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Outdoor Radio: Wintertime With North American Beavers

Kent McFarland
We usually expect beaver lodges to be placed in the water, like this one pictured. However, half of beaver lodges are actually on the shore or bank of the pond.

Even in the winter time, beaver ponds are active habitats. The harvested trees and brush attract other wildlife like deer and turkey to feed. The lodges themselves provide warmth for the beavers and other rodents, such as mice and muskrats. The North American beaver has seen a resurgence in the last 100 years after being trapped to near-extinction by European settlers.

In this month's episode of Outdoor Radio, conservation biologist Steve Faccio joins Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra on a frozen beaver pond in Pomfret, Vermont. Together they explore what winter is like in an active beaver lodge and dam. They venture on the ice looking for the beavers' winter stash of food hidden in the snow.

Beavers are North America's largest rodent. Discover why beaver-tails tend to shrink during the course of the winter and learn how these amazing animals spend their time huddled together in these warm lodges.

Find more about North American Beavers at these sites:

Outdoor Radio is produced in collaboration with the Vermont Center For Ecostudies.

Chris was Vermont Public Radio Audio Engineer for more than 20 years. In addition to his work for VPR, he has supervised the sound for television documentaries for the Discovery Channel, Turner Broadcast, and the Arts and Entertainment Network. Chris retired in December, 2020.
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