SUD-
ply they gather freshly cut green
twigs, sticks, poles and logs of wood.
which they weight down with mud and
stones on the bottom of ponds and
streams near their houses, to be used
for food during the shut-in-period
lheir well-known dams are built pri.
marily for the object of creating ponds
deep enough for them to swim in and
where they may dive out of sight for
protection when necessary. The dams
serve the additional purpose of provid-
ing sufficient water depth for anchor
ing the Winter supply Of food, and they
also back up the water into the woods
where the beavers are carrying on
their logging operations, thus per-
mitting them to float out their logs
instead OF dragging them over the
land.
interesting, from the standpoint of
animal instinct" says the Conserva-
zionist, "as the engineering feats and
food habits of the beaver undoubtedly
are the fact remains that, with in
creasing numbers, they constitute a
real menace to properly and scenery in
the North Woods. With all their
proVeroial industry they are telling
trees constructing dams upon proper
ty, both public and private CREATING
lakes flooding and killing valuable