-Hi, I'm -Eric Ford for Made Here.

-Long time Vermont filmmaker -Jim Heldt focuses -his latest project -close to Home -on a family of beavers -in Williston, near -where he lives.

-New neighbors -The Beavers of Allan Brook -explores the relationships -of humans and beavers, -the origin of the species, -and how beavers fight -climate change.

-You can watch New Neighbors -!and other great Made Here films -streaming on our website -and through the PBS app.

-Enjoy the film -and thanks for watching.

-In 2023 a new family -moved in near the -Allen Brook Nature -Trail by my house on -Wildflower Circle.

I -didn't see a moving -truck, there was no -welcome wagon, nor did -I bring them a -casserole.

I never -saw the family during -the day but at night teeth -gnashing, tree chomping -and tail slapping.

-Oh, what a -racket.

By the way -did I mention the -were Castor -Canadensis, beavers.

-[Music] -The Allen Brook -Nature Trail where I -hiked was changing due -to the beavers.

By.

-November the trail -had become a series -of flooded foot paths -and downed trees.

Was -this a bad thing -or a good thing?

I -didn't know.

My -knowledge about beavers -was very -limited.

I could sum -up beavers in six -words: Big teeth -!webbed feet, flat tail.

What was -I missing?

I needed -to find out more -about my new neighbors.

-[Music] -!My name is Simon Myles.

I'm the -conservation planner -at the Town of -Williston.

A large -part of my work -involves working -with the Town's.

-Conservation Commission.

-They are a body -of seven highly -motivated residents who -!live in town.

We work with them -to advise Town -departments and other -Town boards on -the Town's natural -resources and we -also work to promote -open space and the -conservation of land.

-In terms of becoming -aware of when these -beavers -started becoming -more noticeable, -we've known that -there are beavers on -the Allen Brook -Nature Trail, which is -our own town-owned -nature trail that -knits together a -lot of residential -neighborhoods in -Williston.

We also -extend the trails -out onto sort of -common HOA land.

So -specifically last -year, we became aware -of them up at sort -of the northern end -near Wildflower.

-Circle and Keystone -Drive sort of August -time, when we -noticed some of our -puncheon.

And -puncheon is sort of a -rudimentary trail -structure, which is -just some planks of -wood bolted together -to get people out of -the mud, started be -becoming sort of -inundated so we we -thought something -might be up.

At that -time of year the -nature trail is heavily -vegetated, so it's -virtually impossible -to see anything.

So -we did an exploration -and discovered a -beaver dam nearby -which was causing -the waters back up.

-Later on, we did -notice them down by the -boardwalk so that's -at the Central -School end of the -nature trail, when we -started to see their -dam take shape down -there.

-This Allen Brook -kerfuffle between the -beavers and the -Willistonians is the -latest chapter in a -long story between -the two.

Let's just -say there is some.

-History.

I'm Laura -Meyer.

I volunteer on -the Williston -Conservation Commission -for the Town of Williston.

-About 13,000 years -ago when the glaciers -which were two miles -high over Vermont, -were retreating which -just means melting -out of Vermont, -Indigenous people -were able to come into -the area.

And at the -time that Indigenous -people -!were making their way across the -country, there were -paleo megafauna, and all -that means there were -large mammals and -one of those large -mammals was a giant -beaver.

This was a -beaver that was as big -as a bear -!I'm sure they came into contact -with it.

-Thirty five -species of paleo -megafauna went extinct, -such as the mammoth -the giant beaver, -giant ground sloths, -and we don't know but -there is a correlation -with the time -that people first -!came and the extinction of these -animals.

Before -Europeans came into first -contact with the -Indigenous people that -were here, beavers -were everywhere.

There -were a lot more -wetlands when beavers -were here.

They -were on every river, -multiple dams on -every river, beavers -up and down every -river in the United -States, North America.

-My name is Tyler -Brown.

I'm a wildlife -specialist with -Vermont Fish and.

-Wildlife, and I oversee -the Department's.

-Beaver Wetlands -Conservation Project.

-There was about a -hunred-year period -where there were no -beavers in Vermont, -because they were -extrapated due to -unregulated take -and habitat loss.

-Vermont went from -90 to 95% forest to -about 30% forest in -the 1800s, and it -really impacted what -species could live -here, including beavers.

-My name is Terry -Marron and I'm a -member of the -Conservation Commission, a -member of the Cadamont -Community Forest.

-!Committee and I'm also a master -naturalist.

