John Romansic
This is John Romansic, lead author of the beaver-amphibian research described above, which was conducted at Washington State University, Vancouver. I’m struck by how well this poem illustrates the relationships among the key players in this ecological system in a way that conveys its drama and beauty – the very things that inspired the research project but are somewhat hidden in the technical prose of the scientific report. In that report you will read about – if you dig deep enough – a brief bit about the encounter that graduate student Courtney Hendrickson and I had with a cougar who was guarding its kill. But some of the drama got left out entirely. For example, the discovery of leftovers from river otters feasting on frogs and salamanders that had congregated at beaver ponds to find mates. And the exceptionally agility of field assistant Chelsea Osbron, who somehow never fell while doing the surveys, despite innumerable hazards around beaver dams. (Think fl