Month: March 2016

Beavers Inspire

heidi08 Beavers March 16, 2016

Maybe you, like me, are left wondering what the heck Dipitus refers to here. I let my fingers do the walking and learned that Dipitus is an ecological wear website where the message is uncorporate and the materials are recycled. The artwork by Joz Kooz is really engaging and fun. I, of course, am drawn to this one for some reason. (Go figure.) But you might like some others, so go shop.

Speaking of remarkable beaver artwork, illustrator Shirley Harvey was very generous with her donation to the silent action, and sent us four remarkable prints. Thank you so much for your generosity Shirley! In addition to the bass she included this one, which made Ian Timothy’s (of the beaver creek films) eyes light up very brightly indeed. You see, in his spare time at Walt Disney’s college of animation CAL ARTS doing unimaginably brilliant things in experimental animation he has been learning to play the banjo. And of course, since he’s Ian, he’s also been trying his hand at making banjos using Cookie Tin boxes. Rumor is, he wants to make one with a beaver chew for the neck and donate it the the silent auction when he comes to the beaver festival this summer! All my fingers are crossed. Here’s Ian’s film from his first year in college. Imagine how good he is now!

Looks like we got ourselves a horse race!

heidi08 Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, What's killing beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? March 15, 2016

Residents unhappy with Stratford’s flooding issues

According to residents, beavers built a damn [sic] on Peck’s Pond, which connects to Pumpkin Ground Brook. They say they’ve experienced flooding as a result of the dam, which started in October.

Department of Public Works officials say they tried to create a piping system to keep the water level to no avail. Attempts to breach the damn were also unsuccessful.

The town’s solution is to trap and kill the beavers. Officials say it’s not a solution they wanted to come to. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection officials say they can’t trap and relocate the beavers.

That’s right, channel 12 news couldn’t pass up an opportunity to swear about beavers and said they built a damn. (Does that mean if the flooding gets worse they’ll say they built a god damn?) Apparently public works put a weighted pipe through the dam but can’t understand why that doesn’t stop beavers? The video shows the pipe flowing, so if they didn’t just blow it out, it’s clearly not big enough to handle the amount of water needed to control flooding. At any rate the city needs to pry open its clenched wallet and actually hire Mike or Skip who actually know what they’re doing. Looks like public pressure might help that happen.

Beaver advocates to speak to Town Council

People concerned about the town’s plans to trap and kill beavers in Roosevelt Forest are planning to ask town officials if anything can be done to change the trapping plans.

A group of Fairfield County animal activists and concerned residents will ask Mayor John Harkins and the Town Council at tonight’s regular council meeting about town’s plans to remove beavers who have settled at Pumpkin Ground Brook. The activists plan to speak to the Council during tonight’s public forum, which begins at 6:45 p.m. in the Town Council chambers. They also plan to host a brief demonstration regarding the trapping at 6:15 p.m.

The animal activists will ask if the Town Council can overrule the Roosevelt Forest Commission’s decision to lay down traps. Town officials opted to trap the beavers to alleviate flooding in the forest after residents living on Barrister Road complained in October. After Public Works crews tried to break up the dam and installed a flow device to prevent the water backup, the beavers patched up the dam, leaving commissioners with little choice.

Before the meeting they’re going to have a little demonstration too. Something to bring the news cameras I warrant. All this fuss – wouldn’t it be easier to do this right from the beginning? I wrote the forest commission and the mayor yesterday about what to do and real solutions. Do you think anyone will listen? I’m not holding my breath, but we’ll see.

Yesterday Jon and I went down memory lane and kept watch at the Escobar bridge from 6:30 to 7:30. We saw no beavers but it was surprisingly familiar and peaceful. One young man strolled by and asked if we had seen any beavers. He said he had watched a muskrat yesterday at about this time. As if hearing his cue, a rather fat and happy muskrat suddenly appeared out of the area of the latest beaver home, swam across the bank and hopped up onto the shore to paddle in the bushes and get some food. After this he marched back down, hopped in the water, and dove back into the lodge.

Maybe feeding a family?

I was thinking how happy he must be to have the space all to himself! He looked like we all feel after a the very large man sitting next to us gets off the bus. Apparently Napa saw one too, so maybe its the season.

Delightful presents arrived last night. Jamie Larson of Tags and Tiles in Havasu Arizona has a soft spot for beavers and was encouraged by our story to donate six of her gloriously layered dogtag necklaces. She even created them especially for us! If you can believe it, they are even more adorable in person. But if you want a beaver I’d go buy one yourself now, because it will be cheaper than the bidding war we’re going to see on August 6.

People saving beavers

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Recent Sightings, Who's saving beavers now? March 15, 2016

Friends saving beavers! I watched this video public comment yesterday and it gave me total PTSD flashbacks of our November meeting, lo those many years go. Caitlin does a great job starting the conversation AND rallying the troops, despite the fairly dickish admonishment to “Talk to staff, not us”. I love the sleeper cell confrontation in the last speaker who points to an article two years ago and says “If its such a terrible problem why haven’t you done anything yet?”

Now there’s a man after my own heart.

I fiddled a bit more with Elizabeth Saunders lovely illustration and was very happy indeed, until Bruce Thompson of Wyoming suggested there was an unfortunate urinary tract association. Sheesh. There’s always a critic. Still, when I got over the giggles, I was still this.

Artist Mario Alfaro came by yesterday with his latest additions and Ron Bruno came down to do a lovely panoramic so the city could see the final product. Note the fish in the mouth of the egret and the lurking frog in the corner! Click to see larger.

