Dive into the wild and wacky world of beavers with Shea & Jody in this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes! 🪂

Ever thought about how a cute little rodent could change the course of history? Well, beavers did just that by influencing the Hudson Bay Company’s expansion into the Pacific Northwest, and they’re more than just furry critters; they’re essential eco-warriors! 🌲💧

Join us as we explore the unhinged tale of how Idaho’s beavers were parachuted into their new home in the 1940s! From the ingenious (and slightly bonkers) idea of air-dropping beavers to the clever contraptions designed to ensure their safe landing, this episode is packed with laughter and surprising facts about these furry engineers.

🐾 What does a beaver’s poop look like? Can you really see their impact from space? And how did one brave beaver named Geronimo become a parachuting legend? Find out all this and more in our beaver bonanza! 🎙️

• 00:00 - Welcome to rainy day rabbit holes where we take the history of the west off
• 00:15 - Beavers were basically most of the reason Hudson Bay company invaded Northwest
• 01:56 - O Weird involves beavers, parachutes and airplanes
• 02:39 - You could control this podcast by becoming a patron supporter at $10
• 04:47 - Beavers are considered ecosystem engineers and a keystone species
• 09:29 - Current events have got me a little bit roiled up
• 09:40 - After researching this story, I feel like beavers should be in every flag
• 13:45 - Department of Interior started reintroducing beavers to Idaho in 1936
• 15:51 - Elmo Heater came up with a brilliant plan to drop beavers
• 19:58 - NASA launched 76 beavers into Chamberlain Basin to help conserve natural habitat
• 22:53 - NASA uses satellites to monitor the impact of beavers on Earth
• 26:36 - Even if you don't support us financially, just sending us a nice message is helpful

💡 Want more unhinged history? Check out our episode on the Mossman of Idaho!

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