In 1948, game warden Elmo Heter flew his plane over the Idaho backcountry and made the singular observation that it was devoid of wetlands and wildlife. He devised an ingenious plan to airdrop beavers into the Idaho wilderness.
Come hear conservation biologist and local author Jennifer Lovett recount the bizarre and amazing tale of Geronimo, the intrepid beaver who became Heter's project partner in his effort to rewild the Idaho interior.
In addition to recounting this extraordinary tale, Lovett will present a slide talk, "Beavers: Our allies in a changing world". She will describe the role beavers play in ecosystems in North America as well as their biology, lifecycle and history. As ecosystem engineers, beavers have been active in our landscape for millennia. Their ability to mitigate some effects of climate change suggests that beavers play an important role in our warming future.
In the glorious conclusion to Lovett's book Beavers Away! the re-located beavers were able to quickly restore the eroded and barren landscape and create lush habitat that provided food and shelter for many species of animals.
Jennifer Lovett, a former art teacher and museum curator, lives in Starksboro, Vermont. She learned about the amazing true story of Idaho's parachuting beavers while working on her master's degree in environmental science.
The presentation will be held on Sunday November 3 at 4pm at the Huntington Public Library.
This presentation is brought to you by the Huntington Conservation Commission and Huntington Public Library Nature Literacy Series.
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