Get Wild: Beavers and moose get wild in nature

Editor’s note: This is part 1 of a two-part series. Moose and beavers share the edge of the marsh. The beaver works at its heart, building the dam that makes the wetland. The moose arrives, wades in and reaps the benefits. They transform the landscape as a team but the beaver draws the blueprint. After dark, the dam answers itself with a low, wooden knock. Behind it, slowed water spreads across once steep, narrow valleys collecting sediment, organic matter and groundwater. Keeping the friendship healthy is a numbers game. Beavers once numbered in the millions. Trapping pushed them to the edge of extinction and the habitat they shared with moose unraveled as wetlands shrank. Where each beaver holds about half a river mile, the habitat stays strong for beaver and moose. Recovery is slow. Why don’t beavers ever get lonely? They’re always building a “dam” good community. What turns a wetland into grassland?

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.