I SURE DO LIKE WATCHING BEAVERS

BEAVER POND AND DAM AT HEADWATERS OF THE NORTH BRANCH OF PIKE'S CREEK...

...LOCATED IN A MARSH ALONG VALLEY ROAD...

...LOOKS LIKE THE BEAVERS ARE BECOMING ACTIVE

AMERICAN BEAVER, CASTOR CANADENSIS

Sunday, 9:00 AM.  7 degrees F, up from 4 degrees earlier.  The sky is clear, the wind NW and calm.  The humidity is up to 82% and the barometer is also up, to a quite high 30.60".  There will be a full moon tonight, in Ojibwa it is called onaabani-giizis, Hard Crust on the Snow Moon, which is an apt description of March conditions.  It was nearly as light as day last night, with the almost-full moon and clear skies.
   Coming back from the Recycle Center yesterday we drove from Hwy. 13 north of Red Cliff to Compton Rd., which becomes Valley Road and connects with Hwy. J.  There is a marsh along that route that is the headwaters of the North Branch of Pike's Creek, which flows into Lake Superior just south of Bayfield.  There is a beaver dam and pond in the marsh that appears to have an active beaver population.  It looks to me like the beavers have been out and about in the snow around the stream and dam.  We will make it a point to watch for them and try to get some photos.
   I find beavers very interesting, but they can be extremely damaging to trees and other woody vegetation and they often are trapped for that reason as well as for their fur, which can be quite valuable if the market is high.  We have at least one active trapper right in the immediate area and the beavers may not last long. In general  I have no objection to the elimination of animals doing economic damage, but I do hope these are left alone.
   I sure do like watching beavers.