Resident beaver says Detroit river is “livable” again

Despite all of the double-talking present in the green movement, it’s important to recognize true victories on occasion no matter how small. A beaver has taken up residence by an intake canal on the Detroit river and that’s a sure sign that the ecosystem is improving enough to support life again.

That means efforts toward sustainability and green living are paying off at least in some small way. It’s been 75 years since the last time a beaver was spotted on the Detroit river. While many of us may not acknowledge that we haven’t respected our environment for a long time, the general absence of animals in large cities is a testament to that fact.

A single beaver choosing to make its home on a previously polluted riverbank isn’t a major milestone, but could it be a sign that we’re ready to take responsibility for our environmental footprint?

Organizations like the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, formed in 2003 are likely playing a key role in bringing awareness to the health of the river and that’s a point to note for the broader green movement as well. Nonprofits with adequate resources can make a huge difference in swaying the public’s opinion.

But with what essentially translates as an endorsement from wildlife that we’re on the right track, environmentalists are beyond pleased with their new beaver resident. Interestingly though, beavers can be a destructive species as well. Their dams often cause trouble for neighboring animals and plants in the form of flash floods and pooling water. They will also sometimes harvest large trees and not use the lumber (perhaps sharpening their teeth?).

The point though is to realize that other species also can consume frivolously, humans aren’t alone in that tendency. The difference is our sprawling population, technology, and supposed control over many of our environments.