World Water Day is coming up on March 22. Wetlands are a vital source of biodiversity and habitat restoration, and are home to many endangered species in North America. We can thank our habitat hero the beaver for their contributions in creating and sustaining these important ecosystems. The latest issue of Bark! magazine includes an article (pp. 14-15) where readers can learn more about beavers, titled, “Can beavers save the planet?” There are also STEM activities that can be sourced online for grades K-5 that take students outside to learn more about the important role beavers play.
Known as ecosystem engineers, beavers build dams that maintain wetlands by sponging up floodwaters, and alleviate droughts by keeping water on the land longer, leading to less erosion. Their dams collect silt and other debris upstream, thereby purifying the water downstream, requiring less water treatment for humans.
Beavers need our help! As we learn more about the helpful ways in which beavers contribute to the environment, they provide some answers to mitigate the challenges of climate change. We need to learn how to coexist with these amazing animals, and develop strategies that weave together the needs of the environment, animals and people in support of an eco-centric world view. There are many ways to coexist with beavers while allowing them to remain on the landscape such as using combinations of pond levelers and exclusion fencing.
As World Water Day approaches, try including beavers in class discussions; they are a keystone species protecting our water resources.
Wild animals evolve to allow their best chance of survival. Acknowledging this is crucial to understanding wild animal behavior and recognizing the impact of humans on their survival. Beavers, for example, do not hibernate or migrate so they have adaptations to help them thrive in the winter. They put on body fat throughout the fall, which provides insulation as well as stored energy. A beaver’s tail is designed to store fat and shrinks in size over the winter as the fat is used up. They also grow a thicker coat, which they can help make waterproof by spreading their natural oils. This way beavers can swim without getting their skin wet!
In the activity, “Adaptation, Migration Hibernation,” students learn about other B.C. animals who engage in adaptation, migration, or hibernation to survive through winter. The best part about this activity is we have made it accessible to different grade levels! In the grade k-2 lesson plan, students are also able to participate in a polar bear blubber experiment. In the grade 3-5 lesson plan, students also learn about these important survival tactics and are challenged to research three animals further.
The Skydiving Beavers: A True Tale by Susan Wood, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen Reading level: Gr. 2-5
Skydiving beavers? No way!
Can you imagine looking to the sky and seeing dozens of parachutes floating down, only to discover under the parachutes are some probably quite annoyed beavers? Author Susan Wood tells the story of some amazing beavers who went on an unexpected adventure in The Skydiving Beavers: A True Tale.
This tall but true tale takes place in the 1940s in Idaho, when a growing resort community came up against a very chewy problem. As more and more houses were built, they encroached on the natural habitat of the local beaver population. The beavers started getting into trouble, as the natural behaviours of the beavers and humans weren’t mixing well. One human thought he had the solution and with the help of one intrepid parachuting beaver he named “Geronimo,” they set out to plan to relocate 75 beavers to a new wild home.
In addition to being an interesting story that is sure to engage your students, this book also will lead to some great discussion about what happens when humans move into an ecosystem, who gets to live where, and how creativity can lead to some pretty WILD solutions.
Here are some potential prompts for discussion: • How do you think the humans could have coexisted with the beavers in the same space? • Do you think there could be any problems with moving animals to unfamiliar places? • Why do you think it is important to learn to live with wild animals?
Announced in last month’s edition of e-Teacher, the new Live It Earth unit focusing on an Indigenous perspective on dogs, is now available free to all B.C. K-7 teachers. Thank you to everyone who attended the live Q & A with experts on Feb. 22!
The new materials include a deep dive on the Coast Salish woolly dog with Senaqwila Wyss and ancestral storytelling of Swuq’us with Jared Qwustenuxun Williams. They also feature a career pathway interview on how Leah Arcond, founder of Save Rez Dogs, created an initiative to help First Nations communities develop dog management plans.
Visit app.liveit.earth/focused and use the passcode: FocusedEd2023!. There is also now a coupon code for parents to sign up (at app.liveit.earth/register) for free access to the Dogs materials: DOGS-24.
BC SPCA summer camp schedules will be available online beginning Mar. 15. Registration will go live online on Mar. 28 at 12:00 p.m.
BC SPCA camps focus on fun and education, with social-emotional learning at the core of daily activities. From outdoor games to hands-on crafts to visits from some fascinating guest speakers, there’s something for everyone.
Please share with families who may be interested! More information is available at spca.bc.ca/camp. There, they can also sign up to be notified about camps and other future youth events in their area.
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On behalf of all the animals we care for and protect, thank you for your support.
