Beaversprite

Last updated
Beaversprite
Beaversprite cottage cropped.jpg
Cottage at Beaversprite where beavers lived.
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Fulton County, New York, United States
Coordinates 43°06′37″N74°43′09″W / 43.11028°N 74.71917°W / 43.11028; -74.71917
Area2 sq mi (5.2 km2)
Named for"Spirit of the beaver", Little and Middle Sprite Creeks [1]
Owner Utica Zoo (since 2020)
Official website

Beaversprite is a nature reserve in Fulton County, New York, with parts in St. Johnsville, Oppenheim, and Dolgeville. It was founded by Dorothy Richards, known as the "Beaver Woman" or "Beaver Lady", and her husband. She tamed beavers in the sanctuary and kept some inside their cottage in the reserve. [2] The Richards made their home open to visitors, where they could have close contact with the creatures. [3]

Contents

History

Dorothy Burney Richards (April 7, 1894 – August 1, 1985) was born and raised in Little Falls, New York, as was her husband Allison ("Al", April 16, 1892 – July 21, 1963). Al was a graduate of the first class of the New York State College of Forestry in Syracuse and a veteran of World War I. [4] The two wed in 1920. [5] He worked as a forester until the Great Depression, for which he and Dorothy moved throughout New York State and Canada. [6] They returned to Little Falls in 1930, where they purchased an office supply firm. They also purchased and restored a dilapidated cottage about ten miles to the northeast of Little Falls, at the base of the Adirondacks. [7] [3] [8]

At the time, New York State was making efforts to restore the North American beaver population in the Adirondacks, which had nearly been extirpated due to overtrapping. [9] A college friend of Al's was involved with finding suitable places to release beavers, and during a visit to the cottage declared the area ideal. [10] Al made a request in 1935 to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to release a pair of beavers on a creek near the Richards' cottage, which was approved. [9] Initially waylaid by business concerns, Dorothy later became fascinated by the pair, whom she named Samson and Delilah ("Lilah"). [3] She and Al began taking poplar branches to the beaver pond for food, and Dorothy spent hours sitting by the pond. [11] Al purchased a camera for taking pictures of the beavers. [12] During the winters, Dorothy read what literature on beavers was available at the time, such as Pilgrims of the Wild by beaver conservationist Archibald Stansfeld Belaney (a.k.a. "Grey Owl"), [13] [14] and also mentioned reading Thoreau, Muir, Schweitzer, Krutch, and Lorenz. [15] With time, the beavers became comfortable enough with Dorothy to eat apples from her hand.

In 1938 Lilah was injured by a trap, and the Richards brought her into her home to recover. The trapper was eventually found and fined ten dollars. [16] After Lilah was released, the beaver couple left for a period of several years, but eventually returned. [17] The Richards began purchasing adjacent land to establish a nature sanctuary, initially using borrowed funds. [18] [9] This was not entirely welcomed by their neighbors; the Richards had to replace their "No Hunting" signs with metal ones after paper ones were shot full of holes. [19] With the Richards' help, the beaver population grew. Muskrats and various waterfowl, including endangered species of ducks, lived alongside the beavers. [20] Unusually, a beaver from outside Samson and Lilah's lodge, called "Forty", joined them and participated in raising Lilah's kits. [21] Samson and Lilah eventually died after twenty-four years at Beaversprite; [22] at the time, the normal life span of a beaver was thought to be only twelve years. [23]

Despite having no scientific background, Dorothy observed the beavers and took notes on their behavior. She wanted more extensive first-hand experience, so in 1943 she asked the Department of Environmental Conservation for permission to keep beavers in her home. The Department was reluctant, as at the time zoos had only been able to keep beavers alive for a few years in captivity. Dorothy invited a state legislator to visit the sanctuary, and her license was issued shortly after. The Richards dug a 5 by 10 feet (1.5 by 3.0 m) beaver pool in their basement, fed by the nearby stream, which would be enlarged later on. [24] They took two beavers, a male from Forty's litter and a female from Lilah's litter, into their home. Dorothy wrote that the act made them feel like kidnappers, but later described the indoor beavers as seeming happy. [25] Although they gnawed on doors and windowsills and occasionally stole items from the home, the beavers did no structural damage to the cottage. [26] [7] Eventually the indoor beavers mated and produced largely healthy litters. [27] However, the beavers did escape into the wild a number of times, and not all beavers were recaptured. [24] Occasionally young beavers who did not get along were released intentionally. [28] The outdoor beavers did not appear to hold a grudge after their children were taken, nor after two more kits were taken by Al's college friend to stock a reserve elsewhere. In fact, one year Lilah presented Dorothy with two kits from a large litter, as if she were overburdened and needed Dorothy to care for them. [29]

