NEHALEM — To celebrate beavers and their contribution to the ecology of the North Coast, Lower Nehalem Watershed Council, The Wetlands Conservancy and community partners are hosting the Beaver Tales Art Exhibit and accompanying events in August.
Beaver Trail tour
The watershed council and community partners will lead participants on a tour of beaver habitat sites throughout the Nehalem Watershed 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19.
The tour will stop at two to four locations where participants will see different examples of active and historical beaver activity. Alix Lee, coordinator for the watershed council will lead the tour and provide narrative on beaver ecology, history and importance for maintaining healthy ecosystems on the North Coast.
Transportation between sites will be provided and has been funded by Tillamook People’s Utility District.
This event is part of Explore Nature, a consortium of volunteer community and non-profit organizations working to provide meaningful, nature-based experiences in Tillamook County.
Movie night: ‘Leave it to Beavers’
Join the watershed council at Alder Creek Farm 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, for movie night in the barn featuring the PBS documentary “Leave it to Beavers.”
The hour-long documentary examines beavers in a new light, revealing ways in which “the presence of the industrious rodents can transform and revive landscapes,” organizers wrote. “Bring a comfy camp chair and settle in to learn about these fascinating builders and brilliant hydro-engineers.”
Sometimes my jaw literally drops and hangs open to see how many good things come can come together with the right collection of people pulling the strings. Hats OFF to the wonders of this Beaver Tails exhibit, which has been like a band of firecrackers going off at regular intervals for nearly a year now. The Wetlands Conservancy really created something astounding when they undertook this massive art show. You know it got folks around the state talking and thinking about beavers in a new way.
An speaking of beavers and wetlands, here’s something to celebrate. Our own watershed wizard Igor Skaredoff gave the Stanislaus rescue crews something to do this sunday and after a misplaced night was very politely found the following morning. Igor has all the skills and insights of a lifetime of mountain climbing, so I can’t think of anyone more suited to the task. He was also the first member of the beaver subcommittee to see that I might actually be saying something worth listening to so, God bless him. And hurray for safe homecomings!
No discoveries today, but some nice beaver news anyway. First stop is the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation where they have successfully introduced two beaver patients to each other and need funds to let the little one grow up for a while before release. There’s a lovely short clip on the news story that I can’t embed here, but here is the explanation from AIWC themselves. To help them help beavers donate by ‘adopting’ and adorable beaver toy! We are very happy they seem to be doing everything right in beaver introduction, care and release.
Now we’re off to the opposite side of the northern hemisphere where Rhode Island Public Radio has a nice story about the recovery of a landfill. My favorite part is when the USDA biologist describes his favorite place as a beaver pond and talks about beavers without wanting to kill them. (No really!) Of course they think the beaver returning is a sign of their success cleaning up the water, and don’t realize he’s the CAUSE of it. But it’s nice anyway.
There’s a nice article out of the Michigan Fishing Wire that I know you’ll enjoy. It’s all about the Riparian and why it matters. The term riparian is from the latin riparius meaning river bank and first use in 1849. But it also relates to the old norse term meaning ‘rip’ as the bank is cut away from the land by water. Now Michigan got really excited about beavers coming back to the Detroit River, but they don’t exactly love them if you know what I mean.
The thousands of rivers, lakes and streams in Michigan are beautiful, special places, not only to a wide range of people, including anglers, boaters and campers, but numerous plant and animal species. Those areas between the water and the uplands are called riparian areas or riparian zones. A riparian management zone is “an area designated and consciously managed to protect functions and values of riparian areas.”
Within a watershed — the area drained by a river or stream system — the lands next to streams and rivers are particularly important to the health of those waterways. “Because of the unique conditions adjacent to lakes, streams and open-water wetlands, riparian areas harbor a high diversity of plants and wildlife,” Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists said in a report on “Riparian Zone Management and Trout Streams: 21st Century and Beyond.” “Life is simply richer along rivers and streams.
“Riparian areas are ecologically and socially significant in their effects on water quality and quantity, as well as aesthetics, habitat, bank stability, timber production, and their contribution to overall biodiversity.” Plant habitat along rivers and streams is called riparian vegetation. The plants that grow there have an affinity for water.
“Vegetative cover refers to overhanging or submerged tree limbs, shrubs and other plants growing along the shore of the waterbody,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website states. “Rivers, streams and lakes can be buffered from the effects of human disturbance in the watershed by varied, multi-layered vegetation in the land corridor that surrounds them.
“Healthy, intact vegetative cover in these riparian areas can help reduce nutrient and sediment runoff from the surrounding landscape, prevent bank erosion and provide shade to reduce water temperature. Vegetative cover can also provide leaf litter and large wood (such as branches and logs) to serve as food, shelter and habitat for aquatic organisms.”
In Michigan, large woody debris from mature trees growing along streambanks controls how streams look and function.
“Large woody debris provides cover for salmonids (trout and salmon), habitat and food for aquatic invertebrates, adds nutrients, traps smaller debris, provides feeding and resting sites for a wide variety of wildlife, and has other beneficial effects,” the DNR fisheries biologists said. “When leaves, twigs, sticks and even entire trees fall into streams, they provide both food and shelter for aquatic insects, and habitat for reptiles, amphibians, fish, mammals and birds.”
“These include larval and/or adult water bugs, water beetles, caddisflies, stoneflies, dragonflies/damselflies, mayflies, fish flies/alderflies, true flies, riffle beetles, aquatic earthworms, scuds, leeches, snails and limpets, and crayfish,” the park’s website said. “The presence of caddisfly, stonefly and May fly larvae indicate that streams here are of high quality and are in good ecological health.”
The DNR fisheries biologists said the agency and its partners spend many thousands of dollars each year to introduce additional large woody debris into our river systems, debris that has been lost artificially over time due to a variety of circumstances.
Do you think this article, focused on the benefit of the riparian and emphasizing the thousands of dollars spent every year to get woody debris into it, might mention the importance of the hardworking animal who does it for free? Well only in the briefest nonspecific way, of course.
Tree frogs, wood turtles, salamanders, and many other reptiles and amphibians, use the water for laying eggs and breeding each spring. Ospreys, eagles and herons are among the bird species that rely on streams, lakes and rivers for food and nest in large trees nearby.
The endangered piping plover nests and feeds on the sandy and rocky beaches of Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior. Terns and gulls nest on rocky shoals and island shorelines. Ducks, geese and swans nest on coastal marshes.
“Mink, otters, muskrats and beavers can be found feeding and denning along river shorelines,” Vaughn said. “A handful of unique tree species also grow on the banks of Michigan’s rivers. Paw-paw, blue beech or musclewood, and sycamore trees thrive in the wet, periodically flooded soils along rivers.”
That’s all the mention they get, but it’s still a pretty nice article. And hey, I just realized you could easily replace the word ‘RIPARIAN’ with the words ‘BEAVER” and have yourself a very nice article.
Riparian Beaver areas help control non-point source pollution by holding and using nutrients and reducing sediment.
Riparian Beaver areas are often important for the recreation and scenic values. However, because riparian areas are relatively small and occur in conjunction with watercourses, they are vulnerable to severe alteration and damages caused by people.
Riparian Beaver areas supply food, cover, and water for a large diversity of animals and serve as migration routes and stopping points between habitats for a variety of wildlife.
Trees and grasses in riparian beaver areas stabilize stream banks and reduce floodwater velocity, resulting in reduced downstream flood peaks.
Alluvial aquifers help maintain the base flow in many rivers in humid areas because of high water tables. In drier climates, streams lose water that can help build up the water table deep beneath the stream.
Tadaa! Much better! The article mentions a group called ‘River Partners’ based in California. Which makes me wonder how those feel about the flat tailed partner in general? Maybe they get a letter.
Speaking of the valuable things that come out of Riparian Zones, look what Moses filmed yesterday morning along Alhambra Creek. Looks like that little dam is cousin to a slightly more established one upstream which is the front yard of at least TWO beavers. The smaller one looks young (check out that tail length) and could easily be the youngster that was born in the creek last October (ten months old?). Which would suggest that there are actually more of them than this film shows. But who really knows, they could be a totally new family just settling.
That particular RIPARIAN is very very deeply incised, so I can’t imagine a dam will stand any chance at all once it starts raining. And every foot is lined with houses, so operation ‘educate and pacify the neighbors’ will have to be in full swing! I’m just happy they’re here. And so, obviously is that little skunk who finally has a way to get across the creek.
The last two lines of Robert Service’s epic poem, ‘The Call of the Wild’ have inspired me for many years, and I would ask you to let it touch your soul now…
“There’s a whisper on the night-wind, there’s a star agleam to guide us, And the wild is calling, calling… Let us go.”
Interspersed throughout the poem a summons repeats itself, three times, it is as follows, “Then listen to the wild– It’s calling you.” A while later the call is repeated, “Then hearken to the wild– it wants you.” And again, “But can’t you hear the wild?–It’s calling you.”
From my earliest days as a little, red-headed, barefooted boy tromping the Fox River, in Illinois, I have been answering that sublime call. I love nature, every aspect of the wild places.
Down at the edge of the swamp, the jack in the pulpits stood with their feet in the water in anticipation of my arrival while not far away a cluster of pale white Indian pipes bid me welcome. For some reason swamps intrigue me, yes; those mysterious wet places, whether they be Northern cedar swamps or Southern cypress swamps, beckon to me, grip me, hold me enthralled, they always have.
I had been sitting on the edge of the beaver pond for some time, just watching, listening; waiting.
If you were to ask me what I was waiting for, I couldn’t give you an answer, but what I do know is that if one is patient and waits long enough something will usually happen.
Suddenly the woodland silence was broken. Somewhere to my left and in front of me, out there on the beaver pond, something was crooning? For the life of me, as I sat there listening, I couldn’t fathom the origin of that soulful song.
A moan, then silence… I sat fascinated, wondering; staring out through the thick undergrowth that grew along the edge of the pond.
What had made the sound? I sat, hoping that whatever it was would bless me with more of its wild song and I didn’t have long to wait. A long, low moan, almost quivering in its expression.
For the next few minutes there would be a short time span of silence, perhaps lasting ten or fifteen seconds, and then another low moan. Fascinated, I waited and was now even more intently watching and listening for whatever was calling out there was very obviously swimming in my direction.
Ripples disturbed the pond’s surface, and I continued hearing those mysterious low, moaning cries.
I was surprised when an adult beaver swam along the shore line to pass in front of me perhaps fifteen feet away. As it swam, it moaned as it continued down the shoreline and out of sight, and also out of sound.
I had never heard a beaver sing before, and I have never heard the beaver’s song since. Can it be anything other than that, a beaver’s song? Could it be that all of God’s creatures sing His praises? I wonder?
Ahhh the unexpected gift of beaver song at the pond! The author of this observation Charles Towne goes on to compare it to Christianity and our struggle for the divine, but I’m good with just the call. I don’t need larger symbolism. For me the call will always be the thing that brought me closer to beavers. Close enough to save them. I remember hearing that call and thinking, do the people that want them dead even know about that call? And if I let them die, when in my life will I ever hear it again?
The call was enough to enlist me 10 years in the defending beaver army, and that’s as close to religion as I’m likely to come at this stage in the game. Although apparently there are still miracles.
Yesterday we learned that Moses went to investigate that little dam below Susanna street and found another dam up stream from it and saw two beavers. So yes, I’m a believer. The second dam is a couple houses upstream from the Susanna street bridge, and not visible from any reasonable space. But it’s there. And you know I’m happy about it.
And for Rusty Cohn of Napa, there’s a new Church in town. This is downtown near the Kohl’s department store and a second beaver family with kits. Yesterday, he watched an adult climb up and grab a nice branch and both youngsters come toddling over to share. Remind us all of that age old drama “Mom, what’s for dinner?”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are co-sponsoring a beaver event as part of the FWS monthly guided nature walk series on Wednesday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m.–noon, at Upper Greenhorn Park.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are co-sponsoring a beaver event as part of the FWS monthly guided nature walk series on Wednesday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m.–noon, at Upper Greenhorn Park.
Donald Flickinger from NOAA will talk about local beaver activity, how beavers benefit riparian habitat, methods to protect streamside trees from damage, and beaver dam analogues to restore wetlands when beavers aren’t present. Come learn about the challenges and opportunities of co-existing with this North American native – right here in Siskiyou County!
Hurray! It is wonderful that NOAA is talking about the benefits of beavers and how to wrap trees. Even MORE wonderful is that this is taking place in YREKA California. Sure it’s just over the border from Oregon where they’re LOTS smarter but it’s a start. A start. A start. I don’t know Donald Flickinger, but I plan to look him up right away. Honestly, do you think this is the kind of thing that would ever have happened if the whole involving the public with beavers in Martinez didn’t make show off how wonderfully the two things work together? I really doubt it. Even in Siskiyou county. And yes, I am indeed full of myself.
That’s all for now, as the day is full of important beaver business. Don’t believe me?
