An Upper Preston neighbor has a small creek that runs through his property. Over the years, beavers have tried to dam the creek three times. The first time, the neighbor was surprised at the speed and craftsmanship of the dam. It was constructed with larger rocks at the bottom and sections of turf to hold the water. He had to wade in up to his chest to breach it. He called the State and they sent a WDFW employee to trap and relocate the beaver. They put it in Duvall, as apparently beavers are very stubborn and will return to keep building their dam if within 10 miles.
The second time a beaver built a dam, the neighbor again called the State but apparently now they contract this work out to a private company. The man that came to trap the beaver was unsavory in his appearance and smell. The neighbor felt bad for the beaver, having to be trapped by such a person.
Later, the neighbor traveled up to the Kenai River in Alaska where he related the beaver episodes to a Native American woman. She told him that when a beaver is constructing a dam somewhere inconvenient, the indigenous people talk to the beavers and ask them to leave. That thought stuck with our neighbor.
The third time a beaver built a dam (this neighbor's been on the property for quite a while), he didn't call the State. Instead, he walked out to where the dam was, closed his eyes, and spoke to the beaver using his mind. His spirit reached out to the beaver's spirit.
"Beaver, you have to leave. You can't build your dam here. It will flood my driveway."
The beaver's spirit was steadfast. It wasn't leaving. He tried again, this time reasoning with the beaver. He told the beaver what would happen if it stayed. There would be a stinky man who would come. The man would trap the beaver. Our neighbor showed the beaver a picture of itself in a trap carried by the malodorous man. It would be bad.
The beaver's spirit thought about it, then agreed. The beaver left and didn't come back.
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