Distinctly Montana Magazine

Distinctly Montana Summer 19

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 30 Park near Havre, grazing near the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, or somewhere else entirely, remember: beavers have marked more of Montana than we think. Wood-cutting beaver ancestors have sculpted the surficial geology of this continent for at least 24 million years. e Plains tribes of Mon- tana had an especially nuanced understanding of the beavers' niche in their arid landscapes and, aware of the consequences of removing their keystone species, the Blackfeet refused to condone the fur traders' pogroms. is defiance led to conflict, and that conflict only deepened as the fur market switched to buffalo robes when felted beaver hats fell out of fashion. Indigenous writer and ethnobotanist Rosalyn LaPier, who teaches at the University of Montana, has described how the bea- ver transfers knowledge between the natural and supernatural worlds in her Blackfeet culture—knowledge needed to navigate the extremities of weather and the necessity of water east of the Rockies. Were it not for the Blackfeet's ardent defense, Montanans today might not be able to see beavers at all. Beavers are worth the doubletake, not only because they're returning from the brink of extinction, but because they can easily be mistaken for floating logs, or their semi-aquatic mammalian neighbors: the muskrat, American mink, and North American river otter. While muskrats are omnivorous, half the length, and at least one-tenth the weight of beavers, they're quite beaverlike, to the point that they can live peacefully within lodges built and inhabited by their fellow ro- dents. e muskrat squatters don't help with tree-felling, they do build small foraging lodges of marshy vegetation for their private browsing. ese structures often radiate from a central dwelling place, about the length of a swim with one held breath, and they provide sustenance when the water is frozen. Come ice-out, the muskrats' peanut-shaped bodies bob to the surface, with their ropy tails and tiny feet leaving an erratic wake. But if muskrats find a shelter with beavers, minks and otters find a supermarket. Beaver habitats are havens for all stages of aquatic insect life—plus the amphibians, fish, and birds who consume said insects – and this is a food web where otters and minks reign supreme. ese long, slinky creatures hail from the weasel family, and though it's hard to watch them without spontaneous joy, their forward-facing eyes reveal their bent for carnivory. Without the need to periscope at the surface with the wary, side-eyed view of beavers or muskrats, minks and otters frolic boldly along shore, slide down banks, or dive after meat. eir story of carnivory is also told in scat, which is long, pointy, and rank with the likes of crayfish shells, trout scales, and muskrat bones. Without the fat or lodge dependency of rodents, minks and otters must roam constantly in search of calories to meet the high energy demands of their hypo- The more we learn about conserving OUR RARE, VITAL STREAMS AND WETLANDS, THE MORE WE'RE REALIZING THE BIODIVERSITY WE NEED MIGHT HAVE A SIMPLIFIED SPELLING: B-E-A-V-E-R. KELLEY ZEIGLER Beaver Mink

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