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WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT THE AWARD BELOW TO ONLY THE TRULY DESERVING.

NO. 1

JOCK OSS AWARD

TO SEE WHO THE WINNER OF THIS AWARD IS YOU WILL HAVE TO READ THE STORY BELOW.

DAVE AND I SET OUT ONE WEEKEND IN THE EARLY MONTH OF FEBRUARY TO TAKE SOME PHOTOS. WE HAPPENED UPON A BEAVER GNAWING ON A TREE ABOUT 20 FEET OFF THE ROAD AN UNUSAL SIGHT AS THEY ARE RARELY SEEN OUT OF THEIR HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. (NOTE: THERE WAS CLEARLY NO DAMAGE BEING DONE TO THE ROAD BY THIS BEAVER) WE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO WATCH HIM FOR AWHILE, APRROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES LATER ANOTHER SMALLER BEAVER EMERGED FROM THE SAME HOLE BENEATH THE SNOW.


THIS SMALLER BEAVER WENT OVER TO A BALSAM TREE AND CHEWED OFF ONE OF ITS BRANCHES. THIS TOO WAS UNUSAL AS THEY EAT MOSTLY POPLAR, BIRCH AND WILLOW. WE SCANNED THE AREA AND SAW VERY FEW OF THE ABOVE TREES PRESENT. HUNGER HAD BROUGHT THESE BEAVERS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER, THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR FOOD. WE CONTINUED TO WATCH THEM SNIFFING FROM ONE TREE TO THE NEXT LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO EAT WHEN LO AND BEHOLD AND TO OUR UTTER AMAZEMENT, TWO MORE BEAVERS POPPED UP OUT OF THE SAME HOLE FROM BENEATH THE SNOW AND ICE. UNFORTUNATELY I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET A PICTURE OF ALL FOUR BEAVERS TOGETHER, THEY WERE ALWAYS TO FAR APART. WE WERE DELIGHTED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THEM, BUT WE WERE ALSO WORRIED THEY WOULDN'T LAST THE WINTER WITHOUT FOOD SO WE DECIDED WE WOULD TRY TO HELP THIS LITTLE BEAVER FAMILY MAKE IT TO THE SPRING. FOR THE NEXT MONTH AND A HALF WE WENT EVERY WEEKEND AND GATHERED A TRUCKLOAD OF SMALL POPLAR TREES AND BROUGHT THEM OVER TO THE BEAVER POND. THEN WE WOULD SIT AND WAIT. IT WOULD NEVER TAKE THE BEAVERS VERY LONG TO SMELL THOSE POPLAR TREES AND THEY WOULD EMERGE AND SET ABOUT THE BUSY TASK OF BRINGING INTO THEIR HOME THIS CACHE OF FOOD.




IN THE LAST WEEKEND OF MARCH WE WERE SITTING, WATCHING THE BEAVERS BRING IN A LOAD OF POPLAR WE DROPPED OFF FOR THEM WHEN AN OLDER GENTLEMAN DROVE BY US, HE PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOPPED THEN HE GOT OUT OF HIS TRUCK CAME OVER TO US AND SAID, "LOOK AT THE MESS THAT GUY IS MAKING OF MY CORNER LOT". THEN HE GLANCED AT MY CAMERAS, NEVER SAID ANY MORE AND LEFT. THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND DAVE AND I FAITHFULLY BROUGHT ANOTHER LOAD OF POPLARS OVER TO THE BEAVER POND AND THIS IS WHAT WE SAW.


NO DAM, PIECES OF BEAVER HOUSE EVERYWHERE, VERY LITTLE WATER AND NO BEAVERS. TRACTOR TRACKS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE.

SO NOW WHEN WE DRIVE BY THERE INSTEAD OF SEEING THIS:

WE SEE THIS:

TO THE INDIVIDUAL/S WHO DESTROYED THE BEAVERS HOME I WOULD LIKE TO SAY:

1) THE BEAVER HAVE LONG BEEN AN OFFICIAL SYMBOL OF CANADA, HIS PICTURE HAS BEEN USED ON STAMPS, COINS AND EMBLEMS FOR YEARS. 2) ALTHOUGH HE DOES CAUSE SOME DAMAGE TO TREES (BECAUSE THESE ARE HIS MAIN FOOD SOURCE AND HE HAS TO EAT TO SURVIVE) HAVING A BEAVER LIVING IN A PIECE OF MARSH NEARBY HAS MORE ADVANTAGES THAN DISADVANTAGES.

THE BEAVER HELPS CREATE FISH PONDS AND IMPROVES HABITAT FOR MANY FORMS OF WILDLIFE BOTH BIRDS AND ANIMALS. AND IN MY OPINION WOULD BE A WONDERFUL SIGHT TO SHARE WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN SO THEY COULD LEARN ABOUT NATURE, HOW TO ADMIRE AND RESPECT ALL WILDLIFE , AS THEY DO HAVE A PURPOSE FOR BEING HERE.

IF I WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE A PIECE OF WETLAND ON MY PROPERTY I WOULD REALIZE THAT I COULDN'T USE IT TO BUILD OR GROW ANYTHING ON SO I WOULD ENJOY THE SOUND AND VIEW OF NATURE OUT MY BACKDOOR.

SO TO THE INDIVIDUAL/S WHO DESTROYED NOT ONE BEAVERS HOME BUT FOUR STEP RIGHT UP AND CLAIM YOUR AWARD.

NO. 1

JOCK OSS AWARD

YOU TRULY DESERVE IT.

FORTUNATELY WE PROBABLY WON'T HAVE TO GIVE THIS AWARD AWAY OFTEN. UNFORTUNATELY WE WILL PROBABLY ENCOUNTER OTHER TRULY DESERVING INDIVIDUALS ALONG LIFE'S PATH WHO DESERVE THIS AWARD. WE WILL POST THEIR AWARDS AND STORIES HERE AS WE ENCOUNTER THEM.

THIS WAS WRITTEN WITH A DEEP RESPECT FOR WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITATS SO THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS MAY HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO ENJOY THEM ALSO.