Kings River (California) - Ecology

Ecology

North American beaver (Castor canadensis) have recolonized the Kings River including Kings Canyon National Park. Although there is some controversy as to whether beaver were native, fur trapper accounts place beaver in the river before they were trapped out in the late nineteenth century. A 14-man party led by Ewing Young which included Jonathan J. Warner in the fall of 1832 trapped the Kings River "up to and some distance into the mountains and then passed on to the San Joaquin River, trapped that river down to canoe navigation in the foothills, where a canoe was made...". Young and Warner certainly were well above the 1,000 foot level in the Sierras as the headwaters of the San Joaquin River at Martha Lake is less than two miles from the headwaters of the Kings River, above 10,000 feet near Mount Goddard in Kings Canyon National Park and this was the natural route (Hell for Sure Pass) for Ewing and Warner to cross from the source of one river to the other. Williams similarly interpreted accounts of Colonel Warner's expedition, stating that "Warner, had been trapping fur-bearing animals at the headwaters of the Kings River about the same time that the Walker party was descending the Merced River". These interpretations of Young and Warner trapping high up on the Kings River is buttressed by an eyewitness account taken by Tappe from a retired game warden in 1940, who stated that beaver were "apparently not uncommon on the upper part of the Kings River" until 1882-1883.