It’s always darkest just before the dawn

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Educational, Environmental, Who's blaming beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? December 16, 2015

Things were looking might grim for the beavers of Tom’s River in New Jersey a couple days ago. Residents had taken all they could stand of the animals blocking the outflow of the lake, which meant creeping water lines into their gardens. Trapping season doesn’t start until the day after Christmas, and we all know how hard it is to wait until Christmas. They were chomping at the bit to get rid of the animals once and for all.

Toms River’s dam dilemma

Leave it to the beavers.

Township Engineer Robert Chankalian points out a clogged drain. Beavers are wreaking havoc for residents along Lake Placid Drive and Oak Glen Road by clogging the drainage systems along the lake between the two roads. Toms River, NJ Wednesday, November 18, 2015 @dhoodhood (Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)

The industrious, brown-furred rodents have been building dams in Lake Placid here, and some residents say that flooding caused by the busy beavers threatens their yards and homes. Beavers have become a big problem in this part of Toms River — so much so that it’s already cost Toms River some $75,000 to $80,000 to put in drainage facilities to dissuade the beavers, but the efforts aren’t working, said Business Administrator Paul Shives.

“For the past three years, the width of the stream has widened four to five times,” Lake Placid Drive resident Anthony Gural said at a recent Township Council meeting. “It’s approximately seven feet from my property.”

Come on, just 75,000 to 80,000 to dissuade the beavers? They are very hard to dissuade. Is that ALL you can manage lying about? In Martinez we said beavers cost the cities hundreds of thousands, $375,000 to be exact. We even got a gullible reporter from the LA Times to repeat it. I mean its just a made up number. Why not make a big one?

Regardless of how much the oddly named Tom’s River has spent valiantly hiring backhoes or throwing keg parties to discourage the beavers, it just hasn’t worked. Awww. Lucky for them New Jersey happens to be the home of the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge. So newly minted director Veronica Van hof called her many beaver friends to the plate. This morning she announced that Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions will consult for free. And Owen Brown of Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife will pitch in if he needs a helper.

Their local Patch reports:

Beavers Vexing Toms River Resident

An animal group that operates a sanctuary was meeting informally with township officials on Monday in an attempt to convince officials not to kill the animals.

“More humane, compassionate and ethical methods of discouraging beavers from damming waterways and causing flooding exist. In the long run, these preferred methods are more successful and actually save money,” a member of the group Unexpected Wildlife Refuge, which takes particular interest in beavers.

I’d say they take a particular interest in beavers. The refuge was started by Hope Buyukmihci and her husband, with a special dedication to the animals. Here’s a favorite photo of Hope that should make her feelings fairly clear.

I would caution that the battle isn’t over yet, I mean just because the solution is offered there’s no telling if it will be accepted. And the rights of property owners versus the rights of beavers is never a fair fight. But I’m hopeful with all these good players involved there’s at least a chance for a Happy New Year.

In the mean time there was a LOVELY look at beavers on Wild Canada the other day, which I think I can share with you for a while. And before you say to yourself, beavers hrmph, who needs to see more of them, let me tell you that the beautiful documentary contains a NEVER BEFORE SEEN DISCOVERY of muskrat behavior in the beaver lodge. You will NOT believe it. The whole thing is excellent and the clip starts with great wolverine footage, which is pretty rare too. I’d watch it all the way through when you have time before it ceases to be available.

GO! Tell it on the mountain!

heidi08 Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? December 15, 2015

I thought this article deserved some seasonal celebration and this endeared itself to me. Especially the twirling little girl in red on the left who is certain it’s a ballet she’s been asked to conform. Ahh youth! Now read that upcoming headline and just SEE if this doesn’t make you want to add a little pirouette of your own!

Leaving it to beavers: Communities make room for natural engineers

Once valued as little more than pelts, beavers are back in vogue and rebuilding their reputation as habitat engineers.

It helps their cause that the dams they build as homes also create water quality-boosting wetlands and habitat for other species. In the process, the structures slow the flow of water and filter out sediment that would otherwise be on its way to the Chesapeake Bay.

John Griffin, director of urban wildlife programs at the U.S. Humane Society, said beavers are often embroiled in conflicts when their dams result in flooding or other impacts to the developments around them.

“When people are living in an urban area, they think that animals belong in a natural habitat — not here,” he said. “We’re not thinking about there being a functioning ecosystem here.”

