Beaver Pond
One of my favorite activities is to explore the various state parks in New Jersey. Throughout the many parks and trails are tell-tale signs of beaver construction, the chewed log. While currently ubiquitous in the Garden State, a 2015 estimate put the beaver population at 10-15 million, in 1900 they were nearly extinct.
The 1907 report of the New Jersey State Museum states, “The beaver that originally occurred in New Jersey was the southern or Carolina Beaver* somewhat larger and lighter than the Northern or Canadian form. It is now nearly extinct everywhere, and according to information collected by Mr. Rhoads, the last New Jersey specimens, were killed about 1820.” In 1934 the fish and game commission reestablished the depleted population by importing 1,500 beavers from Wisconsin, Michigan, Wyoming, and Minnesota.
Beavers are ecosystem engineers. Once they start building a lodge they modify the surrounding environment by creating wetlands. The wetlands attract a vast amount of biodiversity in the form of insects, fish, reptiles, birds, and other mammals. The dams also serve as a mechanism to control erosion, capture carbon, and lower downstream water temperatures. In a time of rising temperatures and water scarcity, the beaver wetland is a storage area of water. However, as world temperatures increase beavers are moving into territories previously inhospitable. Currently, they are making inroads into the arctic tundra, where their activities are creating wetland oases that thaw the permafrost.
My drawing pays homage to these industrious engineers. In this image as the beavers construct and repair their dam, mallards and brook trout swim. Brook Trout are the state fish of New Jersey and the only native species. Unfortunately, they are being out-resourced by other species such as brown and rainbow trout. Additional factors such as pollution and habitat loss have also led to their decline. Brook Trout is listed as a species of special concern in the NJ endangered and nongame species program. Under the pond lies Hadrosaurus foulkii. This duck-billed dinosaur is the New Jersey state dinosaur. The first Hadrosaurus was discovered on a farm about a mile away from my home.
For me, this drawing is about the evolution of a local ecosystem, from hadrosaurus roaming the forest to today's wetland. This look at a few square meters synthesizes history, environmental studies, evolution of species, time, and space into one image. Plus it is a reminder of how the shifting forces of nature can dramatically change over time.
* There are two recognized species of beaver: the North American Beaver and the Eurasian Beaver. At one time 25 subspecies of North American beaver were identified. These classifications were primarily due to location of discovery and variants in appearance. Modern scientific classifications which use genetics testing only identify the two species,
Creator: KevinDerrick | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphotoCopyright: KevinDerrick
Resources
https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/chanj_beaver_profile.pdf
NJ Fish and Wildlife Website
Report of NJ State Museum 1907, pg 77
https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/animals-and-plants/beavers/Benefits.aspx#:~:text=Beavers%20increase%20biodiversity&text=As%20ecosystem%20engineers%2C%20beavers%20build,mink%2C%20and%20even%20river%20otters.
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/09/22/beavers-permafrost-climate-change