(Click on the Dtube link above to listen to the water flow over/through the beaver dam)
While it's been over 90 days with no significant rainfall where I live in Oklahoma, some would find it surprising to find flowing surface water. Drought is a strange thing....
Fortunately, the water is here! One just has to know where to look for it!
Prior to colonization of North America by Europeans, it has been estimated that over 6% of the land had water retained by beaver ponds. These small, yet critical bodies of water supported a large variety of flora and fauna which in turn ecologically shaped the areas surrounding them.
The beaver dams retained water higher on the land, hydrating it while serving as catches for any material which would erode. These waters and nutrients in turn formed environments for the growth of trees and plants which wouldn't have established themselves otherwise.
While the beaver dams in my area are relatively small, the creeks the dams they are on are also small. It's not uncommon to find 6 or more small beaver dams in a single mile of a creek.
Beaver dams in my region can take many shapes. While the above picture doesn't have the appearance of the typical beaver dam, I assure you it is.
Here is yet another dam, located less than 300 yards from the first two. This one has been flooded over due to a fourth beaver dam located a few hundred yards down stream.
This just goes to show that even in a drought, water can be found and retained if we attempt to understand and mimic nature.