Once the -Europeans came and -trapped the beavers -out, we started -building our -infrastructure in their -homes and slowly the -beavers came back, -and that's when the -conflicts started -happening.

-[Music] -After weeks of trying -to film a beaver -by the Wildflower -Circle/Keystone Drive.

-Nature Trail Bridge, -I finally got one on -video.

It was November -28th at dusk I was -so excited my hands -were trembling as I -tried to focus the -lens.

To my surprise, -the beaver was graceful -as it swam back -and forth in the -brook.

FYI November's -full moon is called -the beaver moon.

Was -this a sign?

-[Music] -!During the wintertime, when the -vegetation is down, -you can really get a -great view of how -beavers work.

You can -see their lodges, you -can see their dams, -and you can see the -beaver ponds they've -created all really -easily from our trail.

-So, it's a real -educational experience.

-I've definitely -learned a lot from it.

-[Music] -[Music] -[Music] -Unfortunately, -because beavers make -wetlands and the -wetlands had dried up -and were gone and -roads, infrastructure, -houses were built -where beavers would -normally have a -flood plain, it is a -problem in some -places for beavers to -come back.

-So, the Beaver -Wetlands Conservation.

-Project was started -in 2000 by Vermont.

-Fish and Wildlife.

-It's a project that -provides on-site -technical assistance to -landowners, towns, -and road crews, pretty -much anybody who's -having issues with -beavers.

The goal of -that project is when -possible, to maintain -high quality beaver -created wetland -habitat for a lot of -fish and wildlife -species as well as the -benefits of of people.

-When we first saw -the site here, I -believe it was 2016, our -recommendation was -to install a beaver -baffle, and a beaver -baffle is a device -that can be installed -through beaver -dams to help control -the water level in -!that pond.

The idea here was to -mitigate the water -level a little bit to -reduce some of the -flooding on on the -footpaths.

It worked -all right.

It is a -challenging location -in Allen Brook, because -there's quite a bit -of water that flows -through here.

It -captures a lot of the -runoff from the -developments here, so -during heavy rain -events, there's a lot -of water that filters -through here, so it -can be really difficult -for our beaver -baffles which is a -12-in pipe, to be able -to handle that volume -of water.

And then -eventually the -beavers abandoned the -site and moved somewhere else.

-So, in terms of how much land -the beavers occupy -in the Allen Brook, I -think they probably -in terms of their -beaver ponds occupy -about half an -acre.

That sort of -exceeds the minimum -lot size in our zoning -district, but they -obviously forage -further than that to -sort of get the the -wood that they need.

-My name is Reed -Carr.

I serve on.

-Williston's -Conservation Commission, -which is appointed -by and also advises -the select board.

-Before the beavers -began building their -dams in this part -of the brook, the -brook was a lot -straighter than it -naturally would be, -and some of that is -encroachment from -development on the -sides, and that -straightening makes -the water go faster, -and and that causes -more erosion, and -it picks up more -sediment in the in the -brooks water.

I -also think that the -beavers are showing -us that we are -living too close to the brook.

-And before they came -to this stretch of -the Allen Brook near -the bike path, the.

-Allen Brook waterway -was already an -impaired waterway.

-Since 1992, it's -been identified as a brook or -waterway that needs -to be monitored -carefully and have -restoration done.

-In 2023, when I -looked at the site -again, where the -beavers were relatively -in the same area as -they were in 2016, -creating similar -issues, I decided that -we probably shouldn't -try a beaver -baffle at that time, -just because the site -had changed a little -bit through those -years.

The main -beaver dam was still -relatively intact -and in the same area, -but with rain events -through over the -years, it silted in -in different places -so that the flow -of water changed -slightly, and it -was still relatively -shallow.

There's -quite a bit of water -volume that flows -through there, and I -didn't think a beaver -baffle was going -to function as -intended and be able to -resolve the conflict -that the beavers -were creating there.

-They do they do -create some issues -for us.

You know, we -have to work hard to -make sure that the -!trails are open.

Ultimately the -beavers are are -prolific workers.

They -have an unmatched -work ethic, so -that sort of fed -into our conversation -with the Conservation -Commission here to -sort of work with -them.

So, what we -!actually ended up doing in that -particular area of the -Allen Brook Nature -Trail up by Wildflower -Circle, we took -the decision to raise -all the puncheon, so -the trail structures, -up by about 6 inches to -try and get them -out of the water.

We -!did think the hands-off approach -was appropriate in -this instance.

