Month: January 2016

Are we surprised?

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and water, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? January 21, 2016

Here’s some fun new research out of Poland on beaver influences in streams.

Beaver ponds’ impact on fluvial processes (Beskid Niski Mts., SE Poland)

-Beavers came back to the Carpathian rivers after an over three hundred year absence.
-Beavers’ dam cascade system changed fluvial erosion, transport and sedimentation.
-Beaver activity changed the headwater valley morphology.
-Beaver damming and ponding affect fluvial systems in montane regions.

Abstract

A. Giriata, Elżbieta Gorczycab, Mateusz Sobuckib,

Beaver (Castor sp.) can change the riverine environment through dam-building and other activities. The European beaver (Castor fiber) was extirpated in Poland by the

nineteenth century, but populations are again present as a result of reintroductions that began in 1974. The goal of this paper is to assess the impact of beaver activity on montane fluvial system development by identifying and analysing changes in channel and valley morphology following expansion of beaver into a 7.5 km-long headwater reach of the upper Wisłoka River in southeast Poland.

Two types of beaver dams were noted: in-channel dams and valley-wide dams. The primary effect of dams, investigated in an intensively studied 300-m long subreach (Radocyna Pond), was a change in the longitudinal profile from smooth to stepped, a local reduction of the water surface slope, and an increase in the variability of both the thalweg profile and surface water depths. We estimate the current rate of sedimentation in beaver ponds to be about 14 cm per year. A three-stage scheme of fluvial processes in the longitudinal and transverse profile of the river channel is proposed. C. fiber reintroduction may be considered as another important stage of the upper Wisłoka fluvial system development.

Why does this even matter? Because it means beavers are changing the amount of silt that rivers release whether they have the luxury of expanding into a valley meadow, or whether we’re just talking about a series of dams in a narrow channel, like we had in Martinez. And if you’re not sure that matters check how unhappy Lake Tahoe is about filling up with silt, or how much money cities spend on silt removal.

Remember though this is Castor Fiber, so not our kind of beaver. And people will say we need to study more to learn whether this research applies in America, or Canada or other European countries like Germany, or Amsterdam, or to left handed beavers or beavers that work under full moon. But you get the idea.

Of course this comes as no surprise to us, but it gives me another fine opportunity to post a favorite clip.

I just found something really fun and had to share. How cool would it be to put Mark Poulin’s bright images on these blocks and invite children to make the arch of a healthy creek themselves. And then challenge them to make that same arch WITHOUT THE KEYSTONE.

I found the blocks on a mormon teaching page, (because the use the keystone concept).Then I bought my own set here. I just Mark asked for permission and we can use other images if we need to. If all goes well it could be on the table at Earth day. It would make a dynamic and interactive project that’s really colorful and inviting. You know, Something like this….

Water, water everywhere. (Napa version)

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers, Beavers and water, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? January 20, 2016

You think you’re sick of all this rain, imagine how the beavers feel. In Napa the Tulocay creek beavers have been dealing with the deluge as best they can. It’s true, they aren’t in danger of drowning, but lord knows it’s not convenient when your office and home are suddenly under water in the middle of a sound sleep. At least they have two defenders looking out for them. Thanks Robin Ellison and Rusty Cohn for sending this my way.

Here’s Robin’s footage of what the dam looked like at noon yesterday.

It didn’t take long until that entire beautiful lodge was underwater. Which means the beavers inside got a rude awakening and had to scramble to dry ground to finish their hard earned sleep. I almost felt relieved for the first time that we didn’t have our own beavers to worry about. Almost. Rusty snapped this around the same time.

If you’ve ever had one of those crazy late nights where you slept on TOP of your covers, you know how these beavers were feeling. Just like folks climbed onto their rooftops during Katrina, beavers wisely climbed to up their lodge to escape the flooding. I wonder if the parents leave the dry lodge top for the kits to use, and negotiate the bank themselves? Check out this bit of heroism Rusty filmed moments later.

After a day of hard work and calamity there is really only one thing to be done:

finallydrying — Beaver kit sleeping on lodge: Rusty Cohn

Stay dry beavers and beaver-watchers! The sun has to come soon.

More good news yesterday from Dana Zambrano of CrochemecrayZ in Rochelle, NY. When I saw her work I knew it would make the perfect christmas gift. Later when I saw how delightful the actual work was I didn’t hesitate to boldly beaverbeg for the silent auction. She was kind enough to agree, and might even be inspired try a beaver kit set. Ooh! Here let me show you what I’m talking about. (And yes, that’s my grandniece, and in case you’re wondering, she’s a genius.)

Beaver Support System

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver-themed merchandise, Who's saving beavers now? January 19, 2016

Yesterday I indulged in some ‘begging for beavers’. With a few successes. This from Miss Johnny Squirrel in Florida.

Who wouldn’t want a beaver making s’mores? This hungry beaver pillow is hand printed, stuffed, sewn and will make a great addition to any nursery or home!

She doesn’t have any more for sale at the moment, but go check out her other items which are equally adorable.

Another cheerful willingness to help comes from artist Elly Brinkerhoff in San Diego, recently relocated to DC. She says of her artwork,

As a child, she surrounded herself with stories and puzzles and was deeply inspired by children’s book illustrators. You could often find her outside collecting birds nests, digging up clay in the backyard, or climbing trees. If she wasn’t outdoors, she was inside drawing at the kitchen table.

I’m imagining this framed over the mantle. But how perfect would this be for a wedding invitation?

