Month: April 2012

Rewards & Awards

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beavers, Earth Day, Educational, Friends of Martinez Beavers April 20, 2012

Tomorrow is Earth day, and we’re getting ready for a very busy day at the John Muir Historic Site. We’ll be joined by several supporters and by the stalwart artist FROgard Butler who will be helping children illustrate beaver tails! FRO recently opened her own art studio in Concord and has been busy making it a welcoming space for creative and appreciative minds. She also just found out she won the volunteer award we nominated her for from the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County. Here is my nominating letter:

FROgard Butler has played a unique and significant role for the arts in Contra Costa County. An instructor, colleague and friend to new artists, for the past 5 years she has played an irreplaceable role by coordinating and implementing the art program for the beaver advocacy group Worth A Dam. At least four times a year FRO uses her creative, engaging talents to encourage children to look more closely at their watershed and represent what they see with clay, watercolors, acrylic paint and more. In small classrooms and vast open-spaces, intimate groups and fast-moving crowds, I have watched her work closely with her young artists and I never fail to marvel at her patience, encouragement and non-judgmental respect for the creative process that allows children to represent the world as they see it, not as adults might prefer it to be shown. FRO’s artwork and teaching is on permanent display on the tiles of Escobar bridge and the creek mural at the Martinez Early Childhood Center. The colorful banner she helped children draw is one of the most creative and attractive mobile works of art that I have ever seen, and never fails to melt hearts wherever we share it.

With her uniquely engaging style, FROgard has helped thousands of children experience their creativity though art – and in doing so has fostered future artists throughout Contra Costa County. Very often I have seen FRO coax amazing creations out of the most art-averse subject and I have endless respect for her capacity to teach children to value the creative process over the finished product. FROgard has been an irreplaceable asset to the Martinez Beavers Advocacy group, allowing us to impact the community and teach watershed science in a real and tangible way to children of all ages. As a child psychologist who regularly employs art in my practice, I have learned a great deal from watching her work. Although her significant contributions and events around the bay area are numerous and well known, my personal understanding of FRO’s art is the magic by which she encourages the child to create their own. I can’t think of anything more impactful for the future of art in Contra Costa County than this gift.

Please feel free to contact me regarding any questions or clarifications. In our work we have seen literally hundreds of outreach efforts and without exception every nonprofit we encounter is envious of FRO’s help and wishes she worked for them. I’m just glad we found her first!

Congratulations FRO! We couldn’t be prouder or happier for you! One of her recent accomplishments was designing a flag which she helped children illustrate at our Roots and Shoots Event at the Oakland Zoo last year, and which we finished at the Flyway Festival. We liked it so much we’re doing a second one at the Girl Scout Event at the Fairgrounds. Jon spent some time yesterday figuring how to hang a flagpole from our awning, and if you stop by the booth tomorrow I think you will be very impressed!

More accolades go to our long-time beaver friend from Massachusetts who has been steadily impressing folk with his expertise and willingness to help. Yesterday a disciple had this to say about Mike Callahan on his blog “My Sherwood Glen“

Mike Callahan Leaves it to Beavers

Those of you who are aware of our efforts to co-exist with our beaver neighbors, know that we have had the help of Mike Callahan of BeaverSolutions.com. I can’t say enough about Mike’s willingness to help and his dedication to beaver conservation.

I was considered a technology expert back in the 1980’s when the definition of an expert was anyone who was online two weeks longer than you. As I moved around the country, I found that there were two kinds of experts. First there were those who had the magic skills, but kept the skills to themselves for personal gain. Then there were those who were excited about the potential of technology, wanted to spread the word and would share freely and promote the cause for the betterment of all. I was extremely fortunate to have hooked up with a group of national technology experts who shared freely and mentored me.

Mike is cut from that same cloth. He makes his living by designing, building and installing beaver fences and flow control devices, but he shares his knowledge freely with anyone who wants to help beavers co-exist with human neighbors. He gives more than he gets.

Go read the whole delightful thing, and if you haven’t joined the beaver management forum on facebook yet you really should. Mike’s certainly given us free help on more than one occasion, (although if you sit through the credits on his DVD you will see we have definitely returned the favor!) It’s always nice to see good friends get the recognition they deserve and to see the beaver gospel spread around the globe!

You will note if you read further down that Art brought Mike a 6 pack of beaver beer. (Which I alerted them too) And both men agreed it was delicious!

This would be an appropriate time to note I am still waiting for my Beaver Beer festival sponsorship letter?

UPDATE: Remember the Roseville article describing the need to remove beaver dams to protect Vernal Polls? They published my response.

UPDATE II Our young beaver champion from Kentucky just found out that Beaver Cree 7 won a Telly Award! The The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring the finest film and video productions. Beaver Creek won a bronze Telly(the 2nd highest honor) in the children’s programming category.

Civic Indiscretion

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Earth Day, Educational, Environmental April 19, 2012

The last few days have produced such positive beaver news that readers would be forgiven for thinking that the battle is over and we won! After five years and copious confrontations, hasn’t the northern hemisphere finally come to terms with the value of the humble beaver? Don’t we all know better now than we did once?

Apparently not. Let’s start with this article from Toronto.

Who or what is killing these trees?

At first, he believed beavers were to blame, “but there is no beaver in that neighbourhood that I’m aware of.” Upon closer examination, he said it appeared that the trees had been chopped down. Wong suspects the damage may have been done by people walking through the bush to get to the pond to fish. “I assume if they clear the trees around them, their lines won’t get snagged,” he said.

Fallen trees with chew marks by a lake in Toronto are a mystery? Really? I wrote the paper that if they wanted a clue to the culprit they should look on the backs of their nickels. Honestly, why do people assume if they never saw a beaver in the day time they aren’t there? And why exactly would fishermen chop down trees at the same height and haul away all the branches?

It gets worse. Brace yourselves. This next contender is from North Carolina where Earth Day activities are being planned by the Ecological Organization in Hendersonville. They are asking for volunteers for multiple Earth-friendly projects, like planting trees, cleaning up creeks and weeding community gardens. Oh yes, and there’s this:

with projects ranging from stream bank enhancements to the removal of a beaver dam in a rare wetland.

Removal of a beaver dam on EARTH DAY? In a RARE WETLAND? On EARTH DAY? Sometimes when I encounter ire-inducing facts it is helpful to pause and consider history. It may interest readers to be reminded that the concept of Earth Day was first introduced by John McConnoll at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco in 1969. The following year the city became the first in the world to promote a special day for the earth. Get it? San Francisco is named after St. Francis and St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and as good a symbol of ecology as you are likely to find in the Catholic rolodex. He is remembered for saying famously;

If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

Which brings us back to an Ecological Organization calling for volunteers to help remove a beaver dam from a rare wetland on EARTH DAY. This makes about as much sense as handcuffing yourself to an englishman on the fourth of July. (If your idea of protecting wetlands is ripping out beaver dams no wonder they’re rare! Of course I wrote ECO.) Was there a typo? Did the paper misunderstand something? My email was passed up the chain of command to the Executive Director who swiftly wrote back.

He began his email with a reminder to breathe, and let’s just say he endeavored to be more condescending from there.

Obviously the beavers weren’t an endangered species. And the wetlands restoration cost a great deal of money and they were collaborating with very important groups that said the beavers couldn’t remain, and maybe I could afford to have a black and white view of the world but the complexity of his work required “shades of gray”.

(Oh and he addressed me as an “ecologist” in quotation marks, which I assume isn’t meant to communicate that he is quoting someone else who called me an ecologist but rather that my ecological comments were “PRETEND” where as his were sincere. That was charming too.)

So there is no hope for the beavers at Lewis creek and all the residents of Hendersonville will be taught by a large environmental organization that removing a beaver dam is a GREAT way to protect wetlands. Which alternately makes me laugh maniaclly or grind my teeth, (mostly the latter). When I went looking for information on Lewis Creek I found this lovely image and description:

A small beaver dam creates a crystalline pool that is home to frogs and salamanders.

Well not anymore it doesn’t. Those frogs and salamanders will just have to clear the heck out. People are widening a flood plain and protecting rare wetlands. In fact ECO & its partners are apparently helping protect wetlands so much the nature can barely stand it!

Their stroll, however, lasted about 100 yards or so before the tree-lined path turned to barren land along the banks of a stream. Grahl, president of the development’s homeowners association, paused to reflect on what the trail — where residents enjoyed walking their dogs each day — once looked like.

“They came in and bulldozed everything,” Grahl said about the ongoing Lewis Creek restoration project. “I don’t even come down here anymore — it’s too depressing to look at.”

That they weren’t originally told full-grown trees would be permanently removed and that wildlife would be killed. They are upset that beavers might be trapped, and they think the traps would be a safety hazard.

Apparently the project caused enough of a stir that it merited a six page article last fall. The man who reminded me to breathe pointed out that the beavers were ‘relocated – not trapped’ and the flood plane needed to be widened. Obviously residents of the area didn’t understand that in order to protect some wetlands you need to bulldoze them, while in order to make room for saplings you need to rip out existing trees. “Ecology” is so complex!

You know, the article mentions that one of the major problems the homeowers had with the project boiled down to poor communication skills.

Communication lacking: One thing both sides agree on is that a communication breakdown occurred throughout the process.

Given our tender exchanges yesterday, I’m shocked.

The email heard round the world…

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports April 18, 2012

St. Matthews gains attention over beavers in Draut Park

UPDATE: The courier Journal has very politely invited me to pay them for the privilege of quoting their article, which seems odd considering they were allowed to quote me for free. However, since I am burdened with a massive super-ego I will comply by removing the quotes and summarizing the content in red. Those of you that are highly motivated to read their sylvan prose may click on the link yourself.

The article describes young Ian Timothy and his concern about beavers at Arthur K Draut Park where the lodge was recently bulldozed. It introduces readers to Ian the naturalist and explains his award winning films. Then says he emailed a ” beaver protection activist” in California about the situation.

Nice invitation to the story and into Ian’s award-winning films! Hmm, what kind of intro does Worth A Dam get? Beaver protection activist? (People for the Ethical Treatment of Beavers?) I guess I’ve been called worse. I really see myself as more of a educator actually…or missionary….maybe a free-range guerrilla missionary educator with a blog?

The article describes how I, said beaver protection activist, sent Ian’s letter to all our beaver friends and the city desk was flooded with emails from as far away as New Zealand. In an interview with the reporter I explained that beaver was well known by us. (Gosh, do you think I have to pay to quote them quoting me?)

I guess the “BAT SIGNAL” really worked this time. The emails from around the world caused a bit of a stir apparently. Not sure why a mortified councilman would forward his stack of accusations to the press, but I certainly wish it happened all the time. I guess he was saying that he had never killed beavers and all those crazy people from PET-B were being mean to him.

To which I can only say: BOO!

The councilman is quoted as being shocked that beavers chew trees and Ian is quoted describing the function of coppice cutting. Guess which one sounds more informed?

Go Ian Go! What excellent phrasing and communication! Teaching folks to see the ‘forest’ for the ‘trees’ is a huge step in beaver advocacy! The fact that this photo ran in the article means that your message definitely sank in.

Ian says he wants to help the council understand about flow devices, and the council says we have to examine costs.

Absolutely councilman Tonini. Consider the cost of beaver control measures. Add up manpower hours and fuel costs for ripping out the dams a few times a year, planting a few trees, and while you’re at it figure in your own time you spent talking to the media about this and answering emails. Then compare it to the cost of installing a flow device for which we here at “PET-B” have already offered to match your costs with a scholarship. Sit down and do the math and let me know what you come up with.

Ian was interviewed on Agents of Change last week and has been involved in several film festivals.

Just in case we have some new visitors from the article, go here to listen to the amazing interview. Ian did an excellent job, and we are enormously proud of his first foray into the beaver trenches! Thank you Martha for writing such a compassionate, thorough piece, and thank you Karen and Joel for producing such a creative and heroic citizen of the natural world.

And as for our hero, we can only say, Ian, you are truly Worth A Dam!

Yes Virginia, there is a Beaver Santa Clause!

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental April 17, 2012

: Wildlife biologists from the new wildlife response innovations and service division of the United States Humane Society work to create the notch in the beaver dam where the pipe will be placed. (Submitted photo)

Sutherlin camp balances harmony with man, beaver

Written by Danielle Vaughn

In an attempt to co-exist with the beavers living on their campgrounds, board members of Camp Selah Ministries in Sutherlin sought help from wildlife biologists of wildlife response innovations and services division of the United States Humane Society. These biologists spent all day Saturday implementing an innovative device designed to prevent the beaver dams from flooding camp roads.

Hey! I recognize those waders! Wow that notch in the dam looks so familiar! Some one’s getting a flow device! In Virginia?

The board initially considered removing the beavers but decided instead to consult with the Humane Society which conducted a site evaluation and recommended a flow device to prevent flooding and alleviate road damage. “We are really grateful that there are people who are compassionate and care about animals and their habitat,” Hardy said.

Hurray for the Humane Society! And hurray for flow devices! We’re always happy to see another conversion in the beaver wars! So you get to keep your beavers and keep that lovely pond and keep all the wildlife that rely on it!

Its main focus [of the Christian Camp] is the nurture and care of children, and they thought it would be good for the children to learn how to embrace the beavers as God’s creation and co-exist with them at the camp instead of removing them or killing them.“We hope it will be good for the beavers, good for the land, good for the water and good for the children,” Hardy said.

Can I get an Amen? Wow! ‘Suffer the little beavers to come unto me’! I can’t disagree with any part of that sentence, and since beavers are a charismatic species as well as a keystone species, children will love to learn about your furry resident believers. Check out the ‘teachers’ tab on the website for lots of inspired children’s activities about beavers. Let’s see what it says about the flow device.

The water flow devices consist of flexible corrugated plastic pipes, sized to the particular job but usually somewhere between eight and 15 inches in diameter. The device is installed by notching the existing dam and then running and securing the pipe in the gap. The sound and feel of water running through the pipe stimulates the beaver to attempt repairing the dam at the site of the notch, but not at the pipe ends, and thus, the upstream water level is maintained at a depth that meets the camp’s needs.

To ensure beavers or debris don’t block the upstream end of the system, a filtering device also will be installed.

Well, now! That is very very close to describing what a flow device actually does – although it has no mention of beavers feeling suction, which they clearly do. I started to realize this when I read the passage of ‘Three Against the Wilderness” that described the beavers sensitive guard hairs feeling leaks in the dam. But got an even better idea this year when our filter washed away and Dad quickly plugged the pipe (which is very far from the dam). Then Mike’s photo cinched it….

blocked filter — A beaver remedy for flow devices

The point being that the ‘filter’ protecting the pipe has to be shaped so that beavers can’t feel the water being pulled into the opening. It makes since that the pond is their home turf and they know the territory over and UNDER water very well, so any new drain is going to get noticed. And if they do feel it, they will FIX it.

“This is a win-win for Camp Selah and the beavers,” Stephanie Boyles Griffin, senior director of Wildlife Response, Innovations and Services said. “Not only will installing a pipe system solve the camp’s flooding problems, the camp’s efforts to find and implement a humane, non-lethal solution to their beaver management dilemma is now and will continue to be a living testimony of the camp’s primary tool of ministry: embracing of God’s creation at Camp Selah,” Griffin said.

A fine end to a lovely article! I am thrilled that there are new beaver believers in the world and a new flow device in Virginia! This is as good an opportunity as any I’m likely to get to say that oh, by the way, given beavers extreme sensitivity to flow and suction, this wherever possible should look like this → instead!

Otters, otters everywhere!

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, New Species April 16, 2012

River otters rebounding with hospitable habitat

The most happy-go-lucky denizen of Bay Area creeks is back, after a hiatus of at least three decades: the river otter. “They look like they’re having a wonderful time out there. It’s really exciting to see,” said Steve Bobzien, a wildlife ecologist for the East Bay Regional Park District. “Plus, it’s a really good biological indicator of the health of the ecosystem.”

“The more we look for otters, the more we find. It seems like they’re everywhere,” said Megan Isadore, a naturalist from Forest Knoll who started the River Otter Ecology Project and Otter Spotter website. “It’s wonderful – everyone loves otters.”

This lovely article by our old friend Carolyn Jones appeared in the SF Chronicle this weekend. We’ve been having a lot of contact with new the River Otter Ecology folks and are excited about their upcoming visit to the Martinez Beavers and display at the beaver festival this summer. They have accomplished so much in such a small amount of time I’m thrilled to see what they will do next!

Otters were once found in almost every creek and lake in Northern California, but their numbers seriously dwindled until the 1970s because of hunting, habitat loss and pollution. Particularly harmful was mercury, which seeped into the crayfish, clams, mussels and other shellfish that otters dine on.

One place where otters still get killed is in conibear traps that are planted in the water and set for beavers. Accidental otter deaths reported by APHIS were very high in 2009, which everyone agree is horrible. Of course, since they were killed by ‘accident’ I couldn’t possibly overlook the ‘killed on purpose’ beaver deaths of the same origin, but saving otters seems as good a reason as any not to use traps.

You may have noticed that Otters are the fun, graceful, popular step child of the watershed family. They make friends easily and don’t do anything that destructive or upsetting. Although they don’t keep a regular address, they’re easier to see in the daytime and very exciting to watch. Even if you worry about them eating up your fish, they tend not to stay in one place long enough for it to be a problem. I can’t help but think that otters have it easy.

Beavers, on the other hand, pretty much sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.

Marin seems to have the biggest concentration of otters, and the population there appears to have skirted the worst of the hunting and pollution impacts. Otters are in virtually every creek and reservoir but especially seem to favor water treatment plants and anyplace with lots of salmon, Herlocker said. They’re so plentiful a few have even been hit by cars, prompting at least one “Otter Crossing” sign – on Lucky Drive in Larkspur.

Marin has the most otters? Really? Just curious, but how many beavers does Marin have?

Scientists don’t know much about otters’ population figures in the Bay Area – no official counts are available – but Isadore hopes to change that. With her Otter Spotter program, she’s encouraging members of the public to help document otters’ behavior and whereabouts so scientists can identify their corridors and ranges, eating and breeding habits and general population trends. That kind of information will help show a more complete picture of otters’ health as a species, as well as a hint of the general state of Bay Area watersheds.

Otter Spotter Program! I love that! Every beaver watcher should be an otter spotter too of course! Our own Cheryl Reynolds just visited the beavers in Lake Herman and found that the beaver in question was none to pleased about the otter he spotted! (Since it’s April and their are likely young kits about, otters aren’t going to be welcomed in beaver ponds at the moment.)

Well it’s a watershed moment for our creeks and streams and otters can be its darlings while beavers work quietly in the background! We’re as happy as can be that you’re involved in keeping an eye on our waterways, and welcome to the family!