Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb

Summary (Amazon): In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America’s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens—recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world’s most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it’s about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travelers on this planet.

Reviews:
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ben-goldfarb/eager-goldfarb/

Christian Science Monitor: https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2018/0801/Eager-is-a-passionate-captivating-love-letter-to-the-beaver

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-beavers-can-save-the-world-from-environmental-ruin/2018/07/26/7d7f9caa-53c9-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html

(NY Times) 

Videos:
Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhdfRWuqdSw

Author's Website: http://bengoldfarb.com/

Interesting Articles:
1. From 1974, New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/1974/12/15/archives/lets-hear-it-for-the-eager-beaver-once-near-doom-in-new-york-this.html

2. Outside: https://www.outsideonline.com/2326991/ben-goldfarb-eager

Beaver Information and Sites:

1. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in Nebraska: https://www.nps.gov/agfo/index.htm

2. Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources: Beaver: https://nr.tulaliptribes.com/Programs/Wildlife/Beaver

3. Worth a Dam: Heidi Perryman's site: https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/tag/heidi-perryman/ ("Because the beaver isn't just an animal, it's an ecosystem"

(https://www.fossilfreeway.net/agate.php)

Discussion Questions: (Donna will be leading the discussion and please find her questions below)

1.      Margaret Atwood states that “Canada was built on dead beavers.”  How does the fur trade affect U.S. history?  How did it affect Native Americans?  Talk about some of the players in this saga, from pilgrims, Lewis and Clark, Roosevelt, Hudson Bay Co. etc.

2.     The subtitle “surprising, secret life of beavers” suggests that we might learn some amazing new facts about the natural history of these rodents.  Is this the case?   How might you “subtitle” the book? 

3.     The beaver believers include a host of interesting, passionate characters from hydrogeologists, scientists, naturalists, ranchers, native Americans etc.  Discuss your favorite beaver story.

4.     Speaking of characters, Doug Smith is the leading authority on wolf restoration, and his PhD was on beaver behavior. In the chapter “Wolftopia”, the author states that scientists are trying to answer the question “Which keystone mammal did Yellowstone miss more, the apex predator or the hydraulic engineer?” Discuss the relationship between the wolves, elk, beaver, and streams.

5.     “Eager” should be required reading for ANYONE interested in wildlife and watershed management and restoration.  Let’s talk about the many, many benefits of the wetlands created by beavers.

6.     Beaver believers face the same problem many environmentalists face attempting to persuade disbelievers of facts regarding climate change, renewable energies, glyphosate and pesticide dangers, etc.  (asymmetric burden of proof).  How can we get better at combatting this problem?

7.     The sheer numbers of beavers slaughtered over the centuries up through modern times makes me think that if it weren’t for the beaver believers, they’d be gone for good.  Are you hopeful or woeful for their future?

8.     Mr. Goldfarb definitely has a sense of humor.  Did you enjoy his writing style?  Can you recall a favorite passage, incident, metaphor, or word that made you smile?

9.     What a perfect book this was for us to read after Sand County Almanac.  I suspect that Leopold would agree that the beaver is “an animal that doubles as an ecosystem”. What would a conversation between Goldfarb and Leopold sound like?  Refer to page 243:

“the best thing we can do for many landscapes is to turn their salvation over to a mammal whose ecological vision diverges wildly from our own.”

Palaeocastor