dispatch from "out west"

My aunt Nan sent me this. Thank you!

BEAVER DAM in Bolton Massachusetts on conservation land.

Beaver lodge in pond beyond stone wall.

Here a new meadow will someday blossom with wildflowers thanks to the industry of these wetland specialists. In the meantime new wildlife habitat will be created from re-growth woodlands abandoned by the overuse of human activity. The pond will retain moisture and nutrients while leaching out pollutants. The trees that die in the pond will provided nesting sites for woodpeckers including the pileated woodpecker, a shy resident of Bolton. Then wood ducks and other hole nesters will arrive. This is prime habitat for great blue herons and other herons, including the green heron which has struggled for habitat since coyotes have intruded into this domain. Beaver dams create ponds that are essential in the cycle of the evolution of the New England environment.

We do have beavers in my town, but not where I can easily view them.