Beavers at Work!



The beavers expanded their dam immediately after the April flood.

Something exciting and unexpected happened at Lyman Woods this spring! A family of beavers built a dam that flooded our trails in the southwest corner of the wetland. Beavers are nocturnal, so its unlikely see the family during a visit. Even though you most likely can’t see these cute builders at work, if you are up for the challenge of ankle-deep mud and water, you can view the dam from the wetland boardwalk.

 

About a week ago, we were under the impression that there was only one lodge, located in the middle of the pond next to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. This presented a curious phenomenon. Normally, a family of beavers builds a dam near its lodge for easy access. However in this case, the beavers walked a fair distance down the hill from their lodge each night to maintain the dam. This week we discovered a second lodge at Lyman Woods near the dam, perhaps built by the offspring. When baby beavers, or kits, reach the age of two, they leave the comfort of their parents’ home and usually make their own lodge not too far from where they grew up.

Parks Forester Mike Stelter inspecting the lodge at Lyman Woods.

In its current form, the dam is flooding the trail southeast of the boardwalk and creating a muddy mess of the trail north of the boardwalk. Maps are posted at the trailhead and in the Interpretive Center to make visitors aware of the trail closure. While this is an inconvenience, it is an example of nature at work. The Interpretive Center staff and the Parks Forester are working hard to develop a plan to coexist with the beavers, without sacrificing the integrity of our trails. Until the trail is restored, bring your mud boots to check out this impressive engineering feat of nature!