“No beavers were harmed when we destroyed the lodge”
The male was not seen again
“We are sure there were no kits in that lodge”
There were two very small kits, now with no protection.
“Beavers will destroy the the trees”
Volunteers wrapped the trees.
“Flow devices can’t work in storm water ponds”
Beaver Solutions sent photos of flow devices in storm water ponds
“These beavers must be relocated…there’s no alternative, no not to that sanctuary you want, and not by Sherri Tippie…we picked someone better…much better…don’t worry about it being winter…everything will be alright…just close your eyes…don’t peek…are you peeking?….now…magic…..beavers are fine! See?”
Mind you, I don’t trot out Hamlet for just anyone. This is really, really upsetting. If you want to read something nice to get rid of that gripping pain in your chest, try this. It’s the update of our friends at the Sierra Wildlife Coalition, and it will take the sting away. For those of you following along at home, remember, they started out with some lying governmental beaver-killers and a failed effort to protect a colony, producing a response that eventually grew into this!
Which begs the question for Mayor Watson, do you really want to make Ottawa mad?
How rude! It was perfectly dusky by 6:30 last night but our beavers made us shiver and wait for them until 7:20 before Jr came strolling out lazily looking for breakfast. Maybe the super high tide had something to do with his late arrival, but he was immediately joined by an adult beaver. At first I thought it was mom, but this beaver was bigger than mom and less cautious than dad. Also Jr didn’t react to the adult at all, no whining like last week. I had been assuming our three 2010 yearlings had all moved on, but obviously we still have at least one of them. This was one of our two larger beavers we called the ‘bookends’ because they were exactly the same size, (and Reed was so little)! So we have at least 4 beavers. Maybe more?
Another couple at the dam were insisting that the last time they were there they had seen two kits side by side with two different color tails. Sigh. I wish more than anything we were lucky enough to have two! And he was lucky enough to have a companion! But it’s October. We first saw him four months ago. In the 5 years we have been spotting kits we have always seen all the siblings by the first week or so. It’s more likely that the couple saw mom (who is smaller) and Jr together and assumed they were 2 kits because we have always seen more than one.
KH and JO had seen something ‘dead’ on the dam earlier in the week (not a beaver) getting eaten by a rat. In our long beaver wait last night we were able to see it was the massive head of a sturgeon, harvested by some fisherman and lopped cleanly off with a knife. Either it was dumped in the creek or floated in with the tide, but we were happy to solve the mystery at least.
Our friends at the Ottawa-Carlton Wildlife Centre sent this, with a note that they made sure to include lots of “beaver” references because Mayor Jim Watson will be attending the event where it’s shown. Enjoy and share!
Yesterday Louise Ramsay (of the free Tay beavers in Scotland) posted a lovely poem she had written. As soon as I looked up the word “Ogam” I knew her writing needed its own graphic. Maybe a real artist will get inspired to draw their own beaver writing?
Beautiful! Thanks Louise, who will be the “KEYNOTE STONE speaker at the state of the beaver conference this year. I for one can’t wait to hear her. And now because man does not live by poetry alone…
Sent by a good friend to be savored by many. Is it wrong for me to wonder if any of our city council has wooden legs? .
The N.C. Trappers Association, working with the Soil and Water Conservation Service and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, will sponsor a free trapping class Saturday at the Agriculture Extension office in Whiteville. Lunch will be provided, but pre-registration is required.
Dan Jones of Fair Bluff, a member of the NCTA board of directors and one of the instructors, said the interest in the class has been amazing.
“We have a lot more folks interested than we thought,” he said, “and people were asking about catching coyotes, so we decided to expand the class.”
I’m a patient woman. You might not think it, but I am. I read crazy stupid fabricated things about beavers every day and I still try not to swear and instead to express things creatively using a poem or a graphic or a story if I can. I’ve been known to hear out horrifically and willfully inaccurate remarks, and bite my tongue or dig my fingernails into my clenched fist while I struggle to find the right way to eventually answer. It’s not like I expect miraculous changes of heart from places like Columbus North Carolina. But I do irrationally hope for an ounce of sense. I desperately try not to fill every column with the letters WTF printed over and over again, but HONESTLY. A beaver trapping class for children! And now you’re going to add coyotes too! Aren’t there more things you can kill?
How about puppies?
The class was originally designed to help local trappers learn how to take advantage of the county’s new beaver bounty program. Responding to complaints about continued beaver problems in the county, the Columbus County Board of Commissioners formed a beaver committee last year. The committee proposed either increasing the county’s share in the Beaver Management Assistance Program (BMAP), which is run through the local USDA APHIS office, or establishing a bounty system. The commissioners approved both Monday. (See related story in The News Reporter).
APHIS! Perfect! So our federal tax dollars are paying to teach Jimmy how to trap beavers and coyotes! Registration includes lunch! And it’s filling up fast! How on earth could this story possibly get ANY better?
The name of the town is Whiteville.
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Need some good beaver news to rinse with? How about this story in Alberta
BEAVERING AWAY — A beaver nibbles on some aspen leaves in the John E. Poole wetland near Big Lake. St. Albert is home to many beavers, which can spell trouble for local trees. Ludo Bogaert
Suddenly, a shot rang out. CRACK! After a few confused moments, during which I tried to find the unseen hunter and give him a piece of my mind, it happened again. CRACK!
Eventually, I realized the truth; this was no lone gunman, but a busy beaver, smacking its tail against the water as it dived into the Sturgeon.
Beavers are everywhere in the Sturgeon, and are one of the most influential engineers on its waters. Beavers are actually a big benefit to the Sturgeon, Veenstra says, as they keep its water levels high.
Alberta was a much drier place in the absence of the beaver, Foote says. Their dams enhance groundwater recharge and create homes for moose, muskrats and bufflehead ducks. “They are an ecosystem engineer.”
Mind you, this is a actually a “dammed” with faint praise article because I had to cut and paste from both ends to put together a positive paragraph. We’re grading on a curve and it’s better than Whiteville. For some inexplicable reason they went through the trouble to get beaver commentary from the University of Alberta but NOT from Dr. Glynnis Hood, professor at the University and author of the Beaver Manifesto and charming, attractive, brilliant, carefree dropper of much, much better beaver copy than this:
“Contrary to popular belief, Foote notes, the tail is not used as a weapon and is not used to carry mud. “It’s also not very edible.”
‘Twas the worst drought recorded (thanks bk!)
And dark was the day
When counties were listed
By the USDA As natural disasters
for crops, grain and men
Our Nation would give theSupport once again The wells had run dry
and the corn would all raze
And cattle were sold off
With nothing to graze And in North CarolinaAll Columbus asked whytheir parched land was classified
as “Abnormally Dry“ No work for the wearyAs they watch their leaves fallAnd all of the countyfinds their back to the wall But then unsung heroesthey offered their mightto increase their water and work through the night Their families would struggleto lessen the painThey knew what to do‘Til their streams ran again Commissioners stopped themTheir wisdoms prevailAnd put out a bounty30$ a tail. Water-savers could helpbut they don’t understandthey killed beavers ruthlesslyAll through the land So when your dry citySees its fields grow coarseremember ColumbusWho killed the gift horse
