Letter to the Editor - Beavers in Beaver Creek Park – Enemy or ally?

It depends on who you ask. Are beavers a nuisance or an invaluable Mother Nature-provided stream ecosystem engineer? Like many things in our biological world, both attitudes are partly right and partly not right.

Beavers cut down trees, flood areas, alter vegetation communities, jeopardize infrastructure, sometimes spread diseases and complicate some irrigation practices. All of these can be problems, nuisances, costs, lost profits and inconveniences to personal goals.

However, beaver activity also contributes to stream restoration/ecological function and ecosystem health in numerous...