Month: October 2010

The second best beaver article ever written

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers, Beavers elsewhere March 4, 2011

I found this lovely account of “Ducky” which appeared this weekend, not surprisingly, in Skip Lisle’s home state. It is second only to “Voyage of the dam med” for sheer respect and admiration of the animal. It’s beautiful, intimate writing of one woman keeping watch on a beaver. Gosh, I can’t possibly imagine why it appeals to me, can you?

I will never forget the evening of Ducky’s formal debut, an event that took place during my first summer of beaver watching. I had waited for weeks to see the kits, but they never appeared when I was there. That evening, Willow, the matriarch, arrived to sample the picnic I brought for her, as had become her habit. Instead of finishing her refreshment, however, she ate just a little and then swam away.

She soon returned with a miniature beaver bobbing beside her. Willow strolled back up to her picnic while Ducky sat up in the shallow water, little paws tucked up to her chest and watched. Her wonder could not have equaled mine. I like to think that Willow had decided it was time to show off her baby. At the very least, allowing the kit to follow her to the picnic site demonstrated the degree of trust she felt in me.

The delightful story follows the details of Ducky’s growing up, and youthful habit of taking more from the larder than she saved. The author follows the stream when she disperses and identifies her selected territory. It’s a beautiful look at compassionate stewardship for beavers, which I believe we can all benefit from! Go read the whole thing and maybe then you’ll feel like writing the author to thank her.

As I approached an old dam, I saw that water had collected behind it again. Sure enough, a beaver’s wake sliced across the dark pool as I approached. Ducky swam right up for her apples. This site did have an abundance of winter forage, and though just a 15-minute stroll from my house, it was still remote from other humans.

Beaver trails, canals and a harvest of alder branches suggested Ducky was not just passing through. As I gazed upstream, admiring the pretty valley, I saw the second beaver. He swam right over. Ducky, busy with an apple, greeted him with a few little squeak-whines. The new beaver emitted a low growl-like hum, then a warning huff and for good measure, slapped with his tail. When he surfaced, I explained that I’d known Ducky since she was in pigtails, so he’d better get used to my visits. He huffed again and swam off.

Despite this cool reception, I was delighted to meet Ducky’s mate. In the fairy tales this is where the story would end, and perhaps in the relatively uncomplicated world of a beaver, I could conclude with “and they all lived happily ever after.” I prefer to think of this as the beginning of a story. You bet, I’ll keep you posted.

Patti Smith is a naturalist at the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center. The View From Heifer Hill, a feature on the nature of our region, appears in this space the first Saturday of each month. Patti welcomes your feedback at grayfox@vtrocket.com.

More good news from our Raging Grannies friend Ruth Robertson (Part I) whose article (Part II) appears in “Positive News“. It’s a fun read, but if she had ran it by me I would have told her that the photo was wrongly titled by about 45 lbs.

That’s a kit. Dad is much, much larger! Think labrador

“Making Friends and Influencing People”

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors October 5, 2010

It’s been an interesting weekend in beaver-dom. I got a nice letter from Ontario where my letter to the editor was published last week. Turns out a single voice in the wilderness has been trying to force the issue into the media lime-light for a long time, and would love some beaver friends stateside.

Beavers create wetland habitat for wildlife

Your poignant memories enjoying the swamp and mournful commentary of the loss of wetlands is what my grandmother would call a ‘great start’. You say you don’t like beavers, but you understand their value in the habitat. Fair enough. People are often moved to advocate for these animals through mysterious paths… because of a particular duck… because of a wish to recharge the watertable… because of a wish to save the dwindling pacific salmon population. I come from the point of really enjoying the opportunity to observe these animals and their interactions. When beavers moved into downtown Martinez, our city responded by deciding to kill them, as many cities do, but the beavers were so well loved they were forced to try some of those new-fangled “humane solutions”. We hired Skip Lisle to come out from Vermont and install a flow device at the dam. This has safely maintained the dam height for three years.

Because we allowed the beavers to stay, we have reaped the benefits of their stewardship. We now regularly see otter, muskrat, steelhead wood duck, scaup, heron and kingfisher at the dam. We even had mink last year. Beavers do chew trees, but their chewing acts as a natural coppice cutting that stimulates dense bushy regrowth, ideal for migratory and songbirds whose numbers have been shown to go up as the number of beaver dams in an area increase.

Trapping beaver is a short-term solution that must be repeated again and again. Flow devices that protect dams and culverts are cheap, effective solutions that have the added advantage of preserving our shrinking wetlands. Any city smarter than a beaver can keep a beaver.

Thanks for your editorial.

Heidi Perryman, Ph.D.

President & Founder

Worth A Dam

Because the gods of the beaver universe never want to give you too much good news at once, I also got a reply to my post about the hilarious beaver-trapping lecture at the Nature Center. It was from some one calling themselves “josh’s aunt” who assured me that Ohio did have members of PETA and that they “made excellent coats”. Get it? Crazy vegetarian hippies tell us not to wear animals so we wear them instead! Gosh that’s funny! What a family affair. Maybe this was Josh’s grandma?

(Is this just a regional thing or is all of Ohio insane?)

On a final note, there are rumblings from Los Altos about a Heifer International Project encroaching Adobe Creek. Our wikipedia friend is involved and hopefully will guest blog about it soon. Its one of those attractive “VELVET BRICK” projects: Choose a hero that everyone loves, like ARF of SENIOR CITIZENS and force the in-building project down everyone’s throats in violation of every possible code, so that it will be easier to do it next time.

Sound Familiar? I told them I’d help however I’m able.

11-29-2007

heidi08 Uncategorized October 4, 2010

Lets revisit our salad days and remember something about how we got here…Back in these early times, Bruce ran the website and I just sent him articles to post. When this article was written I actually believed (HA) the war had been won and we were all staying firmly on the same team. Wow…

Martinez Beavers in A Whole New Light

Heidi Perryman

Tuesday’s first subcommittee meeting demonstrated a city staff and council that has come to think of the beavers as an asset to be protected. There was frank discussion of their benefits and challenges, and a firm readiness demonstrated by the city that it is ready to deal with both.

City staff outlined their plan for urgent response to rising water by moving equipment into place when the water approaches two feet from the bridge, and beginning to chip away at the dam if it rose more than one foot below the bridge. There was firm indication that water flow management expert Skip Lisle will attend next weeks meeting and begin work on leveler devices.

In the mean time the city may notch the dam to drain water, although there is every inidcation that the beavers will quickly repair that. Issues of water quality, fish, and wildlife were discussed, as well as possible volunteer coordination including a beaver docent program, a willow restocking project, and a kayakers clean-up club.

The subcommittee plans to conclude its goals in 90 days, with an immediate response to the water control issue. All in all, it was a good night for beavers.

Despite her previous expressed interest Ms. Tappel indicated the same day to Mr. Ross that she would not be available and did not attend the meeting.

Ahh memories!

A lively Alhambra Creek

heidi08 Environmental, pictures October 3, 2010

Beavers Create Habitat for Wildlife. Here’s the Proof.

Photo: Cheryl Reynolds

Beavers and otters don’t love eachother, but they’re condemned to be around eachother until the end of days. Remember that the two don’t compete for food, as the otter is a carnivore and not interested in willow. Beavers sometimes ignore otters in their territory, and sometimes show them none-to-politely to the door. Otters are a sort of ‘obligate’ nester, and don’t make their own dens. They would be thrilled to use a cozy beaver lodge to raise their pups and have spent a lot of time checking out the abandoned lodge at Bertola’s. The beavers think that’s frankly not a very good idea, and on Friday both Dad and the two year old gave tail slaps to that effect. The claim that otters will sometimes eat young kits is controversial, and I don’t know that any study ever found beaver parts in an otter tummy. Either way our kits are far to plump to be in danger any more.

I don’t know how anyone could look at this picture and not conclude that lower section of Alhambra Creek, five years ago rated the least healthy part of the waterway, is now teaming with life. That otter wouldn’t be there unless several meals were calling their names. And the ‘fish of the day’ is there because of the beaver ponds.

Thanks Cheryl.

Otter, otter, everywhere…

heidi08 Uncategorized October 2, 2010

Water, Otter water otter, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink. Nor muskrat, loon or mink.

