This is a fascinating look at early conservation efforts. When people moved into the wilderness areas of Idaho in the 1940s, the beaver community posed a problem. The beavers flooded built up areas and damaged construction. The usual response at the time would have been to exterminate them, but a Fish and Game Warden, Elmo Heter, was experienced in trapping beavers and had a solution - relocate the bulk of them to the deep wilderness area of the Chamberlain Basin.
The book goes through all of the planning required for the project, as well as the experiments they made trying to figure out how to safely deposit the beavers in the wilderness. Eventually, they settled on dropping the beavers in crates and tested the method repeatedly to make sure they were safe as well as able to get out. When Heter flew over the area a year later, he saw the beavers had survived and were thriving, adapting the wilderness and creating habitats for numerous other creatures.
Pleasantly realistic illustrations show beavers first in the built-up areas and then in the wilderness. An author's note talks more about how conservation efforts have changed, especially in regard to relocating animals, as well as the benefits of beavers to the ecosystem. Tracy also notes the tribute to the indigenous people who originally in habited the area included in Uribe's art. There is also a selection of sources.
Verdict: This is a thoughtful account of a true event that should spark discussion in a classroom about conservation, wildlife, and how people - and animals - adapt.
ISBN: 9780593647523; Hardcover/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $10.63
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