Those Dam Beavers!

Aug. 12, 2023

Mother Nature and human history are on a collision course at Narada Lake, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Goffar Barn, a 150-year-old structure, is in danger of being lost to the encroaching waters of the lake thanks to some eager beavers—literally—who have been at work building dams in and around the lake. The beavers are in their natural habitat and can’t be moved, so that means the barn has to go instead. Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB), an organization that works alongside the national park to “preserve and interpret its 360 historic buildings and landscapes and provide heritage experiences for visitor and community enrichment,” plans to relocate the Goffar Barn nearer to the Goffar Farmhouse, a move that requires a new foundation and moving the structure about 80 feet away from the lake. Fundraising for the $50,000 project is underway, and more details can be found at phsb.org.