Alan Gofinski

Because the pools that dams create mean more water is being evaporated into the air.

And so when it's hot, it's kind of like a mini air conditioning unit, making it more hospitable to all kinds of creatures.

Third, dams enrich the soil.

Nutrients in the water get stuck and drop down into the earth, which creates more fertile ground.

And fourth, the real biggie.

All of this combined allows new life to sprout.

Algaes, grasses, cattails, and flowers, which attract... Baby trout and salmon.

And dragonflies and butterflies.

And frogs and salamanders.

And then birds come.

Woodpeckers and herons.

And pretty soon, coyotes and foxes, and in some regions...

Thank you, beavers!

And in Jose's case, after just a few years of him hanging out in the Bronx River... Somebody looked and squinted their eyes and said, wait a minute, there's a second beaver there.

There are two beavers.

Sacre beave!

Another beaver!

And so Jose and the second beaver, they were roommates.

Classic New Yorkers.

Sharing rent on the river, sharing groceries, you know, cutting down the same trees together.