Our Stories
The Great North Dakota Beaver Rescue of 2021
Categories: Hiking Stories
“With each Chapter visit, I was met by beautiful landscapes, dedicated volunteers, and energizing hikes. It was a great visit, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being a part of a beaver rescue.”
Nancy Brozek, NCTA Director of Development and Communications, recently visited North Dakota to meet with our Chapters – Central Flyway, Sheyenne River Valley, and Dakota Prairie – and many of the great members throughout the state.
“The Central Flyway Chapter hosted a very successful guided hike at the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery when the group came upon a (salmon) kettle, into which a beaver had stumbled. The little guy had been treading water for some time and suddenly had 45 pairs of eyes staring down at him. Immediately, the Chapter leaders called authorities and the group moved onward – everyone except NCTA Regional Trail Coordinator Matt Davis, Chapter Leader Mark Zimmerman, and myself. We fashioned a ramp out of some discarded materials, and used cheers to encouraged the beaver to use it, along with a little safe direction in the form of splashes from a walking stick.
He made it [out] and wasted no time in getting as far away from the kettle as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until later that I connected “kettle” with that old saying “kettle of fish” (meaning a real mess), and for that beaver it certainly was true: In his search for salmon, he had indeed stumbled into a fine kettle of fish.”
