Month: October 2017

Send Review Copy Here, please.

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Fire Prevention, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and Ice, Beavers and Insects, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? October 6, 2017

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about this new text book, which was slated for release in August of this year. Dr. Carol Johnston is the professor from South Dakota who recently used those historic maps from Morgan to show that beavers build in the same areas for 150 years. The book looks very interesting. Minnesota Ag just reviewed their copy but where is mine?

Beavers Shape Northern Minnesota Ecosystem.

Beavers have probably been more influential than humans in altering the Kabetogama Peninsula ecosystem in northern Minnesota, writes South Dakota State University Professor Carol Johnston. She examined how beavers have impacted the peninsula which is home to Voyageurs National Park near International Falls, Minn., in her newly released book, “Beavers: Boreal Ecosystem Engineers.”

“This book is about a place and the science of how beavers shaped it,” said Johnston, who has been conducting research on beavers for 30 years. She wrote eight of the book’s 10 chapters based on her National Science Foundation-funded beaver research.

The text book is listed as a pricey 137.00 at Amazon, but shows the following drool-worthy pages of contents. It takes a second to load but trust me it’s worth it. There isn’t a single chapter I’m not eager to read. It’s maddening to think of all the text books I shelled out major cash for and never really read more than I needed to, (or frankly, even that) and this one that is sooo delightful-looking now that I’m not a student!

Beavers_Boreal-Ecosystem-Engineers_Table-of-Contents

“Changing the watershed one stick at a time.”

heidi08 Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and Insects, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? October 5, 2017

The Methow Beaver Project is an enormously successful beaver reintroduction project in the Northwest of Washington. It was the brain child of beaver friend Dr. Kent Woodruff of the USFS and has literally convinced thousands of people to think differently about beaver benefits. They asked me yesterday if I would share this for their fundraiser and I said I’d be happy to. All beaver defenders owe a tremendous amount to Methow who were the first to learn how reintroduction could be successful on a larger scale and have advanced understandingin pairing beavers successfully and getting them to stay put in their new home so they can start changing the landscape. Kent also provided the lovely quote for our newsletter you see at the right. (Because beaver people stick together – get it?)

The Methow Beaver Project has been working to relocate beavers in the Methow Valley for the past decade as a natural way to restore riparian habitat and address climate change. Although we are affiliated with numerous agencies we are independent and totally grant supported by individual contributors like you and private foundations. Your support during the Give Methow campaign will enable the Methow Beaver Project to continue our restoration efforts to the benefit of flora, fauna, fish, and you. We’ll be using your donation to purchase beaver food, educational and outreach materials, volunteer training materials, and to support our ongoing scientific investigations.

Give Methow

The Give Methow campaign, put on by the Community Foundation of North Central Washington, makes every cent of your donation go to your favorite organization (they cover the CC fees) and based on the amount each organization raises, additional funds from their “stretch pool” is allotted. Finally, every Monday someone who donates will be drawn and receive $500 to go to the Methow group of their choosing.

Meanwhile we’re getting ready for Saturday’s Wild Birds Unlimited event in pleasant hill. I thought I might as well start promoting our new and improved beaver festival so I put this together. What do you think?

Newly Native

heidi08 Beavers October 4, 2017

Great news this morning from across the pond, (unless you are terrified angler immune to facts). It’s even in the Times. Nearly a decade after their famous trial began, beavers have finally been granted “native status” which means they can be allowed to belong there in small proscribed doses. We are thrilled at the news but can’t resist saying that we think calling beavers NATIVE after all these years is, as they say, mighty white of you.

New beavers to be set free in Argyll

Scotland’s official wild beaver colony is set for a boost after conservationists were granted a special licence to bring in more of the animals to help ensure their survival. Up to 28 more beavers will be set free around lochans in Knapdale Forest, in Argyll, where a small population has been living since a trial reintroduction project was launched in 2009. <

The success of the five-year trial resulted in Scottish ministers granting the animals ‘native’ status, allowing them to remain in the wild and spread naturally.

This marked the first successful reintroduction of any wild mammal to the UK.

