Beavers are an essential animal to the North American landscape. They create and maintain wetlands that are home to at-risk and endangered species; they clean runoff from agricultural lands; they sequester carbon; they improve habitat for salmon and other fish species; and they even help mitigate wildfires. Sadly, beavers are trapped and killed across Canada and the United States for their fur, but also when their presence challenges human infrastructure.

Fortunately, there are solutions that keep beavers on the land and protect human-created systems like roadways and storm water management systems. And teaching people how to implement these life-saving devices is The Beaver Institute.

A US-based non-profit, The Beaver Institute aims to restore ecological balance with beavers, and offers incredible training programs that help communities coexist. To speak more to the programs, the importance of beavers, and how people can get involved with protecting beavers across the landscape, Defender Radio is joined by Adam Burnett, Executive Director of The Beaver Institute.

SHOW NOTES:

The Beaver Institute: https://www.beaverinstitute.org/?furbearers

The Fur-Bearers' Beaver Institute Scholarship: https://thefurbearers.com/our-work/outreach-education/scholarships-awards/beaver-institute-scholarship/

The Fur-Bearers' Beaver Coexistence Guide: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/the-fur-bearers-release-free-beaver-coexistence-book/

Episode Art photo by Traci Beattie / Getty Images

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

We spend our lives with dogs, sharing joy, sorrow, companionship, and often surprisingly deep friendships. But often, we can be perplexed by our best friends’ behaviours, or make assumptions about why they’re barking, rolling over, or refusing to let you have the ball after demanding that you throw it for them.

For those who want to learn more about dogs – in a practical, direct way, Dr. Marc Bekoff has a solution: his new book, Dogs Demystified, an A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine.

The new book, which has a forward by Jane Goodall, is an encyclopedia of dog behaviours, technical and colloquial terminology, and pretty much anything you need to know to learn how to be a better companion to your dog, and understand their needs. Dr. Bekoff, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado and an ethologist, joins Defender Radio to share what led to this new book, why having citations on his website makes for an easier read, and how demystifying dogs can lead to a happier, healthier companion.

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree).