More Meddling

Just got this email from Tim Tucker, City Engineer:

On Monday, September 15^th the Engineering and Public Works staff took a quick look along the banks of Alhambra Creek from Main Street to the Intermodal. We observed additional burrowing near Bertola’s Restaurant. We feel is it prudent to have an employee probe the extent of the burrows. To complete the work safely we would lower the water approximately one foot. This would be done by notching the beaver dams. This work would be done in the morning to avoid disturbance to the beavers. We would expect the beavers to repair the notch within a day or two. We plan to do the work on Wednesday.

‘”Avoid disturbance to the beavers?” You mean besides taking lots if their food and their water? So tomorrow the water level drops and the banks will be checked again for holes. Never mind that if the amount of time that staff has spent checking holes were to be used to install fencing like we recommended all along, there wouldn’t BE any holes.

Update:

Linda says she had a conversation with Mark Ross who is hoping the lowering can be delayed until after the council meeting tonight. How full is your wednesday looking? Protective eyes in the morning at the dam, and protective voices at city hall tonight. I expressed concern that the project would lower water level and expose their lodge entrances and place them in harms way. Here’s my recommendation to Tim Tucker…

There is a simple alternative that will allow you access and allow the beavers water both. Treat this project like any other interruption of a water line. Stop the flow above the target area, examine or fix what you need to once the level is changed to your liking, then let the beavers fix the dam and return the flow to normal. Draining the entire creek to do this one small job is the equivalent of turning off the city main line in order to fix a leaky faucet in a single home. I’m sure you have available materials to isolate flow, and doing this would demonstrate recognition for the needs of the beavers and concerns of the community, as well as responsibility for bank concerns. As always, members of worth a dam would be happy to help with labor or materials.

If you have time today, you might just send your own thoughts to the the city engineer and city manager. It might help to clarify their thinking…

Update II

Stopped by the dam on my way home from the coast and happened to run into Julian and a meeting with the City Manger, Tim Tucker, Don Salts, and Bob Cellini. They were talking about their concerns for the creek and what the intended project would be. The area of concern is behind the lodge, and specifically they would like to know how far down the wall extends. I reiterated my concerns, and discussed the possibility of a plumbing camera. Julian advocated for using wire mesh (chain link) over the bank to discourage further digging, and I clarified some of the beaver vagaries for the city manager. (Will there be 16 next year? 32 the year after that?)

I will tell you the most striking finding of the day: staff had not considered the impact of the tides. They were so high that no one would have been able to “drain” off that water. I was asked, “is this because of the secondary dam?” No, I explained.

This is because of the moon.

Have you ever heard the saying “Take care of the Pence and the Pounds will take care of themselves”? It’s an old english addage that means worry about saving the little money and it will add up to big money. Lewis Carroll altered it with his brilliant “Take care of the Sense and the Sounds will take care of themselves”, expressing (as only he can) that you should worry about what you’re saying, not how you’re saying it.

I often find myself struggling for a creek-beaver variation, which could communicate “put your resources into a healthy beaver colony and they will maintain the habitat for you.” Maybe “take care of the kits and the ‘kreek’ will take care of itself” Doesn’t rhyme though, but the point is there. Invest in a healthy creek and everyone reaps the reward.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=aIYS7g_sNwY]

SIGNS OF A HEALTHY CREEK

Water quality and flow

Cool, clear water free of contaminants and excess algae

Varied flow cycles

Creek bed and banks

Stable vegetated banks with minimal erosion

Presence of both slow pools and fast water running over shallow, rocky stretches

Abundant rock and clean gravel of various sizes (critical for fish spawning)

Plants and wildlife

Native riparian tree canopy, which stabilizes banks, provides habitat for birds and small mammals, and keeps water temperature cool for fish populations

Abundance of native riparian vegetation, providing cover for wildlife and root systems which stabilize banks (riparian refers to the land adjacent to creeks and rivers, where the vegetation is influenced by the presence of water)

Thriving fish, amphibian, and aquatic insect populations

Leaves, small branches, fallen logs and other natural vegetative debris within the stream bed and along banks, which support the aquatic food chain and provide hiding places for fish and invertebrates.

Beaver ROI is very profitable indeed: you can take that to the bank!