A few thursdays ago we discovered a dam blocking the stream from springs in the east canyon. The dam was so effective that water was threatening to flood the boardwalk over the stream. It was made mostly of reed canary grass along with large rocks, branches, candy wrappers, a soggy hat, and some spiffy sunglasses.
Based on the size of the rocks, the absence of chew-marks on the branches, and the conspicuous presence of trash and items of clothing, we concluded that the culprit must be human. Most likely, some kids on summer break who decided it would be AWESOME to flood the marshes with a dam. We cleared it, and the stream returned to normal.
That friday evening I took a walk through the canyon, only to discover that the dam had returned! This time, as we found out on monday, accompanied by two smaller dams downstream.
Thus began our obsession with catching these illusive criminals. The game continued for weeks: Every morning we ran down to the springs, most of the time to discover that the dam(s) had returned. Whenever we got a chance during the day we would run back, hoping to catch the culprit in the act. Having no such luck, we determined that the dams were being built in the evenings.
We even suggested getting a wildlife camera, the kind they use to take pictures of tigers in sumatra, to discover the criminal. I, for one, was looking forward to seeing some hilarious candid photos of the dam (HA!) kids. As time wore on, we wondered how on earth these kids could be so persistent.
Finally, we brought in the expert, Zac Perry. Until then, he had only seen the dams from the boardwalk, but hadn’t ventured into the marshes. As we traveled downstream to the point where the stream opens up into Reed Lake, he commented that the lake seemed like it was at least a foot or two higher than usual. We pushed further, around the north side of the island we noticed a large pile of sticks and grass stretching 50-100 feet across the entire lake. Another dam!
This one was way to big, and far out in the lake, to have been built by kids. Confirming our suspicions, we found nests in the grass where some animal had been sleeping. Conclusion: our culprit was a beaver. A beaver that made total fools of canyon crew.
For now we have opted to let nature be nature, the dams will stand.
– Noah Muldavin, Canyon Crew