Further -down near the Central -School, as a result -of sort of the change -of the Allen Brook -and it's sort of -opening up a new -channel, it has -undermined some of the -posts that support -a boardwalk that we -have down there, which -have fallen away, -which means we've -put in some temporary -structures where we -are going to have to -look at a more -permanent solution to -that, which is going -to involve bridging -the new channel -that's been formed.

-[Music] -I admit it, I have -beaver fever.

It all -started in earnest -when my wife, Grace, -bought me the book, -Eager by Ben Goldfarb.

-It inspired me to -make this documentary.

-Beavers are not just -on ponds and rivers, -they are everywhere.

-An interesting story, -I went to a wedding -two summers ago in -Burlington at St.

-Joseph's Cathedral.

-It is a beautiful -cathedral, and when -you go in there are -these beautiful -painted medallions on -the ceiling and one -is of a beaver and -the original oak -pews have swirls of -beaver tails in them, -and it's because -the beaver was so -important to the.

-French Canadians that -worked in the area, -and it's the national -animal of Canada.

-It's interesting that in the -1600s, because it -was Catholics mainly -that settled in New -France, the Bishop of.

-Quebec asked the powers -that be, "Can we" -"eat beavers?"

They -were trapping beavers -and then they -couldn't eat the meat -because of Lent or -on Fridays.

They -decided that beavers -were a fish.

They -have a scaly tail, -they stay underwater -for a while.

They -declared beavers are -!fish and to this day you can eat -beavers for Lent.

I -did have beaver meat -many years ago and -it was at a game -supper.

Bradford -Vermont was famous -for having these game -suppers so people -could try different -types of meats, and I -don't think Beaver is -particularly tasty.

-!- It's like it wouldn't be your -first.

- Choice.

-[SFX SLAP] [Music] -When I go out filming -on the Allen Brook.

-Nature Trail, I have -my camera and tripod -swung over my shoulder.

-If I happen to -pass someone on the -trail, they usually -ask "What are you -filming?"

When I tell -them the beavers of -Allen Brook, their -responses have been, -"The beavers are" -really going to work.

-They sure change -the landscape.

Oh, -the beavers have been -"really destructive."

-And then they'll -point at all the -chewed and falling -timber.

"Look at all -these trees!"

Only once -did someone say to -me, "The beavers are -magnificent."

Looking -at this area, they -have a a number -of dams and that's -pretty typical.

-Beavers will build -!multiple dams within their area.

-So, beaver dams -are made of mud and -sticks that the beavers -construct in the -water.

The reason -beavers build dams is -to to capture that -water and impound it.

-Beavers feel a lot -safer in the water -than they do on -land, so they like to -flood areas so they -can swim to their -food source.

Their -food source being -primarily trees, so -your aspen, your birch -your maples, willows, -alders, things like -that.

A lot of the -tree species that grow.

-Within that riparian area.

-The beavers rely -on water for their -livelihood, so they're -managing the flow -of the brook around -the clock, 24 hours a -day.

Also the damning -materials have been -known to help filter -out contaminants -as well.

We expect -overall that the water -should become -cleaner, and the flows -should become more regular.

-!To see the work that they do to -come out and see -that the trees that -they're working on, -chewing, and see how -they are engineering -these dams, it's -amazing they that -they are able to -intertwine these -twigs and branches and -things and pack them -with mud and you -know create this -incredible environment.

-And there's also -the idea that the -dams will slow water -down when we do -have these intense rain events -because of climate -change.

They will -slow the water, and -they call it slow it, -spread it, and sink -it, so there's less -!- damage to the environment and -people's homes.

-I have a 5-year-old -son and one of our -favorite activities -is to come out and -observe the dam and -see if we can see -the beavers.

You -start to notice all -the little changes.

-You can see the paths -where they've been -coming up out of the -water.

You can see -the bite marks where -they've been feeding -on the bark of -!some of the plants.

It's really -surprising how much -you can notice if -you pause and take some time.

-[Music] -April 7th.

It is -International Beaver Day.

-The beavers did not -disappoint.

I saw -four beavers this -evening.

I was on the -west side of Allen -Brook.

I had to walk -behind my neighbor -Mike's house to get -there.

The west side -has a great view of -the beaver pond.

The -beaver swam back and -forth painted in -amber sunlight.

It was -the golden -hour.

Even a duck -joined the festivities.

-[SFX SLAP] [Music] -When beavers build -dams in an area, they -really start the -basis of the food web.

-So, they increase -the productivity of -this water.

So they -warm the temperature -a little bit, which -allows phytoplankton, -zooplankton, your -macro invertebrates, -which are like your -aquatic insects, to -really thrive in this -environment.

