President's Logbook
By Jim Fetig
For one, I’m looking forward to the warmer months. After the winter we enjoyed, I won’t even complain until the temperature reaches 80. I’ve been out on the trails and so are the bugs. The kind of precipitation we had this year is just what the gnats ordered.
Over the winter, I came across some data describing the impact beavers have on ecosystems. As it is with bugs, it’s not all positive in some cases.
The reading reminded me of a blog post I wrote on my thru hike about a trail reroute around some high tension line construction in New Jersey. The story was written right there on the ground for all to see. No doubt the beaver had a melt down in the cereal isle. He won too. Hope you enjoy it.
Brink Road Shelter, N.J., AT NOBO mile 1,314.4 Friday May 9, 2014 — Once upon a time a hard-working beaver built a dam and all was good.
It was a strong dam with a very large pond, far away from people. Each day the beaver greeted the other animals when they came to drink. They were happy that the beaver chose their neighborhood to make his living. Everyone was happy.
Then one day the beaver heard strange noises. Heavy construction equipment was making a lot of noise. He learned from passing deer that men were building a power line on the next ridge over.
That same day people with picks, McCleods, Pulaskis and white paint began carving a hiking trail reroute around the power line construction right on the beaver’s dam and around the edge of the pond. The Appalachian Trail was being rerouted around the power line construction.
This was sad news for the beaver and the other animals in the forest. People, especially smelly hikers, would be everywhere. Their peace and quiet would be gone forever.
With winter coming, the beaver knew he needed to raise his pond’s water level to make sure he would have room under the ice. So, he set out to reinforce his dam and the water rose to the brim of the pond.
Sadly, the trail crews didn’t like it when the water rose and covered the trail they had worked so hard to build. The crews installed a drain to lower the water level. The beaver plugged it and the trail crews unplugged it, and so it went.
In time the beaver decided to draw the line. He permanently plugged the drain and then he cut down the trees with white blazes. Finally, be blocked the trail itself. That’ll show ’em, he thought … and it did. The trail crews moved the trail up slope, away from the pond and decided to leave the beaver alone.
When the hikers saw what the beaver had done, they cheered. They like it when nature wins. Life is good and the beaver story is true.