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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Rural Oregon, sacrifice zone for proposed LNG export projects? ... Coos County ballot measure seeks to nullify gun background checks ... Medford police chief announces retirement ... Guest Opinion: Rural Oregon, sacrifice zone for proposed LNG export projects? ... Coos County ballot measure seeks to nullify gun background checks ... Medford police chief announces retirement ... IDAHO Idaho agency finds historic footage of parachuting beavers Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 22, 2015 at 5:56 PM By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 22, 2015 at 5:56 PM » Social News BOISE, Idaho — More than half a century after a group of beavers parachuted into the Idaho backcountry, officials have uncovered footage of the quirky wildlife management moment. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game was struggling with an overpopulation of beavers in some regions in the 1940s when wildlife managers settled on a novel idea. They captured beavers and other furry rodents, packed them into special travel boxes, attached parachutes and dropped them from a plane into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Animal lovers, take heart — it appears all the beavers made it through their flying adventures unharmed. The film made around 1950 and dubbed "Fur for the Future" showed the infamous beaver drops, but it had long been lost, Boise State Public Radio reported Thursday. The footage is available online at http://bit.ly/1M8QP4U . The parachuting beavers start about seven minutes in. Fish and Game historian Sharon Clark recently uncovered the fragile film, which had been mislabeled and stored in the wrong file. It has been digitized and released on YouTube by the department and the Idaho Historical Society. Trapping and transplanting beavers still happens today — but in less dramatic fashion. "We haven't done airplane drops for 50-plus years, but it apparently worked pretty well back then to re-establish them in remote places," said Steve Nadeau, Fish and Game's statewide fur bearer manager. The agency now moves beavers to the Owyhee desert, in the state's southwest corner, to help restore vegetation stripped away by years of watershed use. Nadeau says the goal is for beavers to make ponds in the region, which can hold water year-round. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Oct. 22, 2015 at 5:56 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501