The only other thing we would like for him to incorporate is the top of the filter sticking out upstream. I gave him this photo yesterday and we’ll hope its possible.

Final news. Nearly month after a resident reported a beaver tailslap and sighting in the area next to the creek monkey, Linda Kozlowski sent this right before daylight savings:

hey! this is probably old news to you but…at about 5:45 (just now…still light out) was standing on north side if escobar and saw a b.a.b. (big ass beaver) come part way up on the bank just a bit north of the old lodge and forcefully pry a stick out of the mud and swim across with it to the other side….for sure went no further downstream. not as big as old dad but pretty big. cheers!

It’s the kind of news that’s almost too hope-inducing to bear, but we’ll head down tonight and check it out. The part that made me chuckle was realizing that BIG STICK he was trying to pry out of the ground was one of the cotton wood stakes we planted this November. Funny thing is, I almost couldn’t bear to go thru with the planting because the city was being so horrible and the beavers were gone. Then I thought, well if I was a returning beaver checking to see what was if there was anything worth coming back for, some fresh tasty trees might convince me.

Hahaha. Stay tuned.

Funnest Beaver Puzzle Ever!

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? March 13, 2016

This is a Waterwheel.
This is a Water wheel on Beavers.

Busy as beavers, really, in Rehoboth, MA

REHOBOTH – In North Rehoboth, where the Palmer River is barely a brook, scattered trees are suddenly being cut down along the banks. What had been a small dam dating to colonial times is being built higher – with sticks and wattle.

The changes, and the gradually rising water in a pair of small ponds, isn’t the work of rural vandals. It marks the return of the North American beaver, a stranger to the area since before the Revolution.

E. Otis Dyer, landowner and longtime authority on local history, sees in their comeback the story of nature renewing itself after centuries of human dominance.

At Stony Brook, environmental workers had to install a bypass pipe called a “beaver deceiver” to dissuade the animals from expanding a dam that threatened to flood a foot bridge.

Dyer says he doesn’t take umbrage at the beaver, who are only reclaiming a piece of their natural environment. Still, he said the animals’ presence is gradually causing the water in his ponds to rise.

I love Mr. Dyers calm historical perspective, and I love the fact that the article mentions a flow device solving a similar problem. Rehoboth is about 100 miles from Mike Callahan and beaver solutions, but something tells me this might get him to take a road trip. Think of what an interesting puzzle this is since the water is already directed into a narrow channel to run the wheel. That means the beavers are damming it and when the dams blow out they send debris into the wheel. I can’t imagine their damming the actual wheel itself, but who knows? It probably is going to require something more like culvert protection than what we had in Martinez. Maybe even a diversion dam.

I nominate Mike for the job!

Speaking of nominations for the job, I’m also nominating Caitin McCombs for the job of educating citizens about the mountain house beavers. She’s done an amazing job so far. She confronted some council members on the bunk they were passing at this week’s meeting. Now her article has appeared in the local paper. And don’t think I love this for a minute only because it praises what Martinez did! (Although that doesn’t hurt.)

MH-Matters

Wonderful job Caitlin! You are doing fantastic work to raise awareness and get folks attention in Mountain House. We are thrilled little Martinez could inspire you to try and coexist with these important water savers. Rumor is she is coming to help us at Earth day so you can congratulate her in person then!

One final outstanding graphic from Elizabeth Saunders at Cows and Fish for you to share. Isn’t this brilliant?

Beaver Believers Far and Wide

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Earth Day, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? March 12, 2016

This document is so packed with information it will take a while to upload but I thought it deserved to be browse-able. To download your own go to their website. You won’t regret it!

Beaver-Our-Watershed-Partner-for-WEB

Incredible new achievement from our friends at Cows and Fish in Alberta. They are smart persuaders of beaver benefits for some pretty tough customers. And this really well-designed document covers all the issues and then some. Honestly, these are some of the finest beaver illustrations I’ve seen (besides Amelia’s of course!) I had to show you this one especially. Doesn’t that just say it all?

The whole document deserves a solid read and reread on a rainy day by a window. Click here for the link to it on their website, and please pass it on!

And just in case that news isn’t exciting enough, try this new research from the forest service, to be published next month in the Journal of Fresh Water Biology.

Beaver activity increases aquatic subsidies to terrestrial consumers Summary

Beaver (Castor canadensis) alter freshwater ecosystems and increase aquatic production, but it is unknown how these changes influence the magnitude and lateral dispersal of aquatic nutrients into terrestrial ecosystems.

We examined differences in abundances of dominant aquatic invertebrates, wolf spiders (Lycosidae), and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), at beaver and non-beaver sites. We used stable isotopes to track aquatic-derived carbon in terrestrial consumers and linear mixed-effects models to examine the importance of beaver presence and distance from stream channel on the percentage of aquatic-derived carbon in terrestrial consumers.

Sites with beaver activity had >200% higher aquatic invertebrate emergence rates as well as 60% and 75% higher abundances of spiders and deer mice, respectively, relative to non-beaver sites.

More beavers mean more bugs. Haven’t I always told you that? The USFS has been kind enough to count how many. And then look at all the happy spiders and deer mice who get to eat them. Hurray! I can’t wait until the entire article is available but this is a great place to start. Thanks!

Yesterday we worked on the project for this year’s Earth day and made stencil’s for these. Jon was kind enough to model, but just imagine 100 kids walking around with these on the day. We just found out that two of our hearty regulars won’t be able to help out that day! Maybe you are free on April 23rd and want to honor the spirit of John Muir by helping beavers? If you might, email me and I’ll make it sound even better! It’s a beautiful day, lots of ecologically minded folks, and beaver-admiring children. Persuaded yet?