Beaver Detectives to the Rescue

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors July 27, 2008

The market today was a flurry of beaver friends and questions. Several important contacts were made or renewed, one of which was our two designers of the successful t shirt offered art in the park last year.

Remember? Well they raised 200 dollars from the sale of these shirts and donated the profits to Worth A Dam. They gave me the check the night of the April meeting. I thought I sent them a donation letter for their records, but they never received it. I was full of apologies and asked them to write it down again today, which they did on a very important card that I saved. Except I lost it.

Allow me to explain:

After they left we were visited by a member of the Martinez Arts Association and talked about Worth A Dam coming to the Art in the Park. She was a great fan of the beavers and felt they would find a space for us. She asked about the tshirt and wondered if it was still available. She wanted my contact information and I gave her the very important postcard to write hers on. Then a stroller of three lovely triplets appeared in front of the Farmer’s Market and she wandered off in search of a camera.

Sadly the addresses did not return.

I’m asking for the help of our readers to find or alert these two very remarkable beaver supporters and get them to contact me at mtzbeavers@gmail.com so I can make sure the IRS gives them credit for their generous donation.

Your help, as always, is appreciated.

400 years is a long time to wait…

heidi08 Uncategorized July 26, 2008

About 100 miles west of London they are celebrating their first new kits in four centuries. Beavers were hunted to extinction in England as early as the 16th century. The animals were reintroduced – not by conservationists – but by property developers! This is the first time these beaver pioneers have produced a litter. Twelve new kits now grace the english soil, and their arrival is stirring up alot of interest.

An environmental-minded property developer introduced three pairs in 2005 to Flagham Fen Lake, and has been keeping an eye on their progress. He feels strongly that beavers are an asset to the area and the habitat. His luxurious eco-estates have been pursued by the deep pockets of Brad Pitt and others. For a lovely breath of fresh read the articles and think about how nice it is to hear property developers talk about endangered species, wetlands “engineers” and kits learning to hold their breath.

I especially like the emphasis on beavers as being good for the environment and pocketbook. That’s news we can use.

Kids and Kits

heidi08 Educational July 26, 2008

Last Wednesday Worth A Dam made a guest appearance at Morello Park Elementary to give a beaver assembly to nearly 200 students. The goal was to teach the children about the “Incredibly Adapting Beaver” and give them some insight about their behavior. There were three groups, K-1, 2-3 and 4-5 grades respectively. They sat “crisscross applesauce” on the floor in the assembly room and while we talked about beavers and looked at pictures. Hopefully the slideshow will be available on the web page soon, since I worked hard to make it connect beaver behavior to children’s lives and experiences.

Lots of the children had been down to see the dam, and a few had seen the beavers. Most knew what they ate, and where they lived, all appreciated the chance to see more about them. I was surprised that not a single child volunteered the name for what a baby beaver is called. No person in Martinez should be at a loss for that answer!

There was a beaver activity that got a little zoo-like with the younger group (build your own colony) and I couldn’t help but think about Igor and Shirley Skaredoff who had come to speak about creek the week before. Were you as tired as I was after that experience? I felt like I could sleep for a week, and my voice still sounds crackly. It was a great opportunity, though, to see eyes light up with beaver delights.

Moments that will stay with me include the wide-eyed child that looked at the beaver pelt loaned to us by the Lindsay museum and asked grimly “How’d you get that off?” More cheerful was the little girl with the braid who, when everyone was putting together their beaver colonies, came to me and said proudly, “I’m a river otter!” Encouraging was the serious boy who examined the beaver skull closely and asked why their teeth were orange. He stayed long after the others left and when someone commented “you must like science a lot” he shook his head. “No, but I like beavers”. There was the enjoyable moment when administrator Priscilla Robinson, summer school principal and science teacher at MJHS, asked about an article way back in the fall of 2007 which was written about her class’s trip to the beaver dam. She glanced thru the scrapbook and mentioned it wasn’t there. I opened to page four and showed it proudly. I remember that article because I took it as an early indication that beaver support was wider than just me. My favorite image of the day was our wildlife photographer, Cheryl Reynolds, walking around snapping pictures with her camera in one hand, and a borrowed beaver skull in the other. Alas poor Yorick—and vogue combined.

Business as Usual(?)

admin Beaver News, In the News July 22, 2008

There is an article in today’s Contra Costa Times (page A3) summarizing last Wednesday’s city council meeting along with Phil Vince’s introduction to Martinez’ own special brand of politics. What the story calls routine in terms of a vote to de-silt/scrape the area adjacent to the Amtrak station may yet turn out to be business as usual – or – routine.

Up to now the city has routinely buried and or disavowed knowledge pertaining to the plausibility of successful coexistence, aka the beaver brouhaha. The fact that our new city manager recognizes policy issues pertaining to environmental stewardship will not merely fade away is refreshing.

The truth about this proposed scraping is it will leave a scar on the area for years to come. The two proposed compromises, in addition to salvaging some of the beaver’s feeding area, helps offset that loss in aesthetics. But aside from being just plain ugly the message this project sent wasn’t lost on any of us the night a passerby on the bridge gloated over it two weeks ago.

It is the hope of all of us at Worth A Dam that in the future these types of discussions do become routine, that environmental stewardship will be routinely factored into all public policies. After all isn’t the lack of this consideration at the crux of the whole global warming mess?

Beavers Change Things: It’s What they Do

heidi08 Beaver News May 16, 2010

Now I can see this is a series that’s going to write itself for months to come. For our latest demonstration of beaver transformative powers, let’s give a huge congratulations and round of applause to our own Linda Meza, Worth A Dam VP of public relations 2008-2009. In addition to stopping at the dam nearly every evening, her advocacy to our beavers took the form of meetings with city staff, letters to the editor, and the like. Along the way she was invited to do a regular column for the Gazette, which will be appearing soon. This represents the beginning realization of a lifelong ambition for Linda. Somewhere in this process she responded to Rick Parker’s complaint about not having a fourth of July Parade, and was inspired to take the task on herself.

Now Linda is heading the campaign to set up a parade for next year. She is hard at work meeting with organizers and pursuing corporate funding. Her own son and daughter are in the Navy. Organizing this patriotic event is one of the ways she feels she can show support for their efforts. No one would argue that our local military families deserve gratitude and support. Everyone agrees with the need for a fourth of July parade, but who has the energy to make it happen? Linda does. And you can help.

Beavers change things: it’s what they do. People’s lives are a part of the habitat beavers transform. In speaking up for the beavers we hear our own voices more clearly than ever before. We learn what’s crucial, and what’s merely irritating. We are driven to sort through our lives and discard conventions and committments that have no meaning for us. We take risks and we do what we love.

“Find something outside yourself that is yourself. Then devote yourself to it with all your heart”

I once thought that we were lucky if life gave us even a single passion; something worth serving, something to organize our generosity. I’m learning now that if we embrace that gift, new doors and bridges open all around us, leading to more possibilities and pathways. What seems like a single thread is actually a vibrant tapestry. When we allow ourselves to care deeply for something and work tirelessly to serve our cause, we will find unexpected friends and fortunes along the way.

Please visit Linda’s site and help her launch this parade as spectacularly and quickly as possible, (so she has lots of free time leftover to help the beavers).