Pandapas Pond is a man-made recreation area in South-West Virginia. It was built in the 1940's by damming up Poverty Creek. Back then, it was a private recreation area for employees of a local company. Since then, the property was sold to the National Forestry Service, and they maintain it as a public recreation area.
Once the pond was built, it became an attractive place for people to come and relax, fish, hike, and be near nature. It also became a very attractive place for beavers to build homes and raise families. Beavers probably lived along the stream area already. They mate when they are about 3 years old, and each pair stakes out a territory. Offspring migrate up to 10 miles or more to find good spots to live.
Unfortunately, beavers have an agenda that
conflicts with the human agenda for this
area.
Beavers chew down trees, both for food and
for dam construction.
There are several options
to dealing with beavers, each with its own
benefits and drawbacks. Humans could kill
the beavers,
(which now seems very ethically debatable, although beavers were hunted almost to extinction
for their fur in the not too distant past)
but they are protected by state law, and
other beavers would quickly move in once
the area was
unoccupied. Humans can trap and remove the
beavers, but this method often ends in the
death of
the trapped beaver, and, again, the area is
left open for re-inhabiting by new beavers.
Humans
could withdraw completely and leave the
area to the beavers, but this is not
practical for
the human agenda of having a place to get
back to nature. The final option is the one
chosen by the
Forestry Service - compromise with the
beavers. There are several techniques that
can be used.
The QuickTime movie below shows the pond
area, "destruction" caused by the beavers,
and some
of the human methods of intervention. The
movie has several "hotspots" that link to
other scenes
and movies, so explore it thoroughly!
Note: The one thing you will not see in this movie is a beaver. The
beavers do still live at the pond, but their home is now on the north-east end, in
an area inaccessible to humans. They come out into the pond in the early morning hours
when there are no humans or dogs around.
While exploring the movie, think about the following issues:
How do humans and animals compete for resources?
How can humans and animals compromise when there is conflict?
After you have explored the movie, choose one of the following projects:
Other beaver resources:
Other human vs. the environment resources: