Month: January 2008

 TWS Oregon chapter is hosting a Beaver Conference on February 12th. “Ecology, management and Politics of the American Beaver in the Pacific Northwest.

”With lectures like,“Beyond the pond: Beaver and the transformation of the Human Ecology of the Pacific Northwest” by Dr. William Lang, “Oregon’s Efforts to Promote Beaver in Support of Salmon Restoration and Wildlife Conservation Plans: Challenges Obstacles and Opportunities.” Kelly Moore

After the meeting, s/c member Igor Skaredoff asked me to stop by the Friends of Alhambra Creek Council meeting  Mitch Avalon is also a member of both and gave an excellent summary of the beaver “story so far”.  It was an opportunity to speak about the overlap between watershed issues for both the beavers and the creek, and it was clear that there was an interest in allowing the beavers to be a kind of “spokesperson” for larger creek issues. 

This was the first time I sat in any meeting (with the exception of the dynamic november 7th council meeting) where it actually felt possible that the beavers might be allowed to stay.  This is a very knowledgeable group of people with connections to larger environmental groups and city staff.  Survival of our beaver family has always depended on a confluence of interests: economic, civic, educational or environmental. 

With some key exceptions, most people have not been drawn into this issue because of the beavers inherent value–but rather because of how the beavers might impact another particular issue they care about.  Beavers create enormous attention and interest in the creek, and this is a huge selling point for their support.  I am thrilled that our interests so clearly overlap and have been asked to do a similar talk for “Friends of Pleasant Hill Creeks” Next month.   

Jon reported this morning that there was a nice amount of beaver activity down at the bridge.  Kits with branches and Dad with a large green clump of moss or other foliage.  Everyone heading back to the lodge with something to snack on during their “off” hours. At the creek meeting one very thoughtful educator asked me about my significant time committment for the beavers.  It was the first time the issue has come up.  I thought about  the tuesday night meetings and weekends “docenting” at the bridge and answered, “The beavers gave me an amazing summer.  I could wake up every morning, walk 8 blocks from my house and see four kits engaged in a delightful variety of behaviors I will never see anywhere else. They gave me a fantastic gift, and I feel like I want to give them a little something back.”I hope we all can.

The issue of Beaver relocation continues to be discussed. The subcommittee’s report will be reviewed by the larger City Council in March and the determination as to whether the beavers can remain will be finally decided. No one should be confused into thinking that our beavers are “safe” or that the dynamic November meeting was the final word. Public support and response remains necessary and will be even more important at the March meeting.

Of particular importance is the myth that relocation is somehow “good for beavers” or a humane solution. In the hands of an expert like Sherri Tippie it can be, but left to the devices of local trappers it is more likely to be a prolonged death sentence. Here is what happened to the beavers trapped at the very high profile Lake Skinner case in Riverside, CA.

“Thirteen beavers were trapped live and removed, one died struggling in a snare, and one was killed by a predator while held in a snare.. Virtually all mortality could have been avoided if Hancock traps had been used (and properly deployed).The end result was not satisfactory to the majority of opponents because of the Reserve’s failure to engage the underlying scientific questions, the mortality during trapping, and philosophical opposition to the exploitative placement of the relocated animals. Six beavers were confined in zoos or other captive display facilities (one beaver subsequently died in a fight resulting from inappropriately co-housing two males), four were relocated to a reserve in Texas, and three went to a movie production company.

Clearly our beavers do not need to be in a zoo or a movie set. Relocation is not a simple fix, and not the humane solution in is often presented to be. Make sure you spread the word that this is not an acceptable solution.