WWW Explorers Club- Water!

In town, we have a place to go where a beaver has fairly recently moved in- just about a year ago. The pond he’s creating has been slowly expanding, and has covered part of an old path. I thought this would be a perfect place to explore the waterside activities as there is easy access and lots of wildlife viewing opportunities..  So, the kids and I made a water viewer, (find how here) brought along some of this season’s blueberries and a dip-net, and went on our journey to Explore the Water.But right now, most of New Hampshire is “Abnormally Dry” and the southern half of the state is in “Moderate Drought.” This was quite evident when we were able to again walk the path that was once covered by more than a foot of water.We did find a few places to get to the water through the brush, which was neat because the frogs all proceeded to jump into the water. One of the unique things about a fresh beaver pond is the way the plant life is still there- not yet dead from being drowned. The frogs use the spots where the brush comes out of the water as islands to nab flies and keep away from predators. Right now, just as much as it is a beaver pond, this pond is a frog’s pond. Not yet full of large fish, the frogs reign supreme.My youngest decided to hike barefoot, as daddy’s car had the shoes he wanted. He complained that he wanted to go back. My oldest stuck his homemade water viewer right onto a stick, so it leaked profusely. Definitely not the amazing afternoon I was hoping for! I was the only one disappointed, as my children were fascinated by the frogs and other pond life. The highlight of our afternoon was hearing what we think was the beaver jumping into the pond with a large splash. Of course, we can’t prove that, but it lives on in our imaginations as having heard the beast that engineered this amazing place.