Wisconsin School of the Air; Afield with Ranger Mac; 13

The Wisconsin School of the area invites you to go on a field with Ranger Mack. Today boys and girls Ranger Max going to tell you about a good citizen named amik. Now here is your guide for today's radio track down the nature trail Ranger Mack. Hello boys and girls. This is your day. So up and away. Ranger Mack can think of no better trip for our last one before Christmas than a visit to a beaver pond to examine the life of the citizens living there. The animal that creates this pond is a fine citizen of the wild. He was the first hydraulic engineer by which I mean he was the first to build dams back in the days when our ancestors were still living in caves. The Beaver was building dams across streams digging canals sinking pieces of wood in the ponds for winter food and building the homes on the shores of these ponds or

on the islands. They created. He was so clever in his habits and so skillful in his workmanship shows such good judgment in the selection of the site for his dam and his lodge that much superstition is connected with his life and habits. He is an example of industry and out of his habit has come the slogan busy as a beaver his whole body from his broad flat tail to a sharp in incisor teeth is perfectly planned by nature for his manner of living. His habits of life are exemplary for he attends strictly to his own business and has a fine family life. The fact is he has a wonderful neighbor upon his palms are living places for wild fowl birds fish

progs turtles and a host of other living things. He has a wonderful bird as we shall find out. And in the early days of our country his hide was the most sought bar of all herders trappers from England and France journeyed our rivers and streams to secure the pellets of beaver. So there is much romance connected with the life of the beaver. Also the only ones who complain about the beaver are those whose lions are flooded because of the dams and the fisherman who think that the ponds warm the water and spoil the trout fishing. So today we're going to examine the life and work of this fine citizen of the wild. Now the pond is of first importance put in the pond the beaver builds his home is lobbed and stores his winter's supply of food.

He makes his own ponds by building dams quiet streams and shallow ponds bordered with poplar and willows Aria's favorite habitats. He selects the site for his dam with such good judgment. It looks as though he actually possessed the power of thinking branches of Willow alder and whatever brush is growing in the vicinity are cut with those sharp incisive teeth. And placed on the bottom with the large ends upstream and forced into the mud at the bottom. Then mud and gravel and stones are placed on these branches. Then more branches are placed on the first and weighted down with mud and stones. This continues until the dam has reached the desired height. At first the water leaks through but more mud is placed on the upper

side. And soon the dam is holding water and the pond fills but the dam is never finished. As long as the beavers make the pond their cupboard and their place to live they must give it constant attention to keep it in repair. After many years the pond may fill up with silt brought down by the stream. Then the dam must be made higher and that means it must be lengthened. So how many dams that start out small get to be quite high and contain many hundreds of tons of material all of which is carried between the front paws and the neck and not on the broad tail as many believe. Of course the branches are carried in the mouth. You and I could not build as good a dam as the beaver does. Using the same

material the beaver uses. This Palm Beach is the place par the Lodz. It is the cupboard for their winter supply of food and the place of shelter and safety. The beaver sees to it that the pond is deep enough to provide all of these needs. The site of the largest chosen nearest the deepest part of the pond. I can imagine that papa and mamma Bieber debate this question thoroughly having selected the site a main tunnel is built from the deepest part of the pond through the soil to the location of the lodge. Other tunnels are dug out to make sure the family may have an exit to safety in case the main tunnel is blocked. Around the pond other tunnels are built into the bank

maybe beneath the roots of a tree to provide hiding places around the upper end of the main tunnel. The beavers build a circular wall of sticks stones and psalms all plastered with mud and that cold weather hardens into rock like cement. Inside are two rooms. One is the entrance room and the dining room. The entrance room from the tunnel. Here are the beaver shake the water from their coats before entering the living room and are there and the sleeping room which is on a higher level. The floor of the entrance room is pitched towards the tunnel so as to permit draining the floor of the living room as level land covered with dry grass and shredded bark. The ceiling of the lodge is made in the form of a dome.

