Eager Beavers

The industrious beaver is one of Canada’s most iconic animals, best known for constructing dams and large homes, called “beaver lodges”, out of branches. A large portion of the beaver population can be found in British Columbia, and in lakes and streams all over the rest of Canada. They are the featured animal on our five- cent coin, or nickel and are recognized as a national animal of Canada.

Beavers are semi- aquatic animals, equipped with webbed rear feet, a paddle- like tail, and selfwaterproofing fur. Their front teeth stick out in front of their lips, enabling them to cut and chew submerged wood underwater, without getting water in their mouth.

By building dams, beavers are capable of altering waterways and have therefore become a bit of a nuisance around Whistler. Last fall, beavers chewed down a large Willow tree next to the lake in Alpha Lake Park. Beavers have also dammed up drainage systems in the Nordic and Alta Vista neighbourhoods, so the municipality actively manages the impact of beavers in Whistler. Wire mesh can be found around potentially chewable tree trunks, and “beaver deceivers” ( mesh fencing) have been installed in several culverts to protect municipal drainage systems.

The nocturnal beaver may be hard to catch sight of, but if you’re looking at a suspiciously wellplaced pile of branches in a pond or marsh, there’s a good chance it’s the beaver’s lodge.