Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter

Ben Goldfarb documents the environmental history and ecological function of Castor canadensis, arguing that North American landscapes are fundamentally broken without beaver-built infrastructure. He details how the fur trade decimated populations, leading to the collapse of complex wetland systems and the subsequent drying of the continent. Goldfarb examines the work of "beaver believers"—scientists and land managers who use these rodents to restore aquifers, mitigate wildfires, and create habitats for endangered salmon. The narrative follows specific relocation projects where nuisance animals are moved to arid regions to act as low-cost hydrological engineers.

Naturalists, hydrologists, and conservationists read this to understand how keystone species dictate the health of entire watersheds. The text provides a technical look at how beaver dams slow down water flow, trap sediment, and increase biodiversity in riparian zones. Readers walk away with a functional understanding of ecological restoration that relies on biological processes rather than human construction. They gain a perspective on how thousands of small dams can solve large-scale problems like drought and habitat loss in the American West.