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

Count me among the newly minted Beaver Believers, thanks to this surprisingly accessible book about a much-misunderstood rodent. Goldfarb, in Eager, tells us relatable stories about the paddle-tailed aquatic engineers, their foes, and friends. Leave it to us humans to come to a new land, claim dominion over its flora and fauna, drive much of it to the brink of extinction, and only later recognize the impact of those brutal acts and seek to rectify them. Although Eager deals primarily with the history, contributions, plight, and attempted restoration of the Castor canadensis (and European cousin Castor fiber), the reader will be reminded of what happens when an invading species (in this case, Man) eradicates a perceived foe then is forced to live with unforeseen consequences that are far greater than the imagined threat. The author, through the use of lively storytelling based on exhaustive research, introduces us to Castor canadensis, its history here in the US and across the pond, its overhunting for English and European hats and coats, which become unfashionable after the beaver population has already been decimated, its attempts to survive only to be regarded as a varmint whose value to rivers, streams, and water is not understood well enough to shield it from farmers' and ranchers' bullets and traps. As with any good story, this one has conflict, desire, greed, altruism, sex, love, death, politics, interesting characters, and a good measure of humor. Not what you'd expect from a book about beavers, is it? I agree with environmentalist and author Bill McKibben who said of Eager, "This witty, engrossing book will be a classic from the day it is published." Eager is timely and timeless - an especially important read today as much of the world deals with drought and seeks solutions to dwindling natural resources, for which the beaver, a keystone species that supports entire biological communities, embodies tremendous potential to aid those who would vanquish it.

Informative and entertaining

Every now and then a well-written and cheerfully-researched book comes along that changes the conversation forever. Suddenly no one is asking whether DDT is harmful or we didn’t do enough to prevent 9/11, they are just discussing what to do about it now and where to start first. This might just be one of those books. With Eager: The surprising secret lives of beavers and why they matter, accomplished author Ben Goldfarb lays out a Michener-esque sweeping look at an America that was burrowed, shaped and watered by beavers. He uses a convincing cast of characters to tell this compelling story – characters as varied as they are persuasive. From the “high-spirited and freckled” fluvial geomorphologist Rebekah Levine in Montana, to the “geyser of colorful catch phrases” Joe Wheaton in Utah, or the fish biologist with the “gentle manner of painting instructor”, Carol Evans of Nevada, each tell their part of a highly relevant ecological drama that we never even realized we were waiting for. I have a lot of favorite parts to this book, but an enduring winner is the unparalleled illumination Ben shines on a pre-settlement America when beavers and their dams were everywhere and complex interlacing streams looked more like ‘a bowl of spaghetti’ than individual channels due to their ubiquitous work – my most stark and unfavorite part is similarly unforgettable – the devastating near apocalyptic impact that the fur trade had in drying our national landscape. Besides introducing the reader to beaver believers from every walk of life all over the country and beyond, and stacking the courtroom with deftly-delivered scientific arguments from every field, Goldfarb is a careful archeologist who unearths historical passages that introduce a new understanding of past figures and their thoughts about a beaver-made country. Like a special lens attached to a telescope, his writing becomes a prism through which beavers shape our past, our present and our future.

How can we learn to coexist and thrive alongside our fellow travelers- the Beavers- on this planet? If humans are considered the world’s most influential mammals, Beavers have a fair claim at second place. In the intermountain West, wetlands, though they make up just 2 percent of total land area, support 80 percent of biodiversity with Beavers rebounding more than a hundredfold since trappers reduced their numbers to around one hundred thousand by the turn of the twentieth century. Beavers doubling as an ecosystem, are ecological and hydrological Swiss Army knives, capable, in favorable circumstances, of tackling just about any landscape-scale problem: mitigating floods or improving water quality; aiding in the capture of more water for agriculture in the face of climate change ,as well as dealing with sedimentation, salmon populations, and wildfire. Beavers have transparent eyelids which allow them to see below the surface, while a second set of fur-lined lips close behind their teeth permit them to chew and drag wood without drowning. In addition, Beavers can hold their breath underwater for up to fifteen minutes, and their underwater gymnastics are powered by webbed hind feet, making them the ideal construction worker. Lastly, scientists consider beavers the ultimate keystone species that ecologists define as the organism that likewise supports an entire biological community such as the Salmon, whose decomposing carcasses sustain grizzly bears, eagles, and even trees; another being elephants who clear the savanna for grasses by uprooting trees and shrubs. Pull the keystone out, and the arch—or the ecosystem—collapses.

