18 Feedback on Seattle Times Article Here's the feedback I've seen posted online about the recent mountain beaver published in the Seattle Times. (21 so far. 2/9/09 10:28 PM) February 9, 2009 at 8:19 AM I grew up on 4 1/2 acres in Kirkland. We had a large fenced yard where the dogs roamed and a large vegetable garden. We had several acres of pasture and several acres of bush and woods. There was a small creek, and a swamp full of salmon berries and other brush. There were also a number of very large old fruit trees rumored to be part of the original Peter Kirk orchard. In the woods/swamp area there were numerous mountain beaver holes. To the best of my memory none of my family, 2 sisters, a brother and stay-at-home mom or my dad ever saw a mountain beaver. Not only that, but because we never intruded into that swamp, or felt the need to develop any of it or the surrounding woods, the mountain beavers had their habitat and we had ours. The garden and flowers/shrubs were too far away from the mountain beavers lairs and guarded by Great Danes. The real problem is that we have intruded into and modified the mountain beavers habitat, like so many other animals in the Puget Sound region, that are killed or relocated because THEY have become nuisance animals! Peter Kirk Middle School now sits where my parents house used to be in Kirkland. Most of the wildlife that used to inhabit the woods and pastures is now gone, along with the swamp and mountain beaver habitat. I guess that's progress. SeaTimesFan Seattle, WA February 9, 2009 at 8:01 AM I live in north Seattle, close to Carkeek Park, and a couple years ago my neighbor told me we have a Mountain Beaver living in our rockery/retaining wall. I've seen lots of possum, raccoons, even a chipmunk in our neighborhood, but I still haven't seen the beaver. Sounds like I probably never will, but it's still cool having one here. UnicornL80 Tukwila, WA February 9, 2009 at 3:59 AM Looks a bit like a cross between a muskrat and a beaver, minus the tail. UnicornL80 Tukwila, WA February 9, 2009 at 3:53 AM Very interesting article. I've been here almost 20 years and never heard of nor seen these little guys. Sound pretty intriguing. Tim B. Olalla, WA February 8, 2009 at 11:39 PM About 25 years ago, we lived on the Kitsap Peninsula, not far from Key Center. At the time, the area was sparsely populated. Within a radius of 200 yards from the house were two ponds, a small stream, a small field, a young forest (with brush including ferns, blackberry vines, salal, and huckleberry bushes), and scattered alders, madrones, and fir trees. One of our cats dragged home a mountain beaver one day, and it seemed to be bigger than the cat. The poor animal was still alive, but unfortunately, it was injured and we had to kill it to put it out of its misery. The cat was unharmed, which leads me to wonder if the mountain beaver's reputed meanness is "more bark than bite." NeedMoreVitaminD Newcastle, WA February 8, 2009 at 9:45 PM Interesting article (and reader comments). jerryronr Bothell, WA February 8, 2009 at 9:08 PM In the '50's our family lived on 10 acres above what is now referred to as Totem Lake in the Juanita/Kirkland area. The name on county records for this boggy lake was Lake Wittemeyer, but everyone in the area called it Mud Lake. Mountain beavers would wander up the banks, thru the woody, muddy area and our cocker spaniel, Pudgy, loved to chase them. Many times they would take off down the bank--but other times he would be somewhat chagrined and scratched up by their claws. There is not much left of the lake now and I imagine the mountain beavers are gone also. That area has changed greatly in the last 50 years!!! Carttin5 Bellevue, WA February 8, 2009 at 8:02 PM We have a resident ninja gardener who annually decimates all shrubs in our yard in south suburban Bellevue along Vasa Creek. This mountain beaver is NOT nocturnal and seems to favor attacking rhodies & maple trees in mid-morning and again in mid-afternoon (after a midday nap?) in the spring and fall. It is regularly seen by us and our bemused neighbors and is completely unphased by dogs barking or rocks being thrown at it. We attended a Master Gardener class on "problem wildlife" only to be told to live with it because mountain beavers will outlast us; get rid of one and another will replace it. terwilliger Brier, WA We live in Brier, WA and our lot borders on Scriber Creek. Our lot along with others in the neighborhood has several burrows that fit the definition of the burrow opening described in the recent article on mountain beavers. Every time I fill in the burrow opening it is cleaned out within days. I observed our little friend one evening one time only. The area where the burrow in located is on a hillside above the creek and the vegetation consists of ferns and blackberries