This -habitat is really -important for a lot of -!species.

We have frogs that are -chirping in the -background.

They're -beginning to mate -and reproduce and -these are the wetlands -that that they -are going to use.

-I am definitely a -beaver believer.

I -think that they are -a really positive -occurrence here in -Williston.

When beavers -come to an area, -immediately we notice -other species -starting to follow.

-Amphibians love -the marshlands, the -wetlands that are -created.

Fish do well, -and the birds -follow because they -come to eat the insects.

-They come to eat -the amphibians and -the fish.

So, we're -going to see a more -diverse and rich -ecosystem, most likely, -in this area as a -result.

I am a -beaver believer and I -think that the beavers -are an important -part of the ecosystem.

-When I'm birding -in an area where -there are beaver dams, -it does increase the -amount of species -of birds that I'm -seeing, just because of -the increased of -habitat with the water -that's present the -shrubs and the growth -that's happening in -these beaver lands, -and it does, it can -increase the bird -species tenfold.

-Beavers are a keystone -species.

They are -important because -they make these -ecosystems that a -lot of other animals -take advantage of -and are able to live -in, and if there -were no beavers they -wouldn't be able to -do that.

So, if you -think of a a stone -arch, the keystone is -the piece that's in -the middle, and if -you take that piece -away, the arch will -fall.

So in this case, -!if you take a beaver out of the -ecosystem, the -ecosystem will kind of -fail, the biodiversity -will decrease, and -other species will disappear.

-Beavers do a lot of good for -our environment, -particularly our wetland -environment by creating -these dams.

They -help sort of de-channelize -the Allen Brook -and allow sediment -to form and create -these wetlands.

So, -they're something that -we really are keen to -encourage.

You know, -a large part of -setting up the nature -trail at the heart -of the village of.

-Williston was to -encourage nature, and -boy are we getting it now.

-[Music] -The beavers built -their first lodge by.

-Wildflower Circle -and Keystone Drive.

-!Maybe the beavers are showing us -something after -all.

Am I becoming a -beaver believer?

-[Music] -My name is Andrew -Plumb, and I'm the -town conservation -planner.

So, the current -status is we have -a couple of beaver -lodges.

One is on -the main channel of -the Allen Brook, and -that one appears to -be active still.

-And then there's one -over near Wildflower -Circle that doesn't -appear to be active -anymore, and the area -surrounding that -looks much more like a -a creek running -through a meadow, -which is common -for inactive areas -that were previously -occupied by beavers.

-The town's approach -to the beavers has not -changed.

My predecessor, -Simon Myles, -was the original one who -discussed that most -recently, I should -say, with the Conservation -Commission.

And -we're still looking -to just observe -what's going on there.

-It's important to -note that the -Williston Conservation.

-Commission doesn't -have like a singular -view on beavers.

-Everybody on the.

-Commission has their -own experiences and -expertise.

But in -general, we find that -the least amount -of management and -activity around the -beavers that the -!public and also public works can -!tolerate is the best way to go.

-[Music] -[Music] -The one thing I'd -like people to know -!about beavers is they're here to -stay.

Beavers are -going to come and go -from the site.

-They have been for -many years.

It can -be challenging when -they're in these -sites because they do -create issues with -trails.

But the -benefits of having beaver in -specifically Allen -Brook is they're -capturing a lot of -sediment and a lot of -runoff from the -developments here.

-In terms of who the -new neighbors are, if -you think about it -on the time scale of -somebody living in -Williston today, it -seems like the -beavers are the new -neighbors.

But if -you think on a longer -time scale, the -beavers were here long -before European -settlers created the -village of Williston.

-I think a good -philosophy to have with -wildlife in -general is to -understand them and -understand the -benefits that they -provide.

-Because you may see -beavers cutting down -trees and think, "Oh -no, there goes a tree -that's sequestering -carbon and we're -having a problem -with climate change."

-When actually what -the beavers are doing -is creating more -diversity and a habitat -with all these trees -that are growing -and sequestering -all this carbon.

And -it's -really important to -not just look at one -aspect of what is -happening but to -understand the whole -picture.

So we are -their new neighbors.

-We should learn how -to live with them.

-Over the past year -I've come to realize -the beavers work for -the health and the -benefit of their home -the earth.

They're -not here to tend to -the needs and whims -of their two-legged new -neighbors.

Do you -think I'll be getting a.

-Casserole?

-[Music] -Vermont Public -Partnering -with local filmmakers -to bring you -stories made here.

-For more, -visit vermontpublic.org.