Photo By Sgt. Miranda DeKorte | Jena Nierman, head supervisor of the Fish and Wildlife Program, Natural Resources and...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – The Quantico beaver can often be unnoticed, but they resemble Marines—they’re amphibious in nature; they rely on and support each other; and they give back to the communities around them.
How?
Beavers terraform their environment, which supplants homes to a variety of organisms, prevents flood destruction of other life’s homes, and invite species to MCB Quantico.
“[MCB Quantico] is the perfect place for beavers to thrive,” said Jena Nierman, head supervisor of the Fish and Wildlife Program under the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs (NREA) Division for MCB Quantico.
Since 1940, MCB Quantico trained the next generation of Marine officers across thousands of acres, who share the habitat of beavers that reside in the nearly 600 square acres of water. The bodies of water, in the form of lakes, rivers, creeks, and water reservoirs, provide a favorable environment for beavers, which Nierman said allows the beavers to thrive easily here.
“Beavers are nature’s best engineers,” Nierman continued. “They can be methodical in the way they build their dams and lodges while helping manage the water habitats that increase the biodiversity of the wildlife around them.”
Nierman discussed how MCB Quantico has seen an increase in the populations of other local species due to the marshes, which are enhanced by the beaver’s engineering projects and presence. Their dams provide a bed of biodiversity, supporting a wide range of organisms.
Marines train 24/7 throughout the nearly 60,000 acres on MCB Quantico. Beavers have a similar work ethic, though without the regard of military training. Despite the ecological advantages, the construction of beaver dams can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.
“I have only seen one event that interfered with base operations during my time,” said Nierman, who has served in her position for the past few years. “We recently had a flooding issue for our Marines over on The Basic School side of base. While this is something that can typically happen with beavers, we do not see that many incidents occurring on [MCB Quantico].”
To better understand the impact of beaver activity on the local environment, the NREA plan to conduct a survey on the largest-known rodents aboard MCB Quantico this upcoming spring. The previous in-depth survey conducted happened over 10 years ago in 2013; the NREA reported 48 beaver colonies and around 500 beavers aboard the installation.
“It’ll be interesting to see how the populations are doing and to assess their impact as best as we can with the volunteers that we have,” Nierman said.
Volunteers help the NREA conduct beaver surveys by supporting the staff and promoting the community engagement and awareness of the division’s conservation efforts.
“We are a small and mighty program,” said Alex Antram, the conservation volunteer program manager at the NREA division. “We hope that we can share the news of the great work our volunteers are doing. At the close of 2024, we have 113 active CVP members, military affiliated and civilians, dedicated to this program.”
A network of trails on MCB Quantico’s mainside provides areas along the Potomac River to observe beavers and their lodges. People can clearly see the gnawed trees, tracks, bark shavings, and may even see the semiaquatic rodents.
“Beavers require a nutrient call cambium,” said Nierman. “It is the soft, inner layer of tree bark that they need for their sustenance, especially during the winter when food sources are very limited and vegetation is very scarce.”
Spotting the trees with fresh bark shavings at the bottom can be an indicator of their active feeding area; however, beavers are nocturnal in nature, so the most active time to observe them is around dusk and dawn.
According to Nierman, the best opportunities for participants to witness beaver sightings is along the Northbank trail across the street from the Marsh Building on Russell Road, as there are wildlife viewing areas available for people to overlook the Potomac of the current beaver lodges.
For more information about the trails on Marine Corps Base Quantico or the Conservation Volunteer Program visit the iSportsman website at www.quantico.isportsman.net.
For additional information and questions about becoming a volunteer for the Conservation Volunteer Program email the program manager, Alex Antram, at aantram@vt.edu.
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2025 11:39 |
| Story ID: | 494728 |
| Location: | MCB QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Beavers bring biodiversity to Quantico, by Sgt Miranda DeKorte, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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