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The Beaver is back in southeast Michigan

steve
/
wikipedia

It has been nearly 150 years since the beaver has made its presence known along the Detroit and Rouge Rivers.

The hardy little critters were done- in by trappers and toxic water.

Beavers played a major role in Detroit's early history. The beaver and the coureur des bois who traded their pelts and helped the Great Lakes region grow.

Lucky for today's beavers, there's no demand for those shiny men's hats that were in fashion in the 1800s.

There have been encouraging signs that the beaver and other species are enjoying a resurgence in Michigan.

John Hartig is with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and he seems pretty happy about the news.

He calls this, "one of the most dramatic ecological recovery stories in North America."

What does this tell us about efforts to clean up our waters and the tenacity of animal species?

Hartig tells us about the signs showing that beaver are coming back to southeast Michigan and the evidence of "beaver life."

To hear the full report, click the link above.

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