I'll Be Dammed!

YVA MOMATIUK/JOHN EASTCOTT/MINDEN
CASTOR CANADENSIS : North America's largest rodent can consume one ton of wood a year

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That attitude is what finally brought peace to New Jersey's rural Knowlton Township. A plague of beavers many of them transported to Knowlton from other parts of the state by the New Jersey wildlife department had chewed up trees, flooded roads, clogged culverts and performed other engineering outrages on city property. "Our beavers are criminal geniuses," says Mayor Frank Van Horn. "We spent $15,000 to $20,000 a year, and we couldn't win."

Two years ago, the citizens of Knowlton stopped resisting and decided to embrace their giant rodents, naming the beaver the town's official animal. On June 21--Knowlton Township Beaver Day a town official dresses up in a fur suit and tail. Schoolchildren produce beaver-theme posters and sing songs about the importance of being industrious and never giving up. As for the engineering problems, the township simply raised its roads a few feet, put in some big beaver pipes and let bygones be bygones. "It was cheaper than fighting them for the rest of our lives," says Van Horn. "They're happy. We're happy."