The Suprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter

This program originally aired on August 22, 2018. Trying to slow down floods or filter out pollution? Hoping to capture more water for agriculture? Worried about erosion or wildfire? It turns out that one creature can help with all these problems and more - the beaver. According to Ben Goldfarb, the author of a new book about beavers, the beaver is as useful of an animal as it is interesting. The beaver's iconic tail, for example, has many purposes. "A beaver's tail, it's a fat storage mechanism. Like bears put on fat for the winter, beavers put on fat in their tail," says Goldfarb. During this hour of Talk of Iowa, he talks with host Charity Nebbe about his new book Eager: The Suprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter.