Showtime!

heidi08 Creative Solutions April 26, 2010

I received word this morning that the final edits from Pinehurst Pictures & Sound on the beaver solutions DVD have been completed and Mike Callahan is on his way to pick up the very first copy for review. This means that we are weeks away from having the finished product be printed and available for people everywhere who are looking for a way to manage beaver behavior without killing. I can’t think of a better way to help Taryn in Wisconsin, Randall in Chicago, or Darren in Georgia. This is going to make a difference for beavers everywhere, which will make a difference in turn for the animals that depend on them for habitat; salmon, songbirds, turtles, woodduck, otters…you name it.

As I am fond of saying: it’s the trickle-down economy that actually works.

We are excited about the possibilities and wish Mike the best. We can’t wait to get our own copy and maybe one to offer at the silent auction for the Beaver festival. I bet the department of public works can use it to help the filter on the flow device which saw some cruel mistreatment this winter. Hmm maybe a copy for Fairfied just in case that perforated pipe stops working. And Sonoma if they get another vine-thief in their vineyards this spring…Antioch if it turns out the picture from Marsh Creek was accurate….Heather Farms if the rumors are true…Danville if the creek behind that man’s house is still dammed…One for Brock so he can add it to the OAEC watershed tool box…and don’t forget Los Gatos in case Rick gets really lucky….

Looks like we need a few of copies! Congratulations Mike! We wish you a big dam success!

Lipids

heidi08 History October 18, 2010

So our historian friend Rick sent word today of research on the heating rocks used by the Indians in Calaveras county. Guess what kind of meat it appears the natives regularly ate? Umm that would be beaver. You know, the aquatic mammal not present above 1000 feet? The lipids were taken from a Miwok cave at 3300 feet outside Arnold. Apparently they’d throw a hot cooking rock into a basket or hide vessel to make their dinner. The rocks were later analyzed by Tammy Buonasera to see what the natives were eating and to make sure the lipid analysis was accurate. She questioned whether this was the case, as there were some natural rocks (not used by human) that also tested positive for beaver. In a later paper she focused on ground stone which did not include such traces. Still, it’s a whiff of a clue and I can be excited about it if I want too. The beaver lipids date to around 250 years ago.

Could this mean beavers were on the western slopes of the sierras? Clearly Tappe and Grinnell, with 60+ years of false reporting to defend, would say no. Obviously it was a hard life to be an native. First you had to catch your dinner 2000 feet down the mountain, tracking a species with which you were totally unfamiliar and then haul it back up the mountain to cook it on a rock. Tough gig.

I still say wide open is the direction in which this particular beaver myth is going to be blown.

Beaver Advocate ‘Manque’

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere September 10, 2010

One North American rodent has had more influence on politics, economics, international relations and nation-building than any other of its kind.

Its work ethic is second to none. Its hydro-engineering skills match those of the Army Corps of Engineers. As a swimmer, it is in the league of Olympians. It can outsmart any landowner who tries to evict him.

Who is this super-creature? It’s the American beaver.

Doesn’t this start out with a bang? This article by Valerie Blaine ran recently in the Illinois Daily Herald. I read it with wide eyes and wrote her enthusiastically thinking we might have found our media ally to help save the Lincoln Park Beavers. She was appreciative of my praise, but noncommittal around the Lincoln Park Issue. I read statements like, ‘I have to maintain my neutrality, can’t get involved, beavers in urban areas cause problems, blah blah blah’.

sigh.

Ahh Valerie. You were this close. You were a beaver advocate ‘manque’. In case some readers were absent that day, manque is a french word from the root of manquer which means ‘to miss’. It is used to refer to someone that missed out in life, missed their calling, missed their potential, missed a golden opportunity. I offer it for a reason. Valerie you could have turned your very interesting read into something powerful that made a difference for beavers all over your state, improving the lives of all the wildlife who depend on their wetlands. Instead you sang some of their praises, repeated their well-worn problems, and stopped your doxology with a sock.

You coulda been a contender…

Punch line of this sad, familiar story? Her last email to me mentioned that in addition to writing and naturalist work she also traps beaver for a living.

Out of state beavers…

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere April 23, 2010

I got two interesting emails yesterday, that reminded me what a truly unique resource Worth A Dam offers for beaver understanding. The first was from Taryn Greendeer of Wisconsin who is worried about saving the beavers on her farm lands. I passed her email along to knowledgeable others and encouraged her to write about her concerns so we could identify solutions. Then I went to her face book page and saw that ‘discovering Worth A Dam’ and contacting us was ONE of those solutions.

Gosh. Blush. I guess there’s not much competition for beaver advocacy out there.

The second surprise came as an email from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. They would like to use one of Cheryl’s photos in their upcoming exhibit on beaver adaptations. I put the curator in touch with Cheryl who will no doubt give permission, and some Martinez Beavers will eventually grace the halls of the museum.

As it should be, really. We did a lot of work that other cities can benefit from. It’s exciting to be part of saving beavers on a national scale.

Full Screen

Duck Race

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, History April 22, 2010

Readers might remember that on the way to my parents home I pass through the Gold Rush town of Sutter Creek where a large beaver dam stops water on both sides of the bridge. Each summer the dam is knocked out, and in the past we have been alarmed that maybe the beavers were killed. Last week I got the real story.

In the course of researching beaver prevalence in California we found a delightful book written by a Sutter Creek native. He described his father, who was born at the turn of the century, checking his traps on the way to school and getting beaver, martin, fox. This was of course interesting to me as we’re talking 1600 feet elevation, and that if indeed beavers were trapped by his father it was about 10 years before the were “introduced”.

I promptly called the author to verify and ask about photos. He assured me that his father wouldn’t have mistakenly referred to trapping beaver because the pelts were so valuable. Sadly no photos, but in passing he mentioned the beaver dam that was there now, remarking that it had to be removed each year to allow for the rubber duck races that were held for charity.

I knew immediately which dam he was talking about, and was happy to hear the reason for its annual destruction. Still, I suggested, his town would be MUCH more recognized if they left the dam in place and had rubber beaver races instead.

I wonder if he’ll think about it.