Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Day: April 30, 2010


People keep talking about the ocean apocalypse in the gulf of mexico as if it was an “oil spill’. I don’t know if you ever had the hot water valve burst in your upstairs bathroom, but take it from me when I say that the event is clearly not a ‘spill’. Even when the calamity happened in my 100+ year old house we were eventually able to turn the water valve off at the street and stop the flow before it dripped entirely through my walls and ceilings.

There is, unfortunately, no ‘off valve’ for the BP wellhead.

Well, there was one, but it was mangled when the rig blew up and sank. In fact, I read today that in doing so it managed to kink the line a bit and that is the only thing that explains why the oil isn’t gushing much, much, much faster. No one knows for sure of course, because no one can see it. Compare it to the Exxon Valdez? A recent article admitted that if the wellhead futher erodes (which it certainly will from the force of the sand blasting it 24/7) the spill could escalate to the tune of 4 spills of Exxon Valdez proportions every week.

“The pipe could disintegrate. You’ve got sand getting into the pipe, its eroding the pipe all the time, like a sandblaster,” said Ron Gouget, a former oil spill response coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Even if the proposed techno-solutions of side drilling to bleed off the well (worked for kuwait!) or topping it with a giant domed funnel are successfully implemented they are a minimum of three months away (50 Exxon Valdez spills later) This is so much worse than an oiled coastline and a few black birds cleaned with dawn by worried volunteers. The spread is already visible from space, bigger than the state of Delaware and going to make the 600 miles prediction sound like a ‘patch’ in a week’s time. And what are they doing to stop it? burning what they can reach, and sending toxic fumes everywhere along the coast. Dabbing at it with sponges as if it were as simple as a spill.

Which it is not.

I can’t think of anything more alarming or anything more serious that has ever happened that wasn’t volcanic in nature. Or maybe this will move past volcanic proportions, as the oil seeps into the Pacific and the Atlantic and clogs the algae that creates oxygen for every living thing on the planet. Every resource we have should be directed at this problem. Every person should call their congressman and remind them this is why we can’t drill offshore. The streets should be filled with people, wearing black arm bands in mourning and walking to work in protest.

I thought absurdly of this charming scene from Sex, Lies and Videotape but there is just nothing as horrifying as the reality, which no one can film or, I’ll wager, even imagine.

IT GETS WORSE: Update

The Wall Street Journal reports that the well lacked a remote-control shut-off switch that is required by Brazil and Norway, two other major oil-producing nations. The switch, a back-up measure to shut off oil flow, would allow a crew to remotely shut off the well even if a rig was damaged or sunken. BP said it couldn’t explain why its primary shut-off measures did not work.

U.S. regulators considered requiring the mechanism several years ago. They decided against the measure when drilling companies protested, saying the cost was too high, the device was only questionably effective, and that primary shut-off measures were enough to control an oil spill. A 2001 industry report argued against the shut-off device:

“Significant doubts remain in regard to the ability of this type of system to provide a reliable emergency back-up control system during an actual well flowing incident.”

However, a spokeswoman for Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority said the switches have “been seen as the most successful and effective option” in North Sea usage. Several oil producers, including Royal Dutch Shell, sometimes use the switch even when it is not required by country regulations.

Experts have said that the remote-control switch may have been able to shut off the Deepwater Horizon well, and critics of have said the lack of the remote control is a sign U.S. authorities have been too lax with the industry. A spokesman for Democratic Florida Senator Bill Nelson argued:

“What we see, going back two decades, is an oil industry that has had way too much sway with federal regulations. We are seeing our worst nightmare coming true.”

Finally, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that BP argued against stricter safety regulations for the oil industry in letters to the Minerals Management Service last year. BP joined with several other oil producers to say that current voluntary safety rules are sufficient. BP’s Vice President for Gulf of Mexico Production wrote:

“We believe the industry’s current safety and environmental statistics demonstrate that the voluntary programs..have been and continue to be very successful.”

Photos here:


In the past seven days we’ve received a flurry of donations or promised donations for the silent auction at the beaver festival. Last year we raised nearly 2000 dollars and our most popular items were a certificate for two to Safari West, dinner at chez panisse and a years supply of Peets coffee! This year we are hoping for bigger and better offerings to tempt open the hearts and wallets of the beaver devoted and the beaver-curious.

{column1}The Friday before last I had a remarkable conversation with Niels Usden, the owner of Castoro Cellars in Paso Robles. His ‘dam fine wine’ has been a regular at Worth A Dam planning meetings and discussion groups, and is a natural addition to the auction. I was still ready to offer five more persuasive reasons why he should consider donating to the festival when he asked me for a formal donation letter and said it would definitely happen! Clearly a man who was nicknamed ‘il castoro’ in Italy understand how to support hard work!

Back when I was excitedly writing about Hope Ryden’s remarkable book, ‘Lily Pond‘, we struck up a little correspondence. I was particularly interested in the powerful solitary grief the author communicated about the loss of her beaver heroine, and how different that was from Martinez, where the experience was so communal and shared. She generously donated a signed first edition of her book and shipped it to me last week. It is dedicated “To Martinez”.{/column1}

{column2}

{/column2} On wednesday I got a lovely email from New Jersey beaver-advocate Sarah Sumerville of the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge. She is very pleased about the work that we’ve been doing for beavers all over, and offered to ship the following items for our auction;

· T-shirt (you pick the size)  “I support the Unexpected” with beaver – back/ our logo and name on crest – front;

· Mug – our logo, cream mug/green logo;

· Cards – b/w linoleum block carvings by fifth graders with poems by Beaver Defenders (12 cards / 2 of each in the pack of 24 – fit legal envelops);

· 8×10 beaver puzzle (our dining beaver photo on balsam wood scrapped from the local yacht manufacturer – laser cut);

· Books:  Beaversprite: my years building a Beaver sanctuary by Dorothy Richards (Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci wrote it for her from her notes)

· Year’s subscription to The Beaver Defenders newsletter.

Did I mention Sarah is a very enthusiastic friend? She also suggested that we poke other wildlife groups to offer items and it got me thinking about all those attractive shirtless b&w photos the Gazette snapped of Skip while he was installing the flow device. Maybe they’d be willing to offer one or two and Skip would be willing to autograph? Maybe Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife could be persuaded to part with a year of their newsletter? Maybe the Lands Council could part with one of those snappy vests or Sherri Tippie could donate one of those little clay beaver figures she is famous for making? Certainly a copy of the new Beaver Solutions DVD just HAS to be included!

Any other ideas? It’s not even May 1st. We have lots of time to beg!

BEAVER FESTIVAL XVI

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Beaver Alphabet Book

TREE PROTECTION

BAY AREA PODCAST

Our story told around the county

Beaver Interactive: Click to view

LASSIE INVENTS BDA

URBAN BEAVERS

LASSIE AND BEAVERS

Ten Years

The Beaver Cheat Sheet

Restoration

RANGER RICK

Ranger rick

The meeting that started it all

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