damming

The roly-poly rodents chew up and move around large amounts of plant material, damming streams to create ponds where they can hide from predators.

California has essentially gotten out of the business of building surface reservoirs though damming — “this is probably the last gasp of the concept of California surface reservoirs,” Gleick told me.

Virtually every river worth damming already has been.

By cutting trees and damming streams, these rodents change the world around them, raising water levels and creating habitats for diverse plants, insects, fish and more.

Acid rain, overfishing, pollution and damming have all played a role.