Folkmanis will be friend to the beavers…

One of the most popular exhibits at our beaver display is this furry finger puppet from Folkmanis. I have struggled to keep him out of the coat pockets of many an adoring child, and given several as gifts. One went to appreciative beaver-expert Skip Lisle and is now enjoying the summer in Vermont. Believe it or not, I first purchased mine in Juneau Alaska, when the time away from our beavers was beginning to take its toll. Others I gave as “Welcome aboard gifts” to the members of Worth A Dam. A final specimen sat on my notebook during most of the subcommittee meetings, and it was an electric day when a certain beaver-unfriendly attorney accidentally knocked him down and had to gingerly pick him up and place the stuffed critter back where he came from.

Recently I wrote Folkmanis, which is based in nearby Emeryville, to ask whether they had heard about the Martinez beavers and would consider helping Worth A Dam by making these finger puppets available to us at cost. Worth A Dam could sell them to beaver fans, raising money for beaver maintenance. I was delighted by the response and learned that they were animal lovers who had followed the beaver saga closely and would be thrilled to help out! There are a few details to take care of, but expect to see these little critters for sale soon either at our display and/or the local merchants. It never fails to surprise me how many people have heard of this story and been affected by the beavers and the humans lives they have touched. The other evening we met a family from Indiana who were visiting relatives in the area and specifically asked to be taken to the beavers “they had seen on Fox news.” I can assure you they weren’t disappointed. Help us keep collecting stories of beaver recruits and write with anything you encounter. In the meantime, check out Folkmanis’ remarkable collection and website, which is a lot of good fun and not just for children.

Fur-Bearer Defenders is a non-profit society dedicated to the prevention of cruel trapping. They are located in Vancouver, Canada, and were involved in the Surrey Beaver situation. They have been around for several decades, worked on a couple continents and know all the excuses humans give for harming wildlife. We swaped stories and invited the program coordinator, Fannya Eden, to guest blog.

From Fur-Bearer Defenders: There are many alternatives, such as pond leveler and other various types of water-flow devices that would allow us to live in harmony with our wildlife beavers. Among these alternatives, relocation is the last resort and should be done with the up most care. Trapping is cruel, and it is NOT a solution. Killing and removing the beavers from what is naturally their habitat will simply vacate the area for other beavers to move in. This only further perpetuates the cycle of cruelty and killing.

From The Province newspaper, June 7th, 2008:

… The killing hasn’t solved the flood-risk problem, a wildlife advocacy group said. “If one beaver is killed and removed, another beaver will actually move in,” said Fannya Eden, a project co-ordinator for the Fur-Bearer Defenders office in Vancouver. “That will just start the cycle of killing and cruelty.” “When they have family, what do you do? Trap the whole family? Do you take the parents and let the babies die?” Eden said there are various structures made of fencing, posts and tubes that can eliminate flood risk while allowing beavers to remain in their habitat.“It takes a bit of tweaking and care and maintenance to have the structures work,” Eden said. “There are ways we can coexist with beavers. It’s nice to have wildlife in our area and be able to observe them and take joy in watching them.” And beavers, she said, produce ecological benefits.

“Beavers are very important natural engineers,” she said. “They preserve the wetlands.”

We couldn’t agree more, Fannya! Thanks for all you do. It sounds there’s a little more work ahead in Surrey, where they’re now suggesting residents can “adopt” troublesome beavers. This is a cozier idea but still ignores the fact that if the habitat supports beavers, more will come. Let us know if there is anything Worth A Dam can do to help out!