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		Points of View Posted April 19, 2005 Guest Column © 2005 Jim Mihelcic. Photo courtesy Michigan Tech Environmental Sustainability Committee. Published with Permission

Earth Week film review: Beavers 

By Jim Mihelcic

HOUGHTON -- Who would have ever thought the leading role of a popular movie could be played so well by two engineers? In the IMAX® movie Beavers (showing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Apr. 20, in the McArdle Theater, Walker Arts and Humanities Center, on the Michigan Tech campus) our two movie stars are adult North American beavers (castor Canadensis for those of you wanting their scientific name). The movie is a must see for anyone interested in observing the hard work and intricate engineering of beavers. Viewers will also marvel at the engineered design and subsequent construction that on screen appears more beautiful and sustainable than any human engineered marvel ever shot on film.

Shot in the mountainous beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the movie lets you watch two beavers close up as they perform their loving evening courtship dance and raise their young; but most importantly you get to watch them construct an extensive system of dams and wetlands over a period of years, in one of the most beautiful movie sets you will every see. The creators of the movie call it "The Biggest Dam Movie you'll ever see," and I can assure you that you'll not be disappointed. The underwater scenes (and accompanying musical score) are fantastic; you will feel as if you are swimming alongside with a long trunk of aspen between your teeth. The scenes of the dam being constructed make you want to go out and try engineering something of this scale without the aid of computers, heavy machinery and professional guidelines. In fact, after the movie was over, I was ready to hop on a train for Alberta where the movie was filmed.

Incidentally, before the arrival of Europeans, the beaver population in Canada was estimated to be 10 million. The annual export of beaver pelts to Europe eventually exceeded 100,000; and, by the early 1800s, the North American beaver population was headed to extinction. Who would have ever thought what was thought of at the time as a relatively benign demand for European-made consumer goods (i.e., hats made of beaver pelts) would eventually result in the near destruction of the community wealth that native North Americans held in the beaver? The problem of course was the inability of European and Native American communities to protect the resource at that time, along with the enormous luxury-based consumption of beaver pelts back in the populated confines of European society. Fortunately for the survival of the beaver, in the 1830s, the fashion favor for felt hats was replaced by a preference for silk hats. Yes, the North American beaver survived extinction because of a change in European consumer fashion.

Putting aside this historical lesson in carry capacity and sustainability, I can guarantee you'll enjoy watching this movie by yourself, with a group of friends or with your children. You will marvel at the slap of the beaver's tail, and you'll follow them as they trudge on their daily footpath to cut down and then drag numerous trees back to the safe aquatic confines of their lodge. And if you are like me, you'll not only admire the exactness of the point that results after their teeth chew through a tree, but also more importantly, watch the world's best engineers hard at work. Beavers is 58 minutes long. It was produced and directed by Stephen Low and contains a soothing musical score composed by Eldon Ratheburn.

Editor's Note: Guest author Jim Mihelcic is Michigan Tech Professor of Biological Processes and Sustainability/Industrial Ecology in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He co-directs the Michigan Tech Sustainable Futures Institute and directs the Peace Corps Master’s International program in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

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