The Richards added a fenced outdoor beaver pond for the indoor beavers to use during the summer. The beavers were let outside at the start of spring and taken back inside at the start of winter. [30] Later, they replaced the cottage's woodshed with an enclosed concrete pool they called "The Y", for its resemblance to the swimming pool at a YMCA. At the time eleven beavers lived indoors. [31] The new pool was accessible from the basement, and a windowed panel in the living room allowed the Richards and their visitors to view it. Later observers saw that the beavers had nearly free rein of the house, and that beavers would come upstairs to entertain visitors when they arrived. [3] Al retired in 1957 and died in 1963: [5] the last of this generation of indoor beavers died a few years later. The widowed Dorothy initially declared herself finished with the indoor beaver experiment, but when two orphaned kits were brought to the cottage, a new generation of indoor beavers began. Dorothy began releasing each litters once they reached two years old, keeping only the original pair and their most recent litter. [32]

Dorothy served as director of the Defenders of Wildlife from 1948 to 1976, and honorary director from 1976 to her death. CBS aired a documentary on Beaversprite in 1972, [3] and Dorothy later appeared on NBC's Real People [8] and in the National Wildlife Federation's Ranger Rick magazine. [33] She played a role, with other advocates, in the beaver becoming the official state animal of New York in 1975. [34] [35] In 1977 she wrote an autobiographical book about the sanctuary, Beaversprite, [36] with Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci, a writer and owner of a beaver sanctuary near Vineland, New Jersey. [37]

In 1966, Dorothy donated her home and 900 acres of land to the Florence Waring Erdman Trust, a Philadelphia-based sponsor of wildlife sanctuaries. Girard Bank, later to merge with Mellon Bank, managed the trust; the Natural Lands Trust managed the land on behalf of the Erdman Trust after 1983. The Erdman Trust added land to the sanctuary, and in 1973 opened a nature center. [38] Initially Dorothy was grateful for the Erdman Trust's work, [3] but she later became displeased with how Erdman was managing the sanctuary. In 1977 most of the land was renamed for Erdman's mother Florence Jones Reineman. Dorothy added a codicil to her will barring sanctuary manager Larry B. Watkins from entering the section that remained Beaversprite, and wrote that he wanted to turn the sanctuary into his "private country estate". [7] Watkins, who was an avid hunter and author of a book titled "Guide to Adirondack Deer Hunting", was disliked by animal rights advocates at the sanctuary. [39]

Dorothy died in 1985 at the age of 91; the last beaver to live in the house followed in 1987. [33] At the time 40 beavers lived on the property in six lodges. After Dorothy's death, Beaversprite was closed to the public, despite a section in her will requesting it stay open. [40] A group of her friends and colleagues formed the Friends of Beaversprite and began to take action against the Erdman Trust. Cleveland Amory, Doris Day, and Bob Barker were among Friends of Beaversprite supporters. [39] [40] In 1988 the Friends of Beaversprite initiated a boycott of Mellon Bank: the kickoff press conference was held in front of the Girard Trust Bank building and featured a 20-foot inflatable beaver. [41] [39] In 1989 they filed suit against the Erdman Trust and Watkins for mismanagement. Watkins was accused of hunting and logging on the sanctuary grounds, using sanctuary staff for personal labor, and retaliating against whistleblowers. They asked that Watkins, the Erdman Trust, and the Natural Lands Trust be removed. [7] [39]

Around 2005, the sanctuary was still owned by the Erdman Trust and used by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry for studies of the American beaver. [33]

In 2020, after a period of closure, the Utica Zoo acquired Beaversprite and reopened it to the public. [9] [42]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronx Zoo</span> Metropolitan zoo in the Bronx, New York

