The Buckingham Herald Tribblog: Name the Lubber Run Beaver

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Name the Lubber Run Beaver

With my astute powers of observation, I caught sight of a beaver in Lubber Run on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 11. Many other people may have missed my dog shaking and jumping with alacrity at the water’s edge, her head bobbing and weaving with curiosity and warning, but not me. It’s those subtle clues that a lay-naturalist such as myself catches while others walk on.

The Lubber Run beaver doing its dead-level-best to look like a log. (Click to enlarge the image.)

The beaver “splooshed” in the water twice while I watched and followed it. I have looked since then and have not seen it, though the tracks I saw near where I spotted the beaver, look a little beaverish to me.

I was unable to get ahold of Greg Zell, the Arlington County naturalist, today. He and I spoke of beavers for a story in April 2007. According to him then, the county lets the beavers live if they are not bothering people or facilities, but if the beaver does cause damage, the county will euthanize it. Virginia law says that it is illegal to relocate rodents. Beavers are the largest rodents in North America.

For fun, before the poor thing gets the boot, I say we name the beaver. Put your two cents in on the Name the Lubber Run Beaver Survey. (Many thanks to my daughter Hazel for help in sample names.)

Related stories and sites…

Sparrow Pond Deluxe (April 2007)

Beaver Tracks Images on the Web

Labels: environment, lubber run park