And even if you can’t make it in person, enjoy an update on the San Jose beavers!
Month: April 2013
I’m sorry but my tolerance for the “EW beaver” brigade is just about worn out. Honestly, you’d think that the fact that we cover the same story day after day from Oklahoma to Ontario would eventually begin sink in! Information should be flooding the Google pages if nothing else so that folks couldn’t possibly search ‘beaver problems’ without finding ‘solutions’.
Ahh, but you’d be wrong if you thought the willful need to maintain ignorance was easily vanquished in combat. No, it is viral-hardy, and always sprouting new varieties when one form is cured. Never mind. It’s almost Earth day. Let’s educate.
First we should go to the Nutmeg state where a budding poet-laureate has made the brilliant discovery that the words “beaver” and “cleaver” rhyme. Good for him.
Pardon The Reality: Cleaver beavers?
We live on one of Lewisboro’s pristine lakes, within an area served by the Three Lakes Council (3LC), an organization dedicated to the preservation of the entire surrounding watershed.
And here in 3LC-land we’re dealing with a beaver problem unknown in recent memory. Specifically: they’re back.
Beavers destroy beloved trees, including very large ones, sometimes literally overnight, and gobble up shoreside vegetation, including waterfront perennial gardens; and they build dams that block the two much-travelled channels connecting our three lakes.
There is substantial disagreement among lake residents as to what the proper course of action should be, and for the past couple of years, since the beaver issue reared its cutesy nose, destructive teeth and talented claws, my neighbors have been discussing what to do about it via the 3LC email group.
So the good folks of the Three Lakes Council are unsure about having all that NATURE messing up their views? And even though neighbors know you can protect trees with wire, its so dam UGLY it would be much prettier just to kill them! Never mind that abrasive painting would solve all their problems and cost 30 cents. Never mind that beavers are bringing fish for the fishermen and birds for the birdwatchers. They have columns to write. Does beaver rhyme with the name of any other murder weapon besides cleaver? Maybe he’ll work on a ‘trap rap’ next?
The save-the-beaver group points out that shoreside trees can be protectively wrapped (advice for protecting gardens is less available). And a group of dedicated and stalwart volunteers now dismantles beaver dams in the channels as they’re built.
But should residents be forced to put what some consider unsightly wrappings on their trees and give up on waterfront flowers and vegetation just to accommodate a few interloping rodents?
Sigh.
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Now let’s rush to Incline Village near Tahoe where they just can’t kill beavers quickly enough!
Killing of beavers in Incline Village causes stir among Tahoe wildlife groups
When members of the Sierra Wildlife Coalition recently heard reports of beavers potentially being killed on public land along Incline Creek near Tyrolian Village, they were shocked and frustrated.
The permit, which allows for the trapping or shooting of beavers on Incline Creek, requires shooting authorization to be given by city or county government. Tyrolian Village Association is the homeowners’ association for the Tyrolian Village subdivision in Incline Village, so in this instance, Washoe County would have to give the OK.
The Tyrolian Village Association issued a statement Tuesday chronologically detailing events. According to the statement, beavers began damming a small stream next to TVA property approximately three years ago.
Beaver ponds were rapidly eroding the dirt berm and trench line supporting the TVA sewer line, which transports raw sewage from more than 200 homes. The association said workers attempted to break up the dams, but beavers quickly rebuilt them.
Upon seeking help from local, state and federal agencies over a two-year span, according to the statement, none of the agencies disagreed with the need to remove the beavers, nor did any suggest alternatives, other than obtaining a depredation permit.
So wait, are you saying that the Tyrolian Village Association allows raw sewage to pass in open canals from its homes? You might need to change your name from “Village” to ‘Medieval residence cluster’ okay? Oh, wait the raw sewage is in a protected pipe that’s resting near a berm beaver ponds could possibly erode. Anyone have a tape measure handy? I’d love to measure how dangerous the situation is!
Wait, again, I’m sorry. Doesn’t it snow in Incline village (I mean Incline MRC)? So isn’t the snow melting about four months of the year and wouldn’t those lines be exposed to soggy conditions anyway? I mean I’m sure you took that into account when you made them, right? Can a beaver pond really cause more erosion than 3 feet of snow? Really?
Horn said IVGID land begins below Tyrolian Village at Diamond Peak Ski Resort.
“Since we’re (IVGID) the water purveyor for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, we’re certainly concerned about the environmental impact of (beaver-caused) erosion going down this creek and into the lake,” Horn said. “But the turbidity is not at any level that would be unacceptable to us.”
Right. It’s those beaver-caused problems that run into the lake that you need to worry about. Not those humans and detergents and oils and weed-killers and….
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And now to clear your palate; the Delightful Surfing beaver by Ann Siegal.
- Surfing beaver – Ann Cameron Siegal
I’m not talking about John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Howard Zanhiser or Teddy Roosevelt. The greatest conservationist is the beaver (Castor canadensis), the largest rodent in North America.
Nice column from Paul Andersen of the Aspen Times. I am always thrilled when new believers preach the beaver gospel. Do you think he’s a friend of Sherri Tippie? Or do you think he’s just enormously observant?
Ethically, we owe the beaver his due as a co-inhabitant. Practically, we need the beaver to restore river systems and retain storage. This is particularly critical as climate change and weather modification threaten streamflows and all the life that depends on healthy rivers.
As for the efficacy of the beaver as an engineer, there is nothing like it. Its dams are resilient, its lodges are impregnable, and its uncanny phonetic trigger to the sound of running water keeps it perpetually motivated to plug holes and slow the flow.
He goes on to cite wikipedia about Glynnis’ Alberta study and the importance of beavers to water storage. Honestly, I could make a cup of tea and sit and read this column all day. Preferably with a class photo of all our beaver friends he’s quoting. Obviously he’s been influenced by own own wikipedia Rick!
Regarded as a “keystone” species, beavers are known to increase biodiversity by forming wetlands and riparian habitats, which are the foundation of most other ecosystems.
Even their gnawing of trees has been linked to riparian health as more diverse and healthier foliage replaces woods and shrubs cut by beavers. Here is the ultimate, renewable, sustainable life cycle.
I like Patrick’s idea of low dams. I would like it even better if we let the beavers build them.
Great work Paul! You obviously know beavers are Worth A Dam. Don’t hesitate to look us up if you need anything in the futher! Oh, and one more thing:
“The greatest conservationist is the beaver (Castor canadensis), the largest rodent in North America.”
You do realize your quoting here, right? Check out the title of the last chapter of Enos Mills “In beaver World”. It was published 100 years ago and may have something to say on the subject. If you’ve never read it I would suggest you check it out!
The tough install a flow device!
Mantua workers adjust beaver dam after residents complain of flooding
After the South Jersey Times reported on the submersion of a walking path in Jennifer Forsyth’s backyard, township officials approved the installation of a flow device, which allows water to flow through the dam rather than around it. Forsyth was pleased with the speed with which the township was able to address the problem.
“It was really cool that, in less than a week, they made a decision,” she said. “We should get our path back, and there’s still a pond there. There should be plenty of habitat for the beavers.” Workers installed the flow device Thursday, and the project was completed in a single day.
Hurray! Solutions to the rescue and you can stop wasting time ripping out the dam! I wish there was a photo of the device, because I’d hate to think they installed something ridiculous like an egg-beater in there. But since its New Jersey and Sarah Summerville has already been involved I’m going to assume its a success story and chalk up another win for team beaver! Oh and this is my favorite part:
The ponds that form as a result of beavers building dams across streams provide an environment in which birds, fish and mammals all thrive. Forsyth said she and her husband have seen wood ducks, river otters, wading birds and more fish than ever in the water since the beavers first moved in about a year ago. The flow device will maintain water levels so that the pond is kept to a minimum depth, controlling the reproduction rates of the beavers and alleviating some of the flooding to nearby properties.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done.
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Now who’s driving to tahoe to say this to the waterboard friday?
Forum to discuss beavers, land-use conflicts and management
Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board staff will host a forum Friday to receive input from agencies, land managers, and interested parties regarding beavers, beaver habitat modifications, and beaver management in the greater Tahoe/Truckee area. This forum is meant to provide a means for interested parties to voice their concerns, identify issues and gain an understanding of applicable regulations pertaining to the management of beavers.
Hopefully we’ll get some smart beaver advocates there! Tahoe needs more beavers.
Olympic Village gets furry new resident – beaver moves in
By JESSICA BARRETT, VANCOUVER SUN
A beaver had been spotted in the man-made water channel in Hinge Park on Friday and MacKinnon was curious to confirm the flat-tailed rodent had indeed moved in.
For 20 minutes, MacKinnon watched the beaver — he estimates it is about two years old — as it swam the length of the small wetland and sauntered up on the bank. The animal doesn’t seem to have built a lodge yet, and appeared fairly comfortable with its exposure to humans, said MacKinnon, author of the best-selling 100 Mile Diet and a self-described amateur naturalist.
Unusual as it may seem, the Olympic Village beaver is part of a trend, said Robyn Worcester, conservations program manager at the Stanley Park Ecology Society. “They’re turning up pretty regularly right now,” she said.
This lovely article has some of the very BEST descriptions of beaver dispersal that I’ve ever seen in the paper. In fact, I’m starting to think that Vancouver is giving Washington a run for its money as having the highest beaver-IQ in the Northern Hemisphere….if not the world. Just look at the description from Robyn Worcester of the Stanley Park Ecology Society:
This time of year many young beavers are settling in city parks along the waterfront after leaving the ponds they grew up in to find their own habitat. Eventually they find their way to the Fraser River, which spits them into English Bay or Burrard Inlet, Worcester said.
“They have to find their way to the nearest fresh water body. Generally they’ll hit Jericho and they’ll hit Stanley Park … and now they’ll go so far as the Olympic Village.”
Honestly, I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read where folks were stunned that beavers were milling around in the spring, showing up uninvited, while reporters and ecologists seemed to scratch their heads and fail to understand why they were on the move. Infestation? Illegal Migration? Bachelors gone wild? The mystery of beaver dispersal apparently confounds most of the known world, even though it happens every year. It also happens to be the source of one of my very most beloved photos of all time.
But apparently the ‘mystery’ is no mystery to Vancouver. Not only do they understand beaver behavior and dispersal, they apparently know the routes they’re likely to use to get there! Hats off to Robyn and the great reporter on this article. Although I sent them emails to update their understanding of this:
beavers are often in a hurry to get out of salt water because it makes them ill.
Obviously the occasion called for a little Greg Hood and ‘salty seaside ponds‘.
even some beaver researchers, are unaware that beaver can be found in estuarine tidal marshes when the salinity is less than 10 parts per thousand (seawater is typically 30-35 ppt, while freshwater is less than 0.5 ppt).
As well a liberal showing of this video at their next staff meeting!
How do I know Vancouver is getting smarter than Washington about beavers? Remember my post about Adrian and the installation in Mission earlier? Adrian thanked me and sent this back:
When I drove back out to Mission to look at the property I started seeing culvert fences in all the ditches. Apparently the city now has 9 flow devices in that they’ve been building themselves.
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