The Bronx Zoo is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States by area, comprising 265 acres (107 ha) of park lands and naturalistic habitats separated by the Bronx River. On average, the zoo has 2.15 million visitors each year as of 2009. The zoo's original permanent buildings, known as Astor Court, were designed as a series of Beaux-Arts pavilions grouped around the large circular sea lion pool. The Rainey Memorial Gates were designed by sculptor Paul Manship in 1934 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Durrell</span> British naturalist, writer and television presenter (1925–1995)

Gerald Malcolm Durrell, was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island of Jersey in 1959. He wrote approximately forty books, mainly about his life as an animal collector and enthusiast, the most famous being My Family and Other Animals (1956). Those memoirs of his family's years living in Greece were adapted into two television series and one television film. He was the youngest brother of novelist Lawrence Durrell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust</span>

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a conservation organization with a mission to save species from extinction. Gerald Durrell founded the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust as a charitable institution in 1963 with the dodo as its symbol. The trust was renamed Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in its founder's honor on 26 March 1999. Its patron is Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Zoo</span> Zoo in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Park</span> Public park in Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln Park is a 1,208-acre (489-hectare) park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue, on the south, to near Ardmore Avenue on the north, just north of the DuSable Lake Shore Drive terminus at Hollywood Avenue. Two museums and a zoo are located in the oldest part of the park between North Avenue and Diversey Parkway in the eponymous neighborhood. Further to the north, the park is characterized by parkland, beaches, recreational areas, nature reserves, and harbors. To the south, there is a more narrow strip of beaches east of Lake Shore Drive, almost to downtown. With 20 million visitors per year, Lincoln Park is the second-most-visited city park in the United States, behind Manhattan's Central Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Park Zoo</span> Zoo in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a 35-acre (14 ha) zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America. It is also one of a few free admission zoos in all of North America. The zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The zoo also became an accredited arboretum in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Zoo</span> Zoo in Oakland County, Michigan, United States

The Detroit Zoo is a zoo located in the cities of Huntington Woods and Royal Oak in the U.S. state of Michigan. Spanning 125 acres (50.6 ha), it houses more than 2,000 animals and more than 200 different species. The zoo was the first U.S. zoo to feature bar-less habitats, and is regarded to be an international leader in animal welfare, conservation and sustainability by the Detroit Zoological Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian beaver</span> Species of beaver

The Eurasian beaver or European beaver is a species of beaver that was once widespread in Eurasia, but was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur and castoreum. At the turn of the 20th century, only about 1,200 beavers survived in eight relict populations in Europe and Asia. It has been reintroduced to much of its former range, and now occurs from Spain, Central Europe, Great Britain and Scandinavia to a few regions in China and Mongolia. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List, as it recovered well in most of Europe. It is extirpated in Portugal, Moldova, and Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Park Zoo</span> Zoo in Brooklyn, New York

The Prospect Park Zoo is a 12-acre (4.9 ha) zoo located off Flatbush Avenue on the eastern side of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City. As of 2016, the zoo houses 864 animals representing about 176 species, and as of 2007, it averages 300,000 visitors annually. The Prospect Park Zoo is operated by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In conjunction with the Prospect Park Zoo's operations, the WCS offers children's educational programs, is engaged in restoration of endangered species populations, runs a wildlife theater, and reaches out to the local community through volunteer programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calgary Zoo</span> Zoo in Alberta, Canada

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is located in Bridgeland, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, just east of the city's downtown and adjacent to the Inglewood and East Village neighborhoods. It is accessible via Calgary's C-Train light rail system, by car via Memorial Drive, and by bicycle and footpath via the Bow River pathway. A large portion of the zoo is located on St. George's Island in the Bow River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asiatic lion</span> Lion population in India

The Asiatic lion is a population of Panthera leo leo that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat. The first scientific description of the Asiatic lion was published in 1826 by the Austrian zoologist Johann N. Meyer, who named it Felis leo persicus. Until the 19th century, it occurred in Saudi Arabia, eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, and from east of the Indus River in Pakistan to the Bengal region and the Narmada River in Central India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White lion</span> Rare colour mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion

