Daron Williams wrote:
One big reason for me to try this out is that beaver dams were and are a major component of water storage in the western United States. The land and wildlife here are adapted to this type of water storage. I'm a big fan of working with nature when I can and building my own beaver dams seems like a great way to make my homestead truly be a part of the natural environment. For example, fish can generally get through beaver dams while human made dams tend to block them.
This is an awesome post and you are a person after my own heart to be sure. Had I the ability to give you apples, I would give you a bushel!!
One other benefit to a natural dam is water chemistry. When you have a bunch of
native plants decaying in the dam and slowly releasing chemicals into the water, it creates a pH balance that is just right for native amphibians. How do I know this? I used to work with Dr. Bernd Blossey's team at Cornell ecology lab on invasive species, and we found time and time again when we replaced native plants with an invasive, it significantly shifted the pH and nutrient balance of the water. So it stands to reason if you have an earthwork or (horror!)
concrete dam, obviously you are going to have very different water chemistry they will not foster amphibian and other life.
I'vee of the ethics of
permaculture is "All life has value." We must strive for solutions that are functional parts of our ecosystem out we will not survive.