Crisis Management!

heidi08 City Reports January 22, 2010

One of the most effective subtle terrors in the movie Jurassic Park (which was a not at all subtle movie) was the way that the technology and gadgets designed to protect the visitors all ended up hurting them. From the vehicle slipping over the edge and barely missing the dangling children, to the boy getting hurled off an electric fence when the power went back on, the safety measures gradually became more perilous. The idea that technology can keep you safe was effectively challenged, while the idea that technology can invent things that place you in harms way, was proven again and again.

I mention this because yesterday the cables designed to “protect” the city from massive beaver-generated flooding, came loose from the dam and traveled downstream, snagging wood and debris in an ever growing dam of their very own. Remember these were initally installed in the dam with anchors so the entire structure could be ripped out if necessary in one heroic swoop. There had always been difficulty deciding where on the banks to place this special “bathtub plug”, and Skip’s flow device made it pretty much moot. The cables eventually tangled and worked themselves into chaos. But yesterday the churning waters forced them free and they snaked down stream to catch some action. By the noon the snag was two feet higher than the dam, and we starting to get worried that the problem might make city staff mistakenly blame the dam for the problem.

After hearing from jon that the snag was impossible to dislodge, I weighed my options carefully and called Councilman Mark Ross, letting him know what had happened and asking him to call public works and explain what it needed. To his credit, he left his office and went to the dam to see for himself. By this time the cables were no longer visible, but I assured him they had been reported that morning by to Worth A Dam members. Mark called Bob Cellini who came down with a de-snagging crew.

Worth A Dam was on hand to explain and ward off unwanted solutions, but they needn’t have been. Bob understood that the snag had nothing to do with the dam, and every effort was made to remove it without disruption to the structure. Some low branches were removed that were catching debris but the dam was untouched. To a man, staff was pleasant and protective about the beavers and gracious to Worth A Dam. The director was full of good will, and the city manager showed up as well, happy for the help and scowling at all the non-beaver trash that ends up in our creek.

As they worked tens of people showed up on the banks and bridges, (worried, as we had been worried), that they were “messin’ with” the dam. It was like that scene from witness where the entire town shows up over the line of the hill, coming to help. Worth A Dam did its best to calm their fears and clarify the problem. A single beaver emerged once to check what they were up to, but the entire event went peacefully. The “filter” or roundfence closing the entrance to the pipe had been tipped by the rain, and was also catching debris. They are reported going to try to right it tomorrow using a boat.

Several people remarked on what a different feel the day had. Staff was acting like the beavers were a resource to preserve, not a problem to be resisted. They seemed to think there were much larger problems than the dam all along the entire creek and be grateful for the supportive attention to this particular area. The entire event went as well as I could have possibly hoped, and, aside from feeling weirdly like Alice in wonderland, it was pretty cool.

Of course things could change in a heartbeat. (I dreamt last night they rode up to fix the filter on a jet ski.) But this morning I am still grateful for the hard work and good energy. Oh and just in case we didn’t learn enough yesterday, here’s a great picture that will help you tell a snowy egret and a great egret apart for future reference. Thanks Cheryl!

Photos: Cheryl Reynolds

Water Worries

heidi08 Beaver News January 21, 2010

Yesterday’s flash flood simulation was unnerving in more ways than one. Seeing the lodge underwater was like seeing a the school library on fire. Or maybe almost on fire, since logic tells me the beavers will be fine. I’m glad a big beaver was seen later that night. I’m going to imagine it was Dad checking out conditions before bringing the rest of the family home. I suppose a yearling or two might decide this is as good a time as any not to stick around, but I would think in times of high instability the impulse to stay close to what’s familiar is pretty powerful. We’ll see who’s left when the waters ebb. Certainly the repairs will require an “all hands on deck” work party for a while.

In the vast array of beaver stories that have passed my way since 2007 I have learned about exactly two cases of beavers drowning. The most recent was the botched “relocation” job in Lincoln Park last year, where the mother beaver was blocked in the water when a live trap was misplaced. The second was a story from Sherri Tippie, expert beaver trapper in Colorado. She told me she had lost only 2 beavers in 21 years of trapping, and those were in a flash flood in New Mexico. Both of these stories require the intervention of man to make conditions dire enough to drown a beaver, and that is reassuring.

Still, I think of the family huddled in the lodge, as the water rises, like the last scenes of the Titanic. They must have squeezed closer and closer together and to the top until it finally became clear they were going to have to “dis-lodge” themselves. It reminds me of an early camping trip I took without rain gear. When the water started to drip through the canvas tent at night it wicked into my sleeping bag from the top and bottom. By crouching smaller and smaller towards the middle I was able to avoid the damp, hoping morning would come before the entire bag was soaked. Eventually I gave up on morning and squished myself awake. I’m sure that’s what happened with the beavers in reverse. I wonder if they all went together and who was the holdout and who was the first. I wonder where they went to wait.

Water Upstairs,

heidi08 Beaver News January 20, 2010

Update:

From member LB:

Just got back from a trip to the dam (3:45). Water level is down quite a bit and the bank looks pretty good. While we were checking out the lodge we spotted a beaver out and about. Looked OK and it seemed like it was just checking things out. The water was running a lot slower up by the old lodge. He dove under and came up again. Swam over to the old lodge and went part way up the bank and seemed to go into the old lodge. They probably all have cabin fever.

Just made another trip down to the dam as the article I sent you said that there would be a high tide around 4:00. Water flow still a lot lower than when Jon and I were down there. There were three egrets enjoying themselves and as I was walking back down to the main dam a very large beaver came up and over where the gap is and swim up to the lodges. You could see all of him walk over so there has got to be a dam under there someplace.

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Here’s a glimpse of the water level this afternoon. These photos were taken by Jon at 12:30. This is the dome roof of the beaver lodge. Obviously the inside is under water.

The saturated soil runoff filled the creek to its maximum. Although the streets are clean and the gutters are doing their job at the moment, the water height near the lodges is up on the bank. In fact, only the top foot of either lodge is visible. This means our beavers are camping out somewhere, probably a bank hole down stream, maybe somewhere near their new damlet. It’s a little scary to see, but we have to remember that they’re way better at this than we are. They only drown when traps or ice keep them underwater. The family might split up temporarily to each take a separate dry nook or cranny, but they’ll be back together when this madness stops

Talked with city staff who assured us that the creek is moving fine and without snags. They’ve definitely seen worse. There was some discussion of the three truck loads of trash staff took out of the creek a month ago, and the clear wish that people would stop dumping and take the issue seriously. Amen to that, we say.

Of course, not everyone minds the rain….

My favorite part? The water was topping the level of the sheetpile.

Biblical Weather

heidi08 Environmental January 21, 2010

Anyone not think about the “ark” story yesterday? Well, I mean, anyone other than the beavers? The secondary dam by the footbridge is looking like less of a bump under the water, but the primary and Skip’s flow device are still standing. We are braced for more today.

Yesterday at my office in Lafayette there was a rumble of thunder and massive flashes of sheetlighting which seemed to be located right atop my buildling. After some exciting pyrotechnics, it started to hail heavily. The sky was nearly white and the balls were, well not quite marble sized, but definitely pea sized. After this remarkable display of weather the sky brightened and there was a MASSIVE rainbow whose two sides spread directly in view.

That was nothing. Jon used the break in weather to rush down to the dam where he saw a very clear double rainbow right above the secondary dam. Ahhhh that would have been a photo to cherish.

“The rain it raineth every day”

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers elsewhere, Environmental January 19, 2010

Worth A Dam reporting for flood duty, sir! The dams were topped and the flow device held steady at 1:00, 4:00 and 8:00 pm yesterday. I’m sure our beavers are not at all interested in starting repairs, especially after this mornings downpour. Here’s a weather update from our trusty field advisor:

WET!!! Last night we had a break, but it is supposed to start again in the wee hours of the morning and intensify around dawn. This break will let the creek go down a bit. Trouble is the ground is soaked now so the creek will respond quickly to any rain. Rain is supposed to quit around noon and then showers, same thing on Wednesday. I think we could flood either day, but hopefully not, we dodged the worst of the last storm, it went South, let’s hope the next storms do too!

Apparently the soggy beaver dam made some news cycle last night, but I imagine things will get far too interesting in the next few days to make way for beavers! We’ll keep you posted.

In other news, beaver friend Brock Dolman writes that he presented at the Scenic and Wild Film Festival for SYRCL over the weekend. the citizen group protecting the Yuba River. After his talk about watersheds and basins, a man approached from the audience and said “Hi, I want to talk to you about beavers!”

Whereas this would be a fairly typical greeting in my life, it was a surprise to him because his talk hadn’t even mentioned beavers! Turns out the man had relocated from sweden where he grew up appreciating castor fiber, and this sparked a dialogue between many members about beavers, salmon and reintroducing beavers into the Yuba where they could do the most good. Brock had read about Tahoe’s “non native” nonsense, and encouraged nearby Yuba supporters to take up the beaver mantel.

Meanwhile we have a host more friends for the “Beaver Boosters Club” and a few more important voices advocating for their presence. Hooray!

Stay dry, and stay tuned!