The white lion is a rare colour mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest recorded sighting in this region was in 1938. White lions first became known to the English-speaking world in 1977 through the book The White Lions of Timbavati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoo Knoxville</span> Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the Knoxville Zoo or Knoxville Zoological Gardens, is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and welcomes over 585,000 visitors each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium</span> Zoo and aquarium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is a zoo and aquarium in the United States, one of only six major zoo and aquarium hybrids in the United States. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Highland Park, the zoo sits on 77 acres (31 ha) of park land where it exhibits more than 4,000 animals representing 475 species, including 20 threatened or endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildheart Animal Sanctuary</span> Zoo in Isle of Wight, England

The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, previously known as the Isle of Wight Zoo and Sandown Zoo, is a wildlife sanctuary on the coastline of Sandown, Isle of Wight. At 8.5 acres, it is the largest collection of exotic animals on the Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utica Zoo</span> Regional zoo in Utica, New York

Utica Zoo is a regional zoo in Utica, New York, situated in a section of Roscoe Conkling Park. It consists of a mixture of outdoor and indoor animal enclosures, a petting zoo, nature trails, and other amenities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Burney Richards</span> Beaver sanctuary in upstate New York

Dorothy Burney Richards was an American conservationist. She is known for founding and operating Beaversprite with her husband Al Richards. Beaversprite is a tamed beaver sanctuary in Fulton County, New York.

References

  1. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 65.
  2. ↑ Bryant, Nelson (1976-02-29). "Wood, Field and Stream: a la 1776". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dorothy B(urney) Richards". Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Gale. 2001. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  4. ↑ Bridgen, Michael (2013-03-29). "Whatever happened to the Class of 1913?". CEFTS News. Archived from the original on 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  5. 1 2 "Allison M. Richards Succumbs at Age of 71". Little Falls Evening Times . July 1963. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  6. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 2–3.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Rosenberger, Gary (1989-04-02). "Mismanagement Alleged to Have Left 'Beaver Woman' Legacy in Ruins". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  8. 1 2 Perkins, Susan R. (2010). "Notable People". Little Falls. Caryl A. Hopson. Charleston, S.C. ISBN   978-1-4396-2406-7. OCLC   859530401. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-08.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. 1 2 3 4 Bovee, Josh (2020-04-08). "Utica Zoo acquires Beaversprite Wildlife Sanctuary in Oppenheim". The Gloversville Leader Herald. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  10. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 7–8.
  11. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 12.
  12. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 17.
  13. ↑ "History". Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife. 2019-06-28. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  14. ↑ Grey Owl (1934). Pilgrims of the wild. Toronto: Macmillan Co. of Canada. ISBN   0-7705-1033-7. OCLC   15834722. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  15. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 184.
  16. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 21–25.
  17. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 41.
  18. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 39.
  19. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 43,65.
  20. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 51.
  21. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 58–59.
  22. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 147.
  23. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 75.
  24. 1 2 Richards 1983, pp. 88–94.
  25. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 75–79.
  26. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 110, 116.
  27. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 104–105, 113, 121, 152, 162.
  28. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 166.
  29. ↑ Richards 1983, p. 132–135.
  30. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 148–150, 152, 158.
  31. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 162–163.
  32. ↑ Richards 1983, pp. 179–182.
  33. 1 2 3 Richards 1983, postscript to 2005 printing
  34. ↑ Ryden, Hope (1974-12-15). "Let's hear it for the eager beaver". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  35. ↑ Bumiller, Elisabeth (1996-09-03). "Official State Animal, It Seems, Is an Annoying Overachiever". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-01-29. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  36. ↑ Richards 1983.
  37. ↑ Suhay, Lisa (2000-07-09). "THE ENVIRONMENT; Taming Humans So Nature Thrives". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  38. ↑ "Beaversprite". Utica Zoo. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Halpern, Sue (1989-03-26). "Move to Oust Hunter Shakes Refuge He Runs". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2017-12-20. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  40. 1 2 "Candlelight vigil is symbol of concern for Beaversprite". Herkimer Evening Telegram . 1986-09-18. Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  41. ↑ "Animal advocates launch boycott of Mellon Bank". PR Newswire. 1988-02-24. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  42. ↑ "Utica Zoo acquires Oppenheim nature center". Utica Observer Dispatch. 2020-04-07. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.