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Page12 Friday, September 15, 1978 CASTOR REVIEW Beaver Bob Brits bring back Beaver Proposed new link TI 4 = / OSGOODE i Sime! x : ; i Se The dark line shows the proposed reconstructed and paved road from Marionville to 417 north of Regional Road 8, a distance of 11.4 miles. Osgoode Township Reeve Albert Bouwers notes the link, if approved by the province, will facilitate access to 417 from such points as Metcalfe, Russell, Marionville, Kenmore, Morewood, and even, Winchester and Chesterville. There is a kind of low-key argument going on in Britain about bringing beaver back to that country's ponds and stre- back-to-nature approach spark- ed a few years ago by Nature Magazine when that periodical became spokesman for those people who believe in zero growth. The zero growth appro- ach holds that we have gone far enough in every phase of human activity and that a few more years of the kind of frenzied progress we have enjoyed in the present century will inevitably bring about the end of every- thing. It is a kind of translation into scientific terms of 'Stop The World, I Want To Get Off"'. Coming back to the British beaver, which apparently disap- peared from that country seven hundred years ago, we are compelled to say that even when it was present, it does not seem to have played a significant role in the nation's development. No one, it appears, was ever tempted to place the beaver on Britain's coat of arms, to lend it the dignity of, say, the American eagle, or even the lion or the unicorn, estimable animals both but never, as far as we know, recognized among the fauna of Britain. Be that as it may, the British have apparently come to the realization, a little belated, that there are no more beavers in that sceptred isle. io campaign is under way to ams. It appears to be part of a : bring back the beaver. We find ourselves puzzled about the true meaning of what appears to be a manifestation of uncharacter- istic nostalgia. Do they want to bring back the Romans? The Saxons? The Danes? Why the beaver? The aroused interest in the European beaver is hard to explain. In France, a learned professor has undertaken a crusade to re-stock France's streams with Canadian b eaver, presumably because they can be expected to be bilingual. In Britain, the magazine Wildlife, is urging a similar program for that country. Let it be clear. We are all for it. We find the beaver a useful and energetic animal whose skill at water conservation can save millions of dollars. Our views are not those of Mr. Christopher Lever who, in the London Times, expresses doubt and uneasiness about the campaign to bring back the beaver. To begin with, we are wonder- ing whether the animal des- cribed by Mr. Lever is the same beaver that we know. It was hunted to extinction in Europe for its fur, its flesh and its glandular secretion. In Europe, rather than building dams, it "burrows into river banks." This sounds to us more like a muskrat. In any case, we can assure Mr. Lever and all those good folk in Britain like Nigel Sitwell, editor of Wildlife, who says if the experiment fails, "there would be no difficulty in catching the animals" -- that if Canadian beaver is located in Britain or anywhere else, he definitely will not burrow into the river banks. He will just go on about his business of building dams, establishing ponds, creat- ing water reservoirs and helping nature. So, please, do not expect this rugged and highly qualified individualist to copy European ways. He is just going to do it. Coming back to Mr. Nigel Sitwell, editor of Wildlife, we would like to know more about how he plans to "catch the animals"' if the experiment is a failure. You cannot catch a beaver grabbing him by the tail. Any average Canadian beaver has a capacity for eluding people like Mr. Nigel Sitwell that has to be seen to be believed. We shudder at the prospect of bearded British professors, knee deep in canal water, attempting to herd a beaver into a butterfly net. It cannot be done. We wonder who is organizing these programs involving Canada's national animal? We wonder if the Canadian government is behind it and if they have taken proper precautions to ensure that Canadian beaver will be treated as befits their status as Canada's national emblem. I, personally, am prepared to put up Mr. Nigel Sitwell and one or two of his aides and to take them to beaver emplacements here in Eastern Ontario where they can see this lively and lovable animal at work. 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