and evergreen trees and alders. plarugb63 Toansket, WA February 8, 2009 at 5:45 PM Spending most of my life in North Bend, on our property we had a piece of plywood that had been laying on the ground for well over a year. I picked it up and thought, 'What the heck is that?' I was able to put a leaf rake over it and saw those teeth go around the whole tine! All I could think is that thank goodness it was not my finger. The land was wet year round, and the holes from the mountain beavers and the evidence of their activities was easy to spot. But only ever saw two. mike97 Kennewick, WA February 8, 2009 at 4:24 PM Growing up in Seattle and hiking since I was 6, I have seen A. rufa more than once. Is that "lucky"? I always thought it was some sort of Norwegian rat that found paradise in our forests! acronin Seattle, WA February 8, 2009 at 3:51 PM My first encounter with a mountain beaver came early in the mornings while searching for daily socks in my parent laundry room. Looking out on the misty northwest mornings, I would often see huge branches of our beautiful rhodedendron bushes scurring across the lawn my a dutiful and hungry mountain beaver. They certainly can do some damage to those plants, so if you notice clean angular cuts on the lower half of your bushes and happen to live near a stream or ravine, chances are these little guys are your neighbors. seattlephotoart Seattle, WA February 8, 2009 at 3:35 PM Great article! I've been interested in these critters since my first (and only) encounter with one several years ago. I had never heard of them at that point, and when I walked over to investigate a rustling in the leaves in the forest near my driveway when I lived near Preston a mountain beaver and I surprised each other! We looked at each other briefly, and then he scurried off under the leaves and underbrush. I had to do some research and asking around to figure out what he was. I always hoped to see it again, but I think my Teddy Roosevelt Terrier and all his barking at animals saw to it that I didn't. lordoflys Yokohama February 8, 2009 at 3:33 PM This whole thing about mountain beavers confuses me. I never came across one growing up in Snoqualmie. In E Wash we have whistlers, or rock chucks, and they DO whistle. Hmmmm. I obviously missed something. jmwells Mill Creek, WA February 8, 2009 at 2:01 PM I saw one in the Mill Creek Nature Preserve here in Snohomish County. Cool creatures! It was walking on the nature trail, when it saw me it scurried back into the woods. LMcG Quilcene, WA February 8, 2009 at 1:56 PM In Edmonds, my friend and I found a baby mountain beaver but didn't know what it was at the time. We thought it was maybe a tribble beamed down from Starship Enterprise. It was very friendly letting us pick it up and hold it. Dale Steele Sacramento, CA February 8, 2009 at 11:09 AM Very good article on the NW's very own mountain beaver. I've been interested in and studying this animal for some time. My journal (http://homepage.mac.com/dtsteele/Mountain_Beaver_Work/index.html) on the mountain beaver is linked in the article and I look forward to hearing from others who have observed it or want to know more about it. I think we have a lot to learn from a species that has been around for so long. Ann in Sequim Sequim, WA February 8, 2009 at 10:06 AM The rangers at Olympic National Park were most helpful to my friend and me by aiding us in identifying a strange animal that we had seen in the park--a mountain beaver. Later, we also discovered mountain beaver holes along a little used trail in the park. It was a real treat and my thanks go to the National Park System for allowing the us this wonderful experience. mcdawg#1 Big Lake, WA February 8, 2009 at 10:00 AM As a kid in Lynnwod in the late 60's me and my buddies would trap them in the woods. We would try to keep them in cages we built out of wood and chicken wire. They were very aggresive and determened as they always escaped by the next day. I had completely forgotten that they existed until a couple of years ago my cat brought home a live juvenile. jhudon Benton City, WA February 8, 2009 at 9:30 AM My parents own a cabin on Huricane Ridge which has Mountain Beavers all over the property. My Grandfather built the cabin back in the late '70s and we would all refer to the tunnels left in the ground as Mountain Beaver holes. My grandfather has seen them probably becasue he would work early in the morning on the cabin, but I have never seen them only the numerous tunnels they leave behind. Showing post 21 of 21    clive dexx Seattle, WA February 8, 2009 at 2:20 AM When I lived in Bonney Lake, my german shepard would kill about one a year. We would find it mutilated in the yard. They look vicious. Big teeth and claws. It always looked like it could tear up a dog pretty good. But he never got a scratch.