Source: Exhibition Opening: “Dam It! Beavers and Us.” January 30, 2021. High Desert Musum. https://highdesertmuseum.org/events/exhibition-opening-dam-it-beavers-and-us/.
Beavers were once on the verge of extinction in New York, but their number has exploded since their restoration in the early twentieth century. Ever since 1600, this rodent has been one of the crucial species to drive the ecology, economy, and society of native Americans. In this blog, we will be looking at how such a significant animal reached the point of extinction and made a comeback in a region known as the Adirondacks today.
During the colonial era, beaver pelts were one of the biggest exports to European colonizers. The beavers were so valuable that Indian tribes fought for their territories to gain full access to the fur-trading routes. By the end of the two beaver wars in the 1700s, the population of beavers was thought to be almost wiped out. The popularity of metal traps did not help the beaver population, and ultimately they were declared extinct by the Essex County Republican.
After the reintroduction of beavers from neighboring countries in the 1900s, the population of beavers saw a vast increase. Today, the Adirondack region is home to an estimated population of fifty thousand to seventy-five thousand beavers. In between this time, the state government issued permits to hunt these protected rodents, and while the harvests increased every year, the beaver population did not see a significant reduction.
It’s not a coincidence that the beaver population is thriving in this century. Campaigns to hunt wolves, one of the main predators of beavers, could be a reason for the surge in the beaver population. More importantly, hunting for beaver was always more about its economic value than its impact on the ecosystem. With the decrease in demand for beaver fur, beavers were no longer an attractive asset for hunters.
Source: Jenkins, Jerry, and Andy Keal. Essay. In The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park, 44–45. Syracuse University Press, 2004.
A beaver pelt that cost upwards of 200 dollars in 1930 only cost about 20 dollars in 2000. This 10 percent reduction, although it doesn’t seem significant, could significantly affect the hunters in an economy with increasing purchasing power and inflation. With fashion shifting from its dependency on animal furs in North America, the price of beavers continued to drop over the decades. Thus beaver furs were not as attractive to the hunters, who were gradually shifting to part-time hunting.
Across centuries, beavers are one of the few animals that have contributed to shaping the entire economy of the Adirondack region. It has played an essential role throughout history in wars such as beaver wars and during colonization. Not only does this animal have economic importance today, but it also has historical importance to the Adirondack region. Beavers could be damaging for the local people living in the area because they could flood farmlands. Still, the population of such a crucial species should continuously be monitored and ensured is healthy because they have and will continue to play a critical role in maintaining ecosystems.
Citations
Jenkins, Jerry, and Andy Keal. Essay. In The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park, 44–45. Syracuse University Press, 2004.
Terrie, Philip G. Contested Terrain: A New History of Nature and People in the Adirondacks. Adirondack Museum, 2008.
Schneider, Paul. The Adirondacks: A History of America’s First Wilderness. New York: Henry Holt, 1998.
Warren, John. “A Short History of Adirondack Beaver.” New York Almanack, August 24, 2021. https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2021/08/a-short-history-of-adirondack-beaver/.
An, I am really excited to see the fluctuation of beaver fur price change and the reason behind it! I found it interesting that people’s purchasing power variation along with the development of social economic status could have something to do with the willingness to buy or directly go hunting. This blog allows me to think of beavers, or many same kind of trappings, as an indicator of national/global advancement.
An, I found your post to be very interesting, especially based on our reading from last night. What I found most surprising was the enormous price reduction in a beaver skin in 1930 versus a skin from 2000. I am guessing this price drop-off has some to do with a rising population of beavers, thus making the skins easier to come by and the decrease in demand from the fashion industry. I was also interested in the wars the natives would wage against each other to access the beaver trapping market. It brings into perspective how long these beavers have occupied the land and the continued dependence of them.