BEAVER CREEK ADVENTURES CHAPTER 4 Discovery of the ellusive "Third Dam" November 2002

PROLOG

Will the quest to discover all of the beaver dams never end? I have discovered two in the last year, and was convinced there must be a third on the far side of the marsh bordering the golf course driving range. This area was farmland thirty or so years ago, and there is now more than 50 acres of marshes.

There was no hard evidence of any more dams on my March 2002 search with my friend Ray. We traveled nearly a mile along the North side of Beaver Creek and found nothing at all but the water was often several hundred feet away. The March hike was on a beautiful day and provided a satisfying hike, but no sign of the third dam. I was determined to find what was downstream that was holding back all this water.

THE NEW ADVENTURE

The summer of 2002 had passed. It was in November, I asked another friend to go with me on a grand expedition to search for the elusive "Third Dam". He agreed, and we were off on a cool Fall day, with no rain or snow, and some sunshine.

Along the way, we spotted some wildlife, most of it birds, including a woodpecker hard at work about 20 feet above us. Much to our surprise, he did not seem to be bothered by our presence. We also spotted two deer bucks that had died recently. It was the beginning of the deer hunting season, and there was little doubt why these two beautiful specimens were laying on the ground. But, why were they not hulled away by the hunters? We chose a Sunday afternoon, to avoid any chance of being mistaken for kin of the deer.

We walked along the North edge of the marsh to the East. We passed previous discoveries of the first and second dams.

After an hour, we arrived at the Northeast corner of the marsh and wetlands without any success. We crossed a small piece of open water about 20 foot across. We asked ourselves, "Is water part of the creek?" It did not seem so, as it was dark and still with Phragmites reeds to the left and right. We could barely see 20 feet in either direction. We cross quickly feeling glad that we did not have to wade through any deep water to get to the other side. We were able to get on with our search.

We traveled about 500 feet to the Southeast with the hope that we would find the creek and our reckoning with the aerial photo was incorrect. We came across a broken down tree leaning towards the marsh. I climbed it about six feet to get a look at the marsh and maybe the creek. All I could see was the vast marsh before me and no sign of the creek. We concluded the third dam was not going to be found on this day and headed home.

We soon came upon the small piece of open water that was a bit larger than we had cross a few minutes before. My friend crossed on the bank to the right and turned back to where I was standing. "Look, Chuck! It appears the bank is possibly an old dam.", he cried out. I looked carefully at the grass covered area between the open water and the Phragmites reeds. There I noticed some old and rotting pieces of wood perpendicular to the water's edge. On closer examination, I could see these pieces of wood were cut by beaver and this was indeed an old dam. We had found the Third Dam!

Then we decided to look for the creek downstream from this point hoping to find some running water and a sign this was the end of the beaver's domain. A hundred feet towards the North, we found a open piece of water, but it was dark with still water, just like the other one we just saw. Walking along its edge, we soon saw a pile of wood on the bank cascading into the water. It was soon apparent this pile of wood was the remains of a Fourth Dam! This dam was apparently destroyed by humans that pulled the logs and branches to the side of the creek to break the dam. On the back was evidence of "recent work" by the dams--a willow tree cut through half-way.

Wondering what could possibly be around the corner, we headed further "downstream". Could there be a fifth dam around the bend? At this point we were open to the possibility. We walked a short distance and saw more open water that was dark and still. Unfortunately, it was getting late and we had a long hike back to the house.

For now, I would have to be happy updating aerial photo of the wetland and marsh with the most recent discoveries. The search for a fifth dam downstream will have to wait for another day.

ADDITIONAL BEAVER CREEK ADVENTURES

	A. RECENT WORK--As we approach the first dam, we came across this tree. It is obvious that it was recently cut down, perhaps, a few days before we passed by here. To the left are several dozen stumps of small trees that were cut down in the Fall or 2001, 12 months ago. Apparently, a new beaver has found a new home.			B. DAM 1 -- There is about a foot difference in the water level between each side. Left is downstream. Note the new log on the left bank, green leaves from small branches placed on the top of the dam by beaver. This dam was lowered six months earlier after the beaver were removed by live trapping.
	C. DAM 2 -- When we canoed through here six months ago, the water level was at the top of this dam and it could not be seen from a distance. There is a old, but well-maintained, beaver lodge on the bank to the left of this dam. (out-of-view)			D. THE MARSH -- Looking West across the marsh through the tree. I am sorry that I could not climb higher, but the tree was starting to bend under my weight when I as only six feet above the ground.
	E. DAM 3 -- It may not look like a dam from a distance, but it certainly is. The dam is probably ten to 15 yeas old. Silt has been deposited on the upstream side from periodic flooding, but the dam held it's ground. The Phragmites			F. DAM 3 -- Close-up of the old logs used to build the dam. It is about 1/2 rotted but the soil is filling in the gaps.
	G. DAM 4 -- The dark and quiet water behind the old dam. This dam has been destroyed by humans, but it is still feet above the creek bed. The water is about 20-feet across and three feet deep.			H. DAM 4 --A willow tree on the bank next to the dam has been partially cut down by the beavers a few years ago. Perhaps, three to five. The tree refuses to fall over or die. Was this to be material for the nearby dam, or a source of wood for another dam further downstream?
	I. DOWNSTREAM FROM DAM 4 --Looking East, downstream from the Fourth Dam. Were we looking at the end of the series of damns? Or, was there another beyond our view?			J. DEATH OF A NEIGHBOR -- November 18, 2002, the lone beaver was struck by a car while trying to cross Stone Road on the Southern end of the wetland area. The tail is about 10 inches long and weighted about 25 pounds. There were wood chips on his head. No doubt he was out at night cutting down small trees across the road. I have only seen the beavers once in two years as they shy away from humans and are often do their work at night.
Medium Resolution: 90K High Resolution: 340K	K. AERIAL PHOTO -- The aerial photo of the area can now be updated with the locations of all four dams found in the last year on Beaver Creek. The aerial photo on the left is from the National Coast and Geodetic Survey made in 1994 before our home was built and the extensive development in the left 1/3 portion of the area. Our property is outlined in white on the bottom lefthand area.