I’m not always successful of course. A 10-1 ratio is usually par for the course, but sometimes its whittled to 5-1. I came across this yesterday and wish with all my heart it could be in the auction. But I’m at least going to enjoy sharing it. This is from writer, artist and archaeological consultant Dwayne R. James in Peterborough Ontario.

I wrote a final artist who gets no link. They advertised a cute beaver pillow for sale.

WITH OUR SILHOUETTE OF THE STANDING BEAVER!

I explained that the silhouettes were made by an artist from our photos for our use and that a donation was the least they could do.

Finally, I was visited by the Middlechild Productions team ghost asking for footage of public support and I remembered doing this. Wow, this was a long time ago, at our very first festival, but it made me very proud of us.

Old thinking in New Mexico

heidi08 Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, What's killing beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? January 18, 2016

Guess how much fun I had yesterday? This much.

And from the Department of False Dichotomies in New Mexico:

Beavers: Nuisance or necessary?

For at least the past decade, residents angry about beaver-related property damage have been at odds with conservation advocates who claim the animals are an essential drought management tool in arid New Mexico. The issue prompted an ongoing conflict between the Santa Fe Girls’ School and La Cieneguilla resident Ed Sceery that recently escalated into a court fight. The private middle school has been conducting a 10-year restoration project on land bordering Sceery’s property, and he says the work has drawn beavers that are damaging his trees and causing erosion.

Capture — A beaver dam on the Santa Fe River near Paseo Real and Calle Debra in the Santa Fe Airport. Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican

At the edge of a road in La Cieneguilla that borders the Santa Fe River, just up the bank from a beaver dam, a crack in the asphalt — likely due to erosion — has grown to a man-sized hole. The area is demarcated by two orange hazard barrels. Trees are toppled over, split in half by jagged teeth.

Sceery, who calls himself a conservationist, wants the animals removed from the land.

Peggy Johnson, a hydrogeologist for the state who studied the La Cieneguilla area in 2010, said the dilemma that beavers pose is a fundamental conflict between man and nature, especially in places like La Cieneguilla, which was a wetlands area more than a century ago but has since been altered by managed water systems. The Santa Fe River that runs through the community, once a free-flowing waterway, now feeds two municipal reservoirs far upstream that help keep city taps flowing.

In developed areas with managed water systems, beavers can act as a force of chaos, Johnson said. “[Beavers] have minds of their own. They are very active and dynamic and have a big impact on the system.”

For watershed restoration work in a natural setting, which includes maintaining wildlife habitats, preventing erosion and raising groundwater levels, Johnson said, beavers are a “very effective” tool. Whether a beaver’s impact is viewed as hurtful or helpful, she said, “depends on who is affected.”

However, Bryan Bird, a program director for WildEarth Guardians, said his organization’s requests for nuisance permits to relocate beavers have been denied, with the department saying relocation “could just be creating another problem somewhere else,” and it would only be “moving the problem rather than getting rid of it.”

Bird said WildEarth Guardians has done extensive research on where beavers would most benefit the environment, “but that hasn’t been good enough.”

I’m happy to see Mr. Sceery still isn’t getting his way. And happy this article is hostile enough to say honestly that he’s the one that “calls himself” a conservationist. (I suppose if you want to keep things your own way and preserve your selfish interests above everyone else’s that’s a kind of ‘conservation’.) But Bryan needs to push harder about beaver benefits and that they ought to be left to their own devices so that they can use their ecosystem services to improve the landscape wherever they see fit. Still, it’s nice to have this argument in the limelight – even if its only about permission to relocate.

At least the coauthor of the states beaver relocation legislation, has the right idea.

Keller, now the state auditor, said he first learned about the importance of beavers when he was 19 and working as a Boy Scout at the Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron.

“Nature’s solution is far more effective and cheaper than anything you can contrive in this regard,” he said, citing beavers’ role in mitigating drought and forest fires.

He said he still believes the beaver plan should be a Game and Fish priority. “And as state auditor, I know they have the budget.” He pointed to $10 million that has yet to be spent in the department’s budget.

Keller said recent studies have cited beavers as a climate change-resilient species. “This is a low-cost, potentially high-return idea.”

Amen to that. Not sure how I got on Mr. Keller’s radar back when all this was getting passed but his chief of staff called me when he was running for auditor. I explained that I didn’t live in the state and probably couldn’t be much help. But it’s nice to see he’s still a believer.

I know I am.

“Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been [fish] scales”

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? January 18, 2016

Believe it or not, this is actually good news out of Minnesota -even though it’s still bad news. The fact that their draconian plan is getting some in state opposition is a fine reason to celebrate. I would quote the good bits of the article, but the reporter has asked me not too. Follow this link to go read it for yourself.

Dam debate on the Knife River

In ten years of reporting on the nonsense in Minnesota I have never read an article that describes the slightest hint of a whiff of controversy about their crazy science-resistant plan. I as happy as I can possibly be. This is day for the history books.

Hmm. The 2016 Lake Superior Fish Management update is a long way from finished but they will take public comment and you can read the 2006 version here. It’s not too early to send some pearls of wisdom. I’m especially interested in the author of this article, Sam Cook, because he’s starting to read the writing on the wall. In the mean time let’s just bask in a moment that doesn’t come along every day. And remember what Gandhi said:

First they ignore you.
Then they laugh at you.
Then they fight with you.
Then you win.

Oh and we’ve settled on the art project for this years beaver festival. A child painted lodge. Here’s the basic idea. Isn’t the one on the left an awesome example?