The Beaver Pond

The Beaver Pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail. When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. Although beavers are infamous for cutting down trees, the process by which they create their ponds opens up the area to more sunlight and thereby increases the possibility for other species to thrive. Beaver ponds also help our climate, storing carbon in the form of buried organic matter and slowly releasing it as methane. So the next time you are out on the Spring Creek Nature Trail, take a walk around the Beaver Pond and appreciate what nature has created for us.

The Beaver Pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail. When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. Although beavers are infamous for cutting down trees, the process by which they create their ponds opens up the area to more sunlight and thereby increases the possibility for other species to thrive. Beaver ponds also help our climate, storing carbon in the form of buried organic matter and slowly releasing it as methane. So the next time you are out on the Spring Creek Nature Trail, take a walk around the Beaver Pond and appreciate what nature has created for us.

Early morning at the beaver pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

Early morning at the beaver pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

Beaver crossing sign at the Beaver Pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas.

Beaver dam on the Spring Creek Nature Trail in The Woodlands, Texas. Trappers reduced beaver numbers to around one hundred thousand by the turn of the twentieth century. Today it is estimated their numbers have rebounded to approximately 15 million. Although they are not currently at risk of extinction, it is estimated that at one time 60 Million to 400 million swam in North America’s rivers and ponds. Beavers are the engineers in nature and provide value services to ecosystems. Just as forests pull carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it in wood, beaver ponds lock up carbon in buried sediment.

A flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) at the Beaver Pond on the Spring Creek Nature Trail.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis). When some think of beavers, they think of a nuisance, but beavers are classified as a Keystone species. Beaver ponds create wetlands which are some of the most productive and bio-diverse eco-systems in our region. Wetlands help to increase plant, fish, bird, and wildlife variety, improve water quality, and mitigate against the effects of flooding. At one time beavers in North American numbered between 60 and 400 million, today their numbers are quite a bit lower but are no longer considered endangered.

Bobcat (Lynx rufus texensis). Named so because of their short 'bob' tails. Bobcats exist throughout most of the United States. southern Canada, and northern half of Mexico. They are abundant in Texas, and are a subspecies, with 12 subspecies found throughout the United States. They are closely related to the Lynx, highly adaptive, and can thrive in urban areas. Bobcats have no protections, and habitat loss is the biggest threat. Bobcats can weight up to 25 pounds, and eat mostly small animals such as rats, squirrels, mice, and rabbits. Females typically produce a litter of 3 kittens, and remain with the mother for about 6 months. Their ranges can be 25 miles for males, and only a few miles for females (Source: TexasNativeCats.org).