Gopher Makeover

In 1982, two years after Mount St. Helens erupted, a research team helicoptered northern pocket gophers into certain areas within the destruction zone. For one day, the gophers did as gophers do: they dug and defecated.

By stirring up the ash and soil (and fertilizing it), the hardworking mammals cultivated important microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. Their work prepared the ground for seeds dropped by birds over the landscape. The ground cultivated by gophers produced flourishing plants just a year later, while the uncultivated land struggled to sustain growth. More than 40 years later, the gophers’ legacy is an entirely reconstructed ecosystem.

God equipped creation with the ability to rebuild after disasters that he knew would afflict a fallen world. These gophers offer a good example of how life could have thrived and rebuilt the world after the global flood.

This article is from Answers magazine, April–June, 2025, p. 16.