Some heavy pieces of wood are used as the foundation for the covering. On this are piled grass roots rocks and other stuff they can gather about. These are plastered together with mud so securely now that a man needs a pick and a grub axe to undo what the beavers do with their paws. But in this dome along some slanting sticks are ventilators which are many small openings that lead to the outside. Through these ventilators the fresh air enters and the breath of the beavers escapes. We have talked about the hummingbird how the hummingbird disguises its nest by making it look like I'm not on a tree. The Bieber covers it's large with brush and dead sticks

in summer it looks like a pile of brush and in winter it looks like a brush pile covered with snow. Here the family of beavers spend the winter. Beyond the reach of frying and Krar when prompted by hunger they bring in a few sticks from the bottom of the pond into the dining room. Eat the bark. And remove the period word back to the bottom of the pond. Most of the winter is spent in the Lodz resting sleeping and talking among themselves. They do not hibernate thump on the roof. And you can hear a rumbling noise as the primary a stapes through the tunnel to a refuge burrow somewhere in the bank of the pond. By now you know that the main food of the beaver is word that it's meat. It likes the bark of Aspen best of

all in summer. The beaver eat less of trees and more of roots of grasses lilies and blue flag. The beaver like all animals must have a variety of diet. But in winter the putas trees and trees are stored away at the bottom of the pond. It is a matter of wonderment how they can sink a piece of wood lighter than water. The old belief was that the beaver sucked the air out of the world to make it sink. But actually the beaver drags the pieces to the bottom of the pond and Ackles them there firmly with mud and stones. The first pieces are placed so that they project upstream at an angle. Other pieces are placed in the angle and held there by the water. It is difficult to keep beavers in captivity because of the food they eat and they prefer the bark of

soft wood trees. One beaver will eat the bark from 200 to 300 small trees in a years time. Beavers live in families consisting of Father and Mother who are mated for life and a litter of little ones two to four are called Kids born in May and the young of the previous year. They all work together to make the labs build the dam store the food on the bottom of the pond for the winter when the litter of kits is born in May. The mother drives the other youngsters out of the lodge to shift for themselves. The beaver is very clumsily comes in and slow on the ground and an easy prey for foxes wolves and other predators but they are expert at swimming their front feet are made for digging and their hind feet are web for swimming. So

when they have to use the ground to get their food they dig canals to the source of trees and float the trees to the pond. They always try to stay within a jump or two of water and safety. The Beaver is a rodent and like all rodents has long sharp front teeth for knowing he was a powerful NAR and can make the chips fly. He is in it. Here is an interesting thing about these teeth. They never wear down from this hard use because they are always growing. If the teeth are not huge they get so long the beaver cannot bite and he starves to death when felling a tree a beaver sits on his broad tail the tail is used as a rudder than a propeller while swimming and by hitting the surface of the water area resound being whacked. It sounds a warning to other beavers to make for safety. The fur of the Beaver

has been the envy of all men and women who like to wear for the under pressure is rich brown in color and thick velvety more than timber rich soil and the LURD of the beaver faire attracted trappers and adventurers who were responsible for the opening up of this continent and our own country. But we have come to learn more recently that the part played by the Bieb Bieber as a conservationist is far more important and valuable than that of fervor on the headwaters of our river. These beavers build 303 thousand dollar dams. Re these dams help in flood control and soil erosion and soil building the backed up water finds its way into the under channels of the earth the ponds are habitats for wildlife and the silt washed down by the

streams settles to make Broadmeadows which are todays some of our finest farmland. The name of beaver attached to valleys streams Meadows cities as Beaver Dam be revalued Beaver Creek and the like. Show the respect that people have had for this Broad's this good citizen of the wild whose home we visited today and so close is our last trip afield for 1951. They signed up be kind to you on his coming visit and may the spirit of Christmas reign in your hearts. The familiar Indian farewell brings us to the end of another trip failed with Ranger Mack. He'll be back in 1952 to tell you about mammals in winter quarters. This is the Wisconsin School of the air.