thing. If you try to enter a beaver's lodge, you would likely scare the beavers away and they would leave the whole area. "So inside was two in gathered beaver- we cut wood and we built den that a cabin; actually built a could have two families, one didn't work out. We so we case used brown tinted concrete in the same way the beavers would use pieces together." mud to hold the "Then got to look¬ we ing at the beaver and realized he was such a strong character that it became a beaver film. All the other animals supporting cast." are The beaver-cut pieces of wood made the 'set' look like on wood used was ver-cut on the had a the inside. All the beaver den authentically bea¬ ends and each den Opposite opening that went outside through a window in our cabin where there was a swimming area. (See accompanying diagram). It was an Beaver Pond. friend. Left: A pleasant setting for lunch. family swam and fed. At first there were only two - male and female, but the producers were patient. They had carefully planned the maternity environment and they were prepared to be there for the first filming of beaver-birthing. "Eacn den had openings on two sides for viewing and a light box on top where we had 600 watt Omni lights," Dutcher explains. The openings had sliding glass and curtains to provide each family with some of the solitude they re¬ quire, along with the access we time to came film, we'd open up the curtains and look in, but actually what we found was that the beavers would up to their hands come moved the the the windows and put on them, we so re- *§. glass from the front of T windows while we were g P filming." Some of the beaver 'actors' them were were captured and rented from of -3 beaver £ some a One Above: Dutcher and here that the members of the needed. "When it page: of the 'stars' of 83