Beaver Hat Craze (17th-19th Centuries)
European fashion’s demand for beaver-felt hats drove systematic extermination campaigns across North America. Every watershed lost its ecosystem engineers as trappers pursued valuable pelts. Without beaver dams maintaining wetlands, streams eroded deeper channels. Water tables dropped significantly. The meadows dried out completely. Wildlife dependent on beaver ponds disappeared from vast regions. The ecological services these animals provided vanished for over a century until conservation efforts began.
