The Cradle of Forestry invites the public to a program, “Bogs, Bugs and Beavers,” on Saturday, May 27, 2017. The program begins in the Forest Discovery Center at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. with an introduction about beavers’ adaptations to living in a watery world. Then naturalists will lead walks to elevated boardwalks along the Pink Beds Trail, interpreting the beavers’ wetland creating activities, the changing habitats they create, and the woods and water along the way.

Each program lasts about 1.5 hours with a walking distance of about 2 miles. Participants can use nets provided to dip for aquatic insects and salamanders from the boardwalk. Binoculars are welcome to observe birds, butterflies and dragonflies that thrive in the scenic Pink Beds valley.

The Pink Beds is part of the 6,500 acre Cradle of Forestry in America area of the Pisgah National Forest. Beavers have been active in the valley for over 20 years, creating early succession habitats and changing flow patterns of the South Mills River. The boardwalks, constructed largely by Forest Service volunteers, allow recreationists elevated access while protecting this fascinating wetland area.

Admission to the Cradle of Forestry is $5 for adults and free for youth under 16 years of age. America the Beautiful passes, Golden Age passports, and Every Kid in a Park passes are honored. Admission includes the Forest Discovery Center with hands-on exhibits, a scavenger hunt, a firefighting helicopter simulator, gift shop, historic cabins and antique equipment on two paved trails. It also includes the Adventure Zone, an activity designed to reach children with autism and engage young families. Lunch is available for purchase from the Café at the Cradle.

The Cradle of Forestry is located on Hwy. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest along the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 412. For more information call (828) 877-3130 or visit www.cradleofforestry.com.

Beavers aren’t just busy — they’re swamped. But while building and maintaining a marsh can take time, it’s apparently worth the investment. The rodents’ ecosystem-shaping homes have long been known for their durability, and a recent study offers unique evidence that individual beaver dams can persist for centuries.

That evidence comes via an 1868 map commissioned by Lewis H. Morgan, a prominent American anthropologist who also worked as a railroad director. While overseeing a rail project through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the 1860s, Morgan came across something that amazed him: “a beaver district, more remarkable, perhaps, than any other of equal extent to be found in any part of North America.”

Morgan went on to study these beavers for years, resulting in his 396-page tome “The American Beaver and His Works.” Published in 1868, it included a map of 64 beaver dams and ponds spread across roughly 125 square kilometers (48 square miles) near the city of Ishpeming, Michigan. And now, almost 150 years later, a fresh look at Morgan’s map has revealed that most of the beaver dams are still there.

Other research has hinted at even longer resilience. A 2012 study, for example, found that some beaver dams in California date back more than 1,000 years. One of those dams was first built around 580 AD, making it older than China’s Tang Dynasty or the earliest-known English poetry. Later evidence shows the same dam was in use around 1730, when beavers apparently made repairs to it. It was finally abandoned after suffering a breach in 1850 — some 1,200 years after its initial construction.

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