Beaver spotted in Detroit after 75 years

DETROIT, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A beaver has been spotted in Detroit, following a 75-year absence from the city, ecologists say.

The Detroit Free Press reported Monday that a single beaver lodge has been discovered in an intake canal at Detroit Edison's Conners Creek power plant on the city's east riverfront.

John Hartig, the Detroit River refuge manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said beavers were last spotted in the Detroit River at least 75 years ago. He said the beaver habitat shows that river cleanup efforts are working.

"It's part of that larger story of ecological recovery," Hartig said.

Other species have recently returned to the river in recent years as well, including sturgeon, whitefish, peregrine falcons, bald eagles and walleye, Hartig said.

"If it's cleaner for them, it's cleaner for us, too," he said.