Keystone species

Keystone species

Ethan Tapper

A keystone species is a species, usually of wildlife, that has a disproportionate effect on its environment. In our region, the classic example of this is the beaver.
Beavers dam and flood fields and forests, essentially creating, or driving, their own natural disturbance events. Besides making great habitat for themselves, they support a whole ecosystem, home to many reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, plants and more.

We built the American Empire

We built the American Empire

Edd Merritt

Just as the Romans built their empire, we built ours. And who are we? We’re the beavers, of course. Well, I’m “Beaver” anyhow. My friends were “Moose,” “Elk,” “Horse,” Mouse and “Rat.” And that only covered the southwest section of my hometown in Minnesota. I had a friend named “Mule” (Actually, his full moniker was “Francis the Talking Mule,” and he lived in the southeast quadrant, which meant we were rivals when it came to sports.).