It was the best of times and – well you know the rest.

heidi08 Beaver Anatomy, Beaver Behavior, Beaver Rehabilitation, Beavers elsewhere, Who's Killing Beavers Now? October 11, 2013

Sometimes I go for days with no beaver news, but we’ve entered the dragnet of beaver stories, where I received round the clock reports of beaver killing in Arkansas, or Arcadia, or Price Edward Island. I guess everyone wants to get their dead beavers in a row before winter, but it’s a little depressing. Here are the highlights of misunderstanding.

Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland About 30 beavers are clogging up Corduroy Brook Trail in Grand Falls-Windsor, and several of their dams and lodges have caused flooding.”We want the beavers, beavers are a good attraction, and we want them to stay around. But if we didn’t control the populations, they’d eat themselves out of house and home,” he said.

Naimo British Columbia York said it is unlawful to interfere with traps, but if people do find them they should be reported immediately to conservation officers. York said there are live beaver traps available, but they are “remarkably ineffective” and when they do work it only means a beaver will end up being relocated into what is likely another beaver’s territory. Beavers are territorial. They are also a hazard to drainage and are not a conservation concern on Vancouver Island. “It’s just far more humane to use killing traps than it is to try and live-trap them,” York said.

WINFIELD, Indiana | Beavers continue to create problems in town by felling trees and building extensive dam structures in retention pondsAt the Sept. 24 Storm Water Board meeting, Clayton said licensed beaver trapper Tom Larson could remove the animals at a cost of $200 per beaver.

Jonesboro Arkansas: Rogers says animal control is not equipped to handle the beavers. The rodents can use their powerful jaws and teeth to chew through the toughest of steel traps.

Is it spring yet? There are more where that came from but that’s all I can stand at the moment. Here’s some lovely “glass half-full” moments to improve your mood.

sonoma kit — Sonoma Wildlife Kit – Photo Cheryl Reynolds

Our own Cheryl Reynolds got to visit the little rescued kit at Sonoma Wildlife yesterday. She held him and fed him strawberries and filmed while he took down the “ramp” in his tank and tried to use it as a floaty device. We Worth A Dam folks are understandably a bit jealous, as you might imagine. I wrote her yesterday and helpfully quoted Luke 12:48.

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.

Just sayin’. Go donate to buy this little fellow more strawberries, medicine, cottonwood branches and whatever else he needs. We can give this little fellow a new start and we should. And thanks Cheryl, for giving us a ringside seat to his big adventure.

All beavers all the time

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, Friends of Martinez Beavers October 10, 2013

Capture — Click to play: Beaver kit at Sonoma Wildlife Rescue

Sonoma Wildlife Rescue has another beaver to keep the first one company. This is a 4 month old kit rescued in Sacramento. (Meaning his family was killed on purpose and he survived on accident). Notice that he’s exactly the same size as our kits. Hopefully they will figure out how to introduce him to the injured yearling, they will both heal and get along, and this will be the start of a beautiful friendship that leads to a successful release. In the meantime beavers need lots of care, and chew through lots of resources. Can you donate here? I know they’ll appreciate the support and they were already impressed with the “Beaver response” they got last time! Go spread some tax-deductible love.

In the meantime our Virginia photographer friend, Ann Cameron Siegal recently paid a visit to the Adirondack sanctuary at Beavers: Wetlands and Wildlife at the encouragment of Washington D.C. friend, Malcolm Kenton who recently came to Martinez. Ann had a beaver-lucious visit and added this lovely profile to her nascent website. I’ll give you a taste but you should really go read the rest youself, here.

Inspiring Minds #2 – They Pause for Beavers

Inspired by renowned beaver woman, Dorothy Richards – the author of “Beaversprite – My Years Building an Animal Sanctuary” – the Browns picked up the mantle of beaver education and advocacy in 1985. Funded only by donations and the occasional legacy, their organization “Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife” has grown into a respected voice for these clever tree-gnawing engineers who create habitats vital to the survival of many species. Through emails, phone calls and in-person presentations or consulting, the Browns champion ways communities and beavers can coexist in a win-win setting for all

There is getting to be a community of beaver bloggers out there. And I, for one, couldn’t be any happier!

50-state beaver strategy

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions October 9, 2013

Yesterday I received notice that Richard Hesslein had installed a flow device in West Pownal, Maine. You might know Richard from his smart website Ecosystem Engineers.

I met him through Lega Medcalf who was trying to save some beavers in Maine. He got motivated by the effect of beavers near his home on the wildlife he saw every day. Check out his hard work this weekend and think about how many states have working flow devices now. I counted 24 because I just heard that Mike Settel is doing one in Idaho. Mike Callahan just wrote that he’s installed in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Also he pointed out there are Clemson’s in South Carolina, so that makes 27. Who did I miss?

Our tally so far. Looks like we have lots of work to do on the middle.

Did I mention I love Washington State?

heidi08 Beavers October 8, 2013

Injured beaver rescued near the Sloop Tavern

An injured beaver was found and rescued from outside the Sloop Tavern (2830 NW Market St.) Sunday afternoon. My Ballard reader Zach Gaul wrote to tell us of the rescue, saying he was at the Sloop when a worker asked for some help in identifying the beaver

.

Gaul said it was pretty apparent the beaver had been injured or was sick, and animal control was called out to check out the critter. When Seattle Animal Control arrived, an officer pointed out that there was some blood on the animal’s hind leg and that it would be transported to PAWS where they could treat and release him.”I have never seen a beaver around the neighborhood despite living in the area for my entire life,” Gaul writes.

Lets review what we’ve learned. Seattle rescues injured beavers. While everywhere else in the entire Northern Hemisphere injures beavers on purpose and nobody rescues them. Well, except maybe Martinez – when the cameras are pointing in the right direction.

Caring whether beavers live or die is apparently a rare trait – like diabetic left-handed albino rare. Winfield Indiana, for example, mostly just cares if they die.

Beavers still a nuisance in Winfield ponds

WINFIELD | Beavers continue to create problems in town by felling trees and building extensive dam structures in retention ponds. Building activity by the large, nocturnal, semi-aquatic rodents causes potential flooding hazard, said Tim Clayton, president of the Winfield Storm Water Board.

At the Sept. 24 Storm Water Board meeting, Clayton said licensed beaver trapper Tom Larson could remove the animals at a cost of $200 per beaver.

200 per beaver for a ten month fix? Beavers must be the trappers best friend! For a family of five you could afford to put in two flow devices and never worry about this problem again. I can only assume that beavers are getting more nascent defenders in the state, because we have been reading more of these stories. I will write them about better investments and hope someone pays attention.

In the meantime we should still appreciate Washington.

Muskrat Muskrat Muskrat!

heidi08 Environmental, New Species October 7, 2013

Hooray for the Jon, Lory, Jean and me who saw two beaver kits and a muskrat last night! (We haven’t seen a muskrat for a year and were starting to get a little worried.) Hurray for the author I talked about yesterday who wrote me back, loved our story, and wants to use our story on his website! (Go buy his book, really.) And hurray for the people at Bay Nature who were kind enough to print this. Apparently my letters to the editor require footnotes! Who knew?