I was driving along Route 8 a few weeks ago, from Genesee Street to Kellogg Road, when I noticed a big beaver dam in one of the old mill ponds on the west side of the highway.

I was surprised – I had never seen one in there before – but not too much. And then I was told there was a dam in the same area last year, but someone knocked it out.

Well, why not? Beavers are everywhere, including on Sauquoit Creek, which runs just on the other side of the road.

You might or might not know that the beaver is New York State’s official mammal. That is largely because beaver fur was lusted after by the early Dutch, English, and French colonists and adventurers. The Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which became New York, was built on the beaver trade. The modern city seal and flag picture two beavers – it also displays two kegs, filled with what, I don’t know – to acknowledge that fact. Albany, Quebec City, and Montreal also owed their early economies largely to trapping the big rodents.

Full story here.