Beavers? In Arizona?

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental July 26, 2009

Well….yes!

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=kXWzfJNxs8c]

Check out this find from Arizona Department of Game & Fish. They’re hoping beavers will give them back a little of their needed watershed. They are trying to track their movements and grow the population. Sadly these interested observers clearly can’t learn where beavers go by watching, so they need radio signals. I’m not wild about the transmitters they’re bolting through their tails. but it’s honestly refreshing to see F&G/G&F talking about the good beavers can do and committed to helping them regardless.

Now watch for the end of this video, because I think there’s a little beaver mythology going on here. Refer to this post, and then check out the nostril display on that last “beaver”. I very much doubt that *this* animal has a bolt through its tail.

Last night we had several beaver watchers who had read the Berkeley Planet article (thanks Joe!) and were first time Martinez visitors. They wanted to see the beavers but wanted to come before the festival to avoid all the crowds. (!) We also had a family from Indiana who wanted to see the beavers they had watched on the news. The beavers were very cooperative and made an 8:00 pm curtain call for their fans.

One final note, I got a note from Robert Rust of creek cleaning fame last night. He cleaned the left bank down to the train bridge and is very sorry he can’t join us for this years festival. Thank you SO much, Rob! It really needed it! Here’s what he brought to the festival last year.

Yes, that’s “Beaver Bread”.

“They only eat the apple peelings”

heidi08 pictures, Recent Sightings July 25, 2009

The folks who live in backward town
Are inside out and upside down
They wear their hats inside their heads
And go to sleep beneath their beds
They only eat the apple peelings
And they take their walk across the ceilings

Mary Ann Hoberman 1959

Our intrepid wildlife photographer Cheryl Reynolds was on hand last night when beaver friend (and fish defender!) ML showed up after having spent the day making apple pies. She wisely saved the peelings for our furry friends, and they enjoyed a truly unique meal of “apple pasta”.

NMCL

heidi08 Uncategorized July 24, 2009

(Not My Coast Line!) California gets a little good news:

Web Weirdness

heidi08 Uncategorized July 24, 2009

We’re hoping you can help by telling us how the website appears on your computer screen (and don’t say “stupid!”) Recently the words in the menu bar seemed to spontaneously change color for some Firefox users, but not for Explorer or Safari. Our web guru Jean assures me that the html code “says” to be white, but it is clearly more interested (on my screen anyway) in being an orange-y horrific-color-blindness-test hue. Could you let us know what you see by emailing and telling me what browser you use and what you see on your screen? Look specifically on the menu bar, the one that says “Home | Our Story | Sightings etc.” If you have access to two computers, (work and home) let us know on each.

Here’s a picture of how it should look: white letters on a burnt sienna menu bar…

And here’s a picture of how it started looking to me as of 1:00 pm yesterday.

Which do you see? or maybe you see something different altogether? Let us know. It’s easy to take a picture of your screen and send it. Press the “print screen” key on the upper right hand of your keyboard. Right click to “Paste” onto a processing program like Word, then copy. Then you can paste the photo your email. It would be a big help.

Orphaned Kits: PAWS

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere July 24, 2009

These pictures out of KOMO tv in Washington are about the most adorable kit pictures I have seen. Apparently one kit was orphaned when his mother was run over by a jet ski. (Another reason to dislike them!) The organization PAWS is working hard to make sure they get the best chance of returning to the wild. Go watch the video, its OMG worthy. Our Wildlife VP has already written them for their unique lodge box design. You, who are smart beaver supporters, have of course already guessed by now which of our fifty beaver-bearing states this story is from. That’s right, beaver Mecca, Washington. (God bless Washington!)

Yesterday I found that someone had been searching the blog for beaver rehab information, and I wondered if it was them. I have been trying to make sure they have this article on the “Psychological and Environmental Enrichment for Orphaned Beavers” from Anna G. Miller of the Alabama Wildlife Center. I’ll make it a pdf and get it into a permanent link soon, but in the meantime if you know anyone who knows them, pass it along or send them our way.