The problems arise when both humans and beavers build their homes around natural water features, and each has impacts on the other. But, Griffin said, there are solutions that allow both to be good neighbors.

Residents can use tree guards to protect their expensive ornamentals from beavers’ teeth. Rather than destroying dams or trapping beavers, they can mitigate the impact of rising water tables with devices like the “beaver deceiver,” which uses pipes to channel water through the dam while giving the beaver the feeling of damming the stream.

Beavers and their dams also bring new habitats to urban and suburban environments, creating the wetlands known to be key to several species’ survival. Griffin said more people are warming to the idea that a beaver can bring benefits to the neighborhood.

Urban parks can be a great place for beavers to redefine the landscape, as they have at Bladensburg Waterfront Park along the District of Columbia’s stretch of the Anacostia River. Jorge Bogantes Montero, stewardship program specialist in natural resources for the Anacostia Watershed Society, said three beaver dams constructed in one stretch of the park demonstrate their ability to attract wildlife and clean the water even in the middle of the city.

Nice.

I always believed the day would come when I would read an entire article that said exactly what I would have said if I had written it, but I in fact didn’t write it and knew nothing at all about it – from the other half of the country. I believed the day would come, but I didn’t know for sure, because you never, ever know how these things will turn out. I worked so hard I had wanted to show you what I’ve written so far for the urban beaver chapter, but if you read this article very closely you will get the idea.

Just remember that before Martinez took the plunge in 2007 the phrase ‘Urban Beavers’ was on no one’s lips. And now its popping up on East Coast articles where beaver phobia is usually rampant. I’m so proud of us. We all deserve this to get us ready for what’s to come.

The Epic Tail

heidi08 City Reports, Creative Solutions, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's Killing Beavers Now? December 14, 2015

This weekend acclaimed wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas posted about her work with the Martinez Beavers on her facebook page. She told the story of their arrival, protection and untimely death, and checked with me first to see if she had gotten everything correct, accompanying the post with my June video of her working.

June was so complicated because we were bursting with joy to have four kits, but Suzi asked me not to post about them or her so there would be more time for undisturbed photos. She has A LOT of photographers who follow her in the hopes of taking pictures of whatever she’s taking pictures of. And she wanted them not to be summoned. So I kept my mouth closed for a month which was really hard to do.

And then in July they started dying, which is a very unjust cosmic reward for my patience.

Not surprisingly, there have been a lot of responses to the story on her much-trafficked facebook page, and it has been surprising to me to see so many people react to the story with “How sad” or “That’s awful”. “What a tragedy.” Which has been unsettling not becauset I’m UNSAD about this turn of events -(I’m sure I wept more tears than anyone) – but I just don’t think of the Martinez Beaver story with “How sad!” Its a joyous, fierce, dynamic, hopeful, tragic, EPIC story. It’s the story of civic pride and a big money battle leading to David beating Goliath. It’s the story of urban renewal and a polluted creek awakened from the dead. And I’m not sure we’ve reached the final chapter yet.

It made me think of this iconic scene from Northern Exposure which I loved when it was on a million years ago. The technology is sooo old I can’t embed it, so you will have to click on the photo to see Ed and Marilyn discuss our beavers’ fate this summer at the laundry mat. She tells the perfect tribal story for our situation. You’ll have to watch a short silly ad, I can’t help that, but I believe it will be worth it.

The right spokesman

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Dispersal, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? December 13, 2015

More goodies from the 7th Generation Institute Winter newsletter. These are previews quote of their interviews with ranchers which will appear in their upcoming film. Send this to your nonbelieving friends.

Aren’t those WONDERFUL? Honestly, I want to print them as post cards and mail them to every landowner in the west. Thanks for your great work, 7GI! It isn’t often that I closely read an entire newsletter and am disappointed to get to the end.

I really couldn’t resist the awesome broadcast earlier in the week, and had to let myself play. There honestly aren’t many things more fun for me than this, and I needed some cheer after the week I’ve had. Watch at least until the police come or skip ahead if you can. Just be grateful the good folk at Powtoon will only let me do 5 minutes for free, otherwise I would have kept going!

Working for you!

heidi08 Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? December 12, 2015

This morning I’m sharing a great article from the winter newsletter of our friends at the Seventh Generation Institute in New Mexico. This is the story of a workshop for ranchers they held in Nevada. It was enticingly called, “Making beaver work for you“, so you know it got my attention. The last paragraph reveals their true mission: “Keeping beavers in streams where they can work their magic! ” Enjoy.