Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter - Softcover

Ben Goldfarb

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1603589082 ISBN 13: 9781603589086

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Co, 2019

Synopsis

WINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

Washington Post 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction

Science News Favorite Science Books of 2018

Booklist Top Ten Science/Technology Book of 2018

"A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents.... A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world. The Washington Post

In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of Beaver Believers including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world s most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it s about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travellers on this planet.

About this title

Review:

"Beavers are easy to caricature, and they're a bit comical. But they've got their serious side, too. European settlers who cut, plowed, and shot their way west also trapped the country nearly clean of mammals. Almost killing off beavers--the continent's major water engineers and dam builders--caused widespread problems for wildlife and people. Now, though, beavers are on the rebound, and the how and who of that story, as told in Eager, will give you a new and completely different concept of the continent."--Carl Safina, author of The View From Lazy Point and Beyond Words

"This witty, engrossing book will be a classic from the day it is published. No one who loves the landscape of America will ever look at it quite the same way after understanding just how profoundly it has been shaped by the beaver. And even the most pessimistic among us will feel strong hope at the prospect that so much damage can be so easily repaired if we learn to live with this most remarkable of creatures."--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

"One of the best things that can be said about a book is that it is both necessary and good. Not many are, but this one is."--Richard Manning, coauthor of Go Wild

"In Eager Ben Goldfarb demonstrates that beavers are more than just a fascinating and mysterious rodent--they're also an 'animal that doubles as an ecosystem.' Optimistic and exciting, the book suggests a future where rather than destroying nature, or trying to dominate it with heavy-handed management, we collaborate with species like beavers to create a wilder, more diverse, and surprising world. Eager will make a Beaver Believer out of you!"--Emma Marris, fellow at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; author of The Rambunctious Garden

"Beavers do matter. Contrary to the popular image of beavers as trouble-making 'varmints' on the land, these hardworking animals play many critical roles in nature, including rewetting creeks in dry country. That might seem counterintuitive--beavers are famous dam builders after all--but as Ben Goldfarb explains in his riveting new book, the engineering prowess of these mighty rodents is essential to healthy riparian areas. And they do their work for free!"--Courtney White, author of Grass, Soil, Hope and Two Percent Solutions for the Planet

"An important and engaging book about the nature of beavers, the forces of nature, and the hubris of humans. While I've read many books about how Homo sapiens extirpated species around the globe historically, and how we've wiped out birds such as turkeys and beasts such as bison and elk in the recent past, I had not read a book about beavers. This book is an eye-opening contribution with great examples of the power of beavers to restore ecosystems."--Fred Provenza, author of Nourishment

"Eager is a revelation! If we only let them live, beavers are the solution to many of our nation's ecological problems. Ben Goldfarb's wonderful book will make you an even bigger fan of these intelligent, inventive, resilient rodents than (if you have any sense) you are already--and might just tail-slap a politician or two into realizing how much we need them to restore our critical wetlands."--Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus and coauthor of Tamed and Untamed

"Eager is the stunning story of beavers-- --Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

"Eager brilliantly presents the role of the American beaver in shaping the landscape of our continent and preserving its ecological integrity and diversity--and does so in clear, readable prose. My Native ancestors--before the cultural disruptions of the fur trade--saw the beaver people as a nation worthy of the greatest respect. I believe that any thoughtful person who reads this book will come away with a much deeper appreciation of this sacred being's place in the America of the past and, we hope, the future." --Joseph Bruchac, coauthor of Keepers of the Earth

"Long trapped for their fur and maligned as pests, beavers are finally recognized for their role in keeping water in the landscape. Goldfarb's spirited, well-researched account tells the story of humanity's relationship with beavers and highlights innovative efforts to ally with them to restore rivers and wetlands and boost ecological resilience. Our winsome, paddle-tailed friends could have no better champion." --Judith D. Schwartz, author of Cows Save the Planet and Water in Plain Sight

About the Author:

Ben Goldfarb is an award-winning environmental journalist who covers wildlife management and conservation biology. His work has been featured in Science, Mother Jones, The Guardian, High Country News, VICE, Audubon Magazine, Modern Farmer, Orion, World Wildlife Magazine, Scientific American, Yale Environment 360, and many other publications. He holds a master of environmental management degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing Co
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1603589082
• ISBN 13: 9781603589086
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304