Martinez News Gazette Letter to the Editor:

heidi08 Beaver News April 11, 2008

In case you missed Thursday’s Gazette…

On April 16^th the Martinez City Council will consider whether to keep the beavers or relocate them. The subcommittee has completed their charter and submitted their report. Dogged pursuit of relocation has sometimes couched its self-interest in humane concern; “They’ll be better off at the reservation.” Of course, research tells us that this is untrue. Successful beaver relocation requires expert skill, specialized trapping and a close evaluation of the new habitat. In their 2006 article “Management by Assertion”, Longcore et al outlined the fate of thirteen relocated beavers thusly;

“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… 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. The trapping was complete by Spring 1999.[1]”

Beavers die and are injured in the process of being humanely trapped, die and sicken during quarantine, get separated from family members, and are often released into habitats that cannot sustain them. It is misleading to discuss relocation as if it were a routine or even beneficial procedure. It is the risky equivalent of kidney removal: It can work, and should happen in certain situations, but it is dangerous to the individual and should never be undertaken lightly.

Heidi Perryman, Ph.D.

[1] Longcore, T. Rich, C & Muller-Schwarze, D. (2006) Management by Assertion: Beavers and Songbirds at Lake Skinner (Riverside County, California) Journal of Environmental Management Sept 2006.

An Invitation to Advocacy…

heidi08 Uncategorized April 11, 2008

RSVP to mtzbeavers@gmail.com or use the form below.

[contact-form 2 “RSVP”]

Another voice speaks for the beavers…

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Why We Care April 15, 2008

This mediator for Family Court Services and beaver-appreciating Martinez resident sent me a copy of her letter to the council and I thought it was worth sharing. Remember that Martinez is the County Seat so we get beaver supporters in Family Court, Juvenile Court, Criminal Court, Law Enforcement, Social Services and Water Quality (to name a few)..
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Dear Martinez City Council Members,

I am a Martinez resident. I am also one of those lucky rare-breeds in the Bay Area that gets to work in the same community in which I live. I work in downtown Martinez as a family court custody mediator for Superior Court. There is much that I love about Martinez. I love the farmer’s markets every thursday and every Sunday. I visit Starbucks each sunday and then take a stroll around downtown and up in the hills. I walk daily at lunch. I play on a bocce league every sunday evening. I ride my bike downtown. I attend the Willows Theatre cabaret and Armando’s concerts. I frequent local restaurants. I attend downtown street festivals and other special events. And always, I hope for a resurgence of downtown, to somehow capture and add to all that I find magical about this town.

In spite of all of that, this is only the 2nd time that I have endeavored to write to you. The first was last fall, when the fate of the Martinez beavers became a hotly contested public issue. The second is now, as we approach the revisiting of the fate of our now famous beaver family.

I am a beaver fan from afar. I am not an involved activitist, as sadly my schedule allows for little of this. I have expressed interest in helping in some small way, if possible, perhaps as a beaver docent, but as yet the opportunity has not yet formally arrived. And yet I feel myself very connected to our furry downtown family.

My daily walks take me by the beaver lodge and dam each day – and sometimes twice or three times. I am a regular visitor of the beaver website and a supporter of those who have photographed, videotaped, and written about them. I wear my “save the beaver” t-shirt to the gym and always receive approving nods, smiles, and questions. My office in family court displays a “save the beavers” cap, and I am often fielding questions about this from the families that visit me. I have pointed many a parent and child in the direction of Bertola’s and the beaver lodge.

I am writing to express my hope that the city council does the right thing. You have been given an opportunity, a fabulous opportunity, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to forever change and shape the future of Martinez. All of this may rest in the fate of one family of beavers downtown. Do the right thing.

Much has been written and said about the revitalization of downtown Martinez. Yet one family of hard-working beavers has accomplished more for a city then any fancy developer or organized planner ever could. We owe these beavers a great debt. They are not even on the city payroll!

Martinez needs to realize this opportunity and capitalize on this. Any monetary investment in the beavers to support willow restocking and dam flow plans will be more than regained. We have the public interest, we have the non-profit formed. Martinez- home of John Muir and one hard-working Beaver family. I see “Beaver Park” signs by the lodge. I see an organized education program. I see educaitonal opportunities for students from grammar school on up. I see a town logo. I see signs on the freeway. I see an organized marketing campaign throughout downtown stores and restaurants. I see a beaver festival. (I see Bertola’s perhaps quadrupling their cash flow). This is money and time well spent. Wasn’t it just New Year’s Day 2008 when the Contra Costa Times, in their annual “welcome to the new year” article, stated as an aside “whoever could have guessed that Martinez and Beavers would become synonymous?”

I will be out of the country at the date and time of the next City Council meeting where the fate of the beavers will be discussed. You can bet that I will check the news the instant upon my return. I am hoping that the City Council does us all proud.

