Sunset Beaver Watch
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary at 472 West Mountain Road in Lenox will offer three opportunities for adults to observe beavers in their natural habitat in early April. The beavers of Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary have emerged from their winter quarters and are hard at work harvesting trees, expanding their dams and lodges, and raising their young.
Mass Audubon will conduct evening hikes to the areas of the sanctuary with the most beaver activity on April 3, 4 and 11, 6PM to 7:30PM. The goal will be to see beaver families in the wild but participants might catch glimpses of other animals going about their early-spring activities.
Even if the beavers do not appear, participants will learn how to make sense of beaver activity on the landscape and how beavers have continued to shape Pleasant Valley since they were reintroduced to Massachusetts in the 1930s.
This program ends at dusk so bring a flashlight for extra illumination on the way back. The hike will cover up to two miles on largely unsurfaced trails which can be uneven, muddy or wet.
Beaver activity could lead the group into areas that may be seasonally flooded or require stepping over fallen tree trunks.
The trail surface contains exposed rocks and tree roots. Terrain consists of gently rolling hills with the occasional small drop and one short hill climb near the end of the program.
