Monday, October 13, 2008
The Lincoln Park Beaver, and the Reason for this Blog
Hi everybody! I'm starting this blog in order to inform everyone that a Beaver has made it's home in the middle of Chicago! "What? That's crazy, you must be talking about a rat or something, they get that big in Chicago." No really! There's a real-life Beaver that has made a home in the North Pond in Lincoln Park! It has built a lodge made out of branches and fur, and it goes about the pond doing Beaverly things like eat wood, and move bits of wood about and cut down a few trees here and there. It showed up all by itself likely following the banks of Lake Michigan until it found the North Pond, an inner city wildlife sanctuary in Lincoln Park. Lots of animals are in the park because it has been painstakingly restored to a state of native vegetation by the North Pond Conservation Council (http://www.northpond.org/northpond/index.html). This vegetative state (not like when you watch TV) is home to turtles, fish, squirrels and chipmunks, 150+ species of birds, many insects, and of course, a Beaver! This blog is devoted to the cause of letting the Beaver stay in its adopted home, because Chicago is big enough and wealthy enough to spare a few bits of wood and put up a few wire mesh guards to let this indigenous furry rodent with a flat tail and orange teeth be itself. I hope you feel the same way I do! Stay posted for more updates about the Lincoln Park Beaver.
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3 comments:
The North Pond Conservation Council, which has been responsible for the lovely upkeep of the North Pond area, is raising money to remove the beaver. Although they are a wonderful organization, I think that they are wrong about the beaver. Instead of raising money to remove the beaver, they should raise money to allow the beaver to coexist in the area without doing too much damage. How? By protecting existing trees with wire cages, planting more trees, planting other food sources for the beaver like cattails and water lilies, and bringing tree trimmings that would otherwise be waste and allowing the beaver to make use of them.
The beaver is native to the area, and relocation would almost certainly be traumatic for him, and it might even mean death with winter fast approaching. I think he should be allowed to stay.
If you'd like the beaver to stay, tell the North Pond Conservation Council at http://www.northpond.org/feedback/index.html
Hello,
I am writing a story about the beaver for the publication Inside and I was wondering if that picture is the actual beaver in North Pond and if possible could we use it?
Also, I was wondering if I could pull a line or two from your blog to use in my story?
Thank you,
Kiersten
You can email me at kboehm1@luc.edu
The Lincoln Park North Pond beaver is back! Beaver tried to recolonize in 2003 and again in 2008. He or she is busy chewing through trees but I fear the beaver will be removed by the North Pond Conservation Council like it was last year. Since this is the third try, why not let the poor guy or gal make a home/lodge?
They are vegetarians and won't eat the fish or ducks...The trees can be protected with wire. Planting willow, aspen, cottonwood would provide the necessary food. Someone needs to stick up for the litle guy. Call the North Pond Cons. Council to urge them to save the beaver at (773) 883-PARK.
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