Thank you,

Martinez Resident and Worker

Thank YOU for sending this letter on our beavers’ behalf and for agreeing to let it be posted! I especially like the rousing “I see a beaver festival” section…which is a fantastic improvement on downtown’s current sixth sense impersonation…(“I see dead people”). Not to mention that since beavers mate for life there is an obvious subtext to a divorce mediator suggesting we need more beavers! Of course we do.

Can beavers teach a city how to listen?

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors April 12, 2008

When I think of the November 7th meeting, (and I think of it often) I remember the remarks in particular of a young man from another town. His comment came late in the meeting, after much discussion of flooding and bridges and possible threats caused by the beavers. He said with a dynamic and oblique wisdom that impressed me greatly at the time, “I hear a lot of talking tonight about possible damage to the bridge. But what I would worry about, if I were you, is the bridge between you all (gesturing to the council) and these people here (indicating the audience.) That’s the bridge that’s in trouble.“

This pithy comment highlighted one of the most important aspects of the civic response to this issue: Martinez residents often don’t feel listened to. We aren’t certain our interests are represented. We drive home past the refinery or stop at the post office near the city central jail and we feel impossibly aware of how little our needs can matter to the management of this town. Certainly someone is getting listened to, but it is rarely us. And when the woman stood up at the meeting and said fiercely, “Maybe the beavers need to stay and all of you need to go” it was obvious where the energy in the room came from. Residents were angry and tired of being ignored, and the beavers were a perfect example of shortsighted, special interest, citizen-indifferent thinking by a body that had given us too many examples already.

Maybe if we lived in a responsive, attentive city we wouldn’t have filled up that room and made our clamor heard. Maybe we would have trusted the judgment of our representatives and allowed the beavers to be bundled off to the reservation for the convenience of the larger town. But we knew from experience that careless decisions could be made on our behalf in the name of “progress”. We knew that sometimes the will of the people was ignored in the service of unseen power. I was born in Martinez, and growing up in the downtown hills I saw an entire neighborhood taken under eminent domain to make way for the county detention center. I remember the lovely houses that were torn down; one in particular with a dumbwaiter and a servants pass thru into the wood-paneled formal dining quarters. I grew up knowing how needs could be eclipsed, and it never occured to me to question whether a city could learn to listen.

The formation of the subcommittee challenged that. Despite my historic mistrust, I was impressed that the s/c included strong beaver advocates who were allowed to speak for the community’s attachment to the animals. In my mind, it marked a perhaps nascent respect for the people that probably can’t be erased. We have tasted democracy and the flavor isn’t likely to go away any time soon. Beavers change things: It’s what they do. Why not let our beavers give residents a voice, while simultaneously giving the city a chance to show that they can make difficult decisions that reflect the needs of their citizens. Keeping the beavers isn’t as difficult as rebuilding roads or making a new downtown. It’s simpler than tearing down the empty county building or creating more parking spaces for the courthouse. It is an easy way to say “yes we’re listening” that will speak to downtown, uptown and all the places inbetween.

It won’t change a history of feeling threatened or ignored – but it could be one heck-of-a start.

Heidi P. Perryman, Ph.D.

Beaver Dynamics 101

heidi08 Beaver News April 6, 2008

One thing that Skip Lisle said many times when he was here was that the principal of beaver life is dynamism. Things change. Beavers habitats change. They are constantly adjusting and altering. Dams fail and lodges get worn out and feeding areas expand or retract. Nothing beavers create is permanent, and unlike humans they have no investment in permanence. They do things that work for a while, and then do other things that work better.

This morning you could see several examples of this adaptable spirit. The first came when we spied wet tracks north of the lodge and heading into the blackberry bush. A yearling emerged with sticks and scrabbled up the thorny path to work on this mysterious new addition. He may be making space for himself in anticipation of the new brothers and sisters coming soon, or he may be repeating a pattern that dad started while planning to get out of the house and give mom some time alone with her new brood. He may just be practicing for his eventual dispersal, but the path was very dark and muddy and had clearly been traveled several times.

(Speaking of the much anticipated event, it was mentioned along with Luigi’s store in today’s Contra Costa Times.)

On the other side of the Marina Visa bridge a second yearling was munching on tulle roots, pulling them up from the bottom of the river, carefully washing them with his dexterous paws, and then chewing loudly. Apparently they’re like potato chips: you can’t eat just one. Opposite this bridge was another beaver buried in tulles and cleverly avoiding all attempts to photograph. The secondary dam looks a little more official and everything is getting more springy and green.

Beavers try new things, abandon old habits, and combine workable solutions with enviable ease. They don’t quit too soon, or keep trying when things are futile. They seem cheerfully certain of how just much effort to apply. I’m sure we can all learn from their dynamic example.

Heidi P. Perryman, Ph.D.