Ben Goldfarb’s thoughtful research and colorful writing is a great read as the challenges of facing a long term drought in the southwestern USA gives valuable food for thought.

Fun and very informative about the large rodent, Oregon’s state animal.

For transparency, I've known Ben Goldfarb for the better part of a decade and have enjoyed his journalistic writings about everything from shellfish to Yellowstone. But this book is something else! I have a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology and a PhD in aquatic ecology. I know quite a bit about beaver biology and, when Ben first mentioned he was going to write a book all about beavers, I was pretty skeptical that he could fill 250 pages with beaver information that would be interesting and approachable to a broad audience. And I was dead wrong. Every page is filled with phenomenal information about this crazy critter and is written in a humorous and captivating narrative. This book is unique because it doesn't tease apart the story of the beaver into chapters focused on ecology, evolution, and human-beaver interactions. Rather, Ben has weaved these components together to paint a holistic picture about beavers, illustrating the remarkably diverse interactions between this species' biology and the history of the North American landscape, both geologically and culturally. Perhaps most fascinating is the narrative Ben develops through interviewing all kinds of people from living beaver trappers, landscape managers, and academic scientists - all of whom are compelled in some way by this rodent. I've learned orders of magnitude more about beavers than I ever thought there was to know. If you're interested in American history, geology, natural history, culture, or are just a curious person - this book is for you.

This is an excellent book about beavers, their history, their (often huge) impact on their environment, the many benefits they can bestow on that environment, and their sometimes-rocky interactions with human civilization. All of this may sound like a bit of a dry read, but it's anything but. Goldfarb is a thoroughly engaging writer, and -- let's face it -- beavers are thoroughly engaging and thoroughly cute animals. If you have beavers near where you live, this book will give you plenty of reasons to rejoice in their presence. If you're in a community that's currently having a problem with "nuisance beavers" this book will teach you about the many ways to manage their impact without harm to beavers or property. And if you just want to learn more about one of the most ecologically important animals on earth, this book is a great resource.

As a UK resident enjoying the rise of beaver reintroductions here, I cannot praise this book enough. The anecdotes and politics of modern US beaver conservation (and eradication !) was a fantastic read. Can't wait for the author's upcoming book on roads/highways impact on wildlife.

I used to drag my canoe over beaver dams and curse the little rodents that laid those impediments. I hated them for making me stick my feet in the squishy and probably leech infested mud of the stream. I had a habit of slapping my paddle hard on the water as I left, hoping the beavers translated it as a full-throated F U to their inconvenient domicile. Now I've read this book by Ben Goldfarb and instead, when I'm on a hike or a trial run, I'm looking at pristine swift rivers skipping over rocks and thinking "shouldn't a beaver be there?" Ben Goldfarb wrote such a well researched tribute to the rodent engineers of North America and Europe. He peeled back the fog separating us from remembering the wet, swampy glory of a North American teeming with beavers in every river on our landmass. Then he showed us a future we can build together, beavers and "beaver believers", by noting all the good work that beavers do when beavers do as beavers do. As I read about climate change in a reading club I put together. I realise this book choice by a friend to read together with her was such a timely one for that group. Beavers seem to have answers we need for weathering droughts better, for managing flood conditions that are more likely year by year, and for keeping our agriculture and game animals abundant as warmer conditions stress them more and more. This book was a fun book. It's full of humor, including the obvious inuendos about peoples beavers, and matches that humor equally with new and interesting facts to fill a persons head with. If you care even slightly about nature, you'll want to read about beavers. And if you want to read about beavers, this is definitely the book I think you'll want to read.

Great read. Couldn't put it down.

I absolutely love this book. If you are at all interested in beavers, it is a must. Even if you are not, the descriptions of the environmental advantages of a ‘beavered’ landscape will convince you. Beautifully written with lots of useful references.

A most significant and enjoyable read. It should be put in front of every politician who cares about the future of the planet.