More from the article...

...It's not yet clear what these new residents mean for the Arctic ecosystem, but concerns are growing, and locals and scientists are paying close attention. Researchers have observed that the dams beavers build accelerate changes already in play due to awarming climate. Indigenous people are worried the dams could pose a threat to the migrations of fish species they depend on.

"Beavers really alter ecosystems," says Thomas Jung, senior wildlife biologist for Canada's Yukon government. In fact, their ability to transform landscapes may be second only to that of humans: Before they were nearly extirpated by fur trappers, millions of beavers shaped the flow of North American waters. In temperate regions, beaver dams affect everything from the height of the water table to the kinds of shrubs and trees that grow....

@#2 ... It's all fun and games until the beavers invade. ...

Yup.

Years ago, I used to pedal my butt all over Fairfield County, CT, i.e., I rode my bicycle around. A lot. :)

One town I liked to ride in was Redding, CT. The drivers there were great, they didn't try to run you over. And the countryside was beautiful.

There was a stream that I knew in the 1990's. I nice little stream alongside the road I frequented. Then the beavers came. Now that whole area is no longer the habitat associated with a nice little stream. There's now a large pond, with a totally different habitat.

The arrival of beavers is a significant change to the habitat, as the cited article notes.