Recently, we have been getting sporadic bouts of rain on the UP which has given me an opportunity to plan out some cruising routes for work. Planning out these routes is important because it helps to think about the most efficient way to go from one plot to the next before actually getting into the forest.
On the UP, because there are so many rivers, swamps, and beaver ponds, I’ve found it’s often useful to consult satellite images as well. These images can give you a better idea of whether that river will be dry or not, or maybe it will just be a narrow creek you can jump across.
There was a recent area of the forest I was working in that was surrounded by private property and my maps showed that a stream buffer threads and meanders through them. But these maps only show the buffer and don’t give details on the size or depth of the stream. Sometimes the only way to really know for sure is to take a walk into the forest.
I thought that a stream crossing would be challenging or unmanageable based on past experiences. There were a few stands of forest that I was unsure of how best to access.
But I looked at Google’s satellite images and found what looked to be a large beaver dam that stretched across the stream. If it was still there, I may be able to use it as a bridge.
After the weather cleared, I took a trip to the forest, following the route I had laid out on the map.
Sure enough, as I approached the stream, I could see the dam. And it was definitely big enough to use as a bridge.
Using those satellite image saved me countless hours of navigating around private property and impassable streams.
As I shimmied across the dam, I could only guess at the amount of beaver hours it must have taken to build such an engineering marvel.
If you are as fascinated by beavers and their importance in the ecosystem, I highly recommend a book I recently read called Eager by Ben Goldfarb. It discusses the history of beaver habitat in the US and the scientists trying to change their public image.
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