Beaver Tales: Life in the Pleasant Valley Ponds

Visitors to Pleasant Valley are often delighted to see signs of busy beavers at the sanctuary. From gnawed tree stumps to pond-side lodges, the evidence of their adventures is ever-present. But how do beavers impact their habitats, and why?

Inspired by Beavers

One person that has strived to understand and share the complex story of beaver life is Pleasant Valley’s own Regional Director, Becky Cushing Gop. Her new children’s book, What Goes on Inside a Beaver’s Pond? is causing quite a splash, winning some of the most prestigious awards in nature and children’s literature, including the John Burroughs Riverby Award, Nautilus Book Award Silver Medal, and National Outdoor Book Award in the children's category.

What Goes on Inside a Beaver Pond? takes kids ages 8 to 10 on a journey through a year in the life of a young beaver (called a "kit"). This is a year of change as the young beaver leaves her family lodge in one of Pleasant Valley’s ponds and moves throughout the Yokun Brook waterways of the Berkshires, seeking a new home for herself.  

As the book guides readers throughout the seasons, vibrant illustrations and descriptions reveal the hidden inner workings of a beaver lodge, how beavers fell trees with their teeth and create a wetland habitat, how they collect food and ward off predators, and what daily life is like within a beaver colony.  

Becky had this to say about her inspiration for the story, “My most curious adventures in nature often turn up at beaver ponds when I least expect them. Whether a slap of a beaver tail against the water’s surface or the hoot of an owl across the wintry night. Every season, at all times of day, there is something to notice and explore. Just being aware and opening our senses allows us to experience the great variety of life that depends on beaver wetlands. The joyful journey of learning continues with every visit to a beaver pond. I hope this book inspires readers to get outside and explore!”

Get your copy of What Goes on Inside a Beaver’s Pond? at Pleasant Valley’s gift shop during regular business hours.

Experience the Pleasant Valley Beavers

Would you like to see the lodge and meet the beavers that inspired What Goes on Inside a Beaver’s Pond?  Join us at one of our programs, where you can canoe past lodges and get a naturalist’s interpretation of their fascinating lives inside.