The Rime if the Ancient Mariner

Yesterday two otters were spied at the dam, a little one who made the regular jaunt through the flow device pipe, and a larger one who had to go over the top of the dam in the customary fashion. They hung around to lower the fish population in both ponds, before being chased off by dad who followed the big one over the secondary dam while the little one was still being cornered by the two year old.

Since were in fall it’s likely we are seeing mother and child. Otters might venture on their own once they’re weaned at ten weeks, but they are more likely to hang with the parent until just before the new brood comes along. Here’s a weird fact about the otter you won’t read on just ANY website. Otter droppings are called “spraints“. Apparently they often smell so uniquely of fish they get their own name. The spraints we see often in the beavers section of creek are red with shells of broken crayfish.

It’s not all good news this morning, as we read about what I would call an “Epic Nature Fail” yesterday. This from the state of Ohio, who brought us the alarming tale of the woman who beat the fawn to death with a shovel. (There is clearly a lot about nature residents need to learn.) Don’t worry, the Lowe-Volk Park nature center in Crestline is doing its part! They’re offering a presentation on beavers Tuesday night. That sounds promising! Learning about beavers is important. Whose doing the lecture?

Join Crawford Park District naturalist Josh Dyer for a program about beavers at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center, 2401 Ohio 598. Dyer will discuss the life history, past and current status of beavers in Ohio and Crawford County, and the beaver dominated fur trade. Sharing from his 15 years of trapping experience, Dyer will give some trapping how-to’s and funny anecdotes.

Trapping how-to’s and funny anecdotes? From a ‘naturalist/trapper’? At a nature center? Are you kidding me? The mind reels. The jaw drops. Funny anecdotes? “Yeah one time this beaver got his foot stuck in the conibear trap and was thrashing all around trying to get free until his lungs exploded. It was a hilarious!” Will there be other lectures from the comical assassination of diverse wildlife? Tales of the skunk killer? The raccoon remover? The dog catcher? I am fairly sure that whatever anecdotes a man gleans in 15 years of trapping should not be the subject of lecture in a Nature Park, unless there’s been a road-to-Damascus moment somewhere in there.

It’s not just that the abysmally named Lowe-Volk Nature Center invited the trapper to discuss his experiences. I’m sure they’re colorful. Remember the trapper who told the media that he was only killing the ‘soldier’ beavers? That was in your next door neighbor state of Pennsylvania. (Apparently a unique ‘beaver ignorance belt’ girdles much of the middle of our united states.) No its not just that they invited the trapper in. Or that some one on staff at the nature center (maybe Josh himself!) actually sat down at the computer and typed the press release that included a sentence like ‘trapping how-to’s and funny anecdotes’. Its not that that the obliging local paper, the Bucyrus Forum, assigned the story to some reporter who thought it was a good idea to actually print. All this is common enough, in the daily horrors of beaver chronicles. It’s that somewhere, at some kitchen table or living room, there are actually men and women who will see this column and think amiably to themselves, ooh lets have the hamburgers early so we can bring the kids down to the nature center tuesday and hear some of those hilarious trapping stories!

Is there no PETA in Ohio?

Gosh I wish I could be there. I would sit in the front row and take a notebook to write down every single fact Mr. Dyer relays about beavers so I can see if even three of them are accurate. Of course I wrote the nature center. Maybe you should too.

I was so excited to read that you were having a talk next week about beavers, the often misunderstood keystone species that improves water quality, increases fish population density and diversity, makes essential habitat for wildlife and stimulates new tree growth to allow increased nesting of migrating birds. I imagined you would educate the interested public on how to resolve beaver issues by controlling dam height with flow devices and successfully preventing beavers from blocking culverts. Maybe you would even talk about the fact that in addition to being an ecosystem engineer, the beaver is also considered a “charismatic species” and is an excellent tool for teaching children about the natural world

Instead I see you are having a ‘meet the trapper’ night with fun-loving furry death hijinks of a knowledgeable beaver trapper! Will he bring pictures? I can’t imagine a more dramatic example of a missed opportunity than to misuse your nature center in this way.

If you are ever interested in an actual beaver lecture, let us know.

Heidi Perryman, Ph.D.

President & Founder

Worth A Dam