There are at least two unofficial beaver colonies living wild in Scotland – a large one around Loch Tay in Perthshire and a small one near Beauly in the Highlands – thought to have sprung up after captive animals were illegally released. Scientists believe bringing in new beavers will give the small Knapdale population the best possible chance of thriving in the long-term and increase its genetic diversity. The animals will be sourced from a variety of locations and will be screened to ensure they are healthy before being allowed to set foot on Scottish soil. Read more: Beavers’ return to wild backed by Scots in survey The reinforcement will be carried out by Scottish Beavers, a new partnership between the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) created to continue the work of the Scottish Beaver Trial, under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage.
Conservationists says the move could safeguard the future for the newly reintroduced “native” species. “Reinforcing the population at Knapdale is an exciting step forward for the future of beavers in Scotland,” said Susan Davies, director of conservation at the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

“Beavers are natural engineers with a unique ability to create new wetland habitats. “They can benefit wildlife including otters, water voles, and dragonflies, and long-term research in Tayside has shown how their presence has revitalised previously drained land by doubling the range of plant species. “The ponds and pools created behind beaver dams can also help improve water quality and regulate flooding, and their return to Scotland has great potential to boost our growing wildlife tourism industry.”

This has been a epic journey from the very start and we have watched as they argued, prodded, measured and accommodated the concerns of the entire countryside to bring beavers on board. They have made more friends along the way and are in an even better position now, but the farmers and anglers are still in shock to discover they have to share their waters with beaver neighbors. Someone should really make them some brownies and tell them to have a snack while the grownups handle things.

We were wondering last night what America would be like if we had no beavers. Would the entire country agree to bring them back because they were good for the environment if it hadn’t already been done a century ago? Absolutely not we decided after a moments consideration. We do not share our spaces with wildlife, we can barely stand to farm differently or do anything for the bees who are in the direst of straights. We would never, never, never overcome the interests of industry to convince Americans to reintroduce beavers. It’s horrible but true.

It might interfere with our fracking, for heavens sake!

So Scotland deserves HIGH PRAISE INDEED, and the patient pressure of endless advocates, researchers and scientists has paid off at the highest levels. You have truly done a wonderous thing, and your American cousins are terribly proud of you. (And just in case you didn’t notice, those pesky illegal beavers helped your cause a great deal, because they forced people to care about this issue and put the advocacy at the street level where it belongs.) Congratulations Scotland! You did all the right things!

(I just watched this video all the way through and it brought tears. Good lord we’ve been at this a long time too.)

“Beaverland”

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver Behavior, Beavers, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and Ice, Beavers and Insects, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's saving beavers now? November 12, 2017

Taos is a historic and artist mecca in the upper middle of New Mexico. With an elevation of nearly 7000 feet, you will definitely feel the visit all the way down to your lungs. There’s plenty to keep you busy whether your hiking, painting or meditating. But save some free time tomorrow evening because Ben Goldfarb will be talking at the Harwood Museum about beavers and his new book.

Talk targets beavers and ecosystems

Environmental writer Ben Goldfarb will spend his October residency at the Aldo & Estella Leopold Cabin putting the final touches on a manuscript about the importance of beavers in restoring ecosystems.

Goldfarb holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies – the same school that Aldo Leopold attended and was among its first graduates. And the Leopold Cabin sits across the valley from the historic seat of the beaver pelt trade in the early 1800s at Taos Pueblo.

“I can’t think of a better venue at which to complete my present project, ‘Song of the Dammed,’ a book about the ecological and hydrological benefits of North American beaver restoration,” said Goldfarb, who spent last summer surveying ranchers, scientists and public land managers about beaver restoration. “Northern New Mexico plays in integral part of the story I want to tell. And I’m happy to be invited to U.S. Forest Service property, as that is an agency that gets the importance of beavers the most.”

Ooh that’s so exciting! I wrote Ben yesterday to see if someone will be filming or taping the talk so the poor souls not in Taos could see it. He said he wasn’t sure and corrected that the books title is now “Beaverland”.

Goldfarb will present elements of his book, including a history of beavers in North America, the ways beavers influence restoration, and several case studies that support his findings at a presentation planned Wednesday (Oct. 4), 7 p.m., at the Harwood Museum of Art, 238 Ledoux Street in Taos. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The Aldo and Estella Leopold Residency began in 2012 as “an inspiring retreat for writers to reflect and create in the home where Aldo and Estella Leopold first lived as newlyweds from 1911-12,” a press release states. “Now in its 6th year, the Leopold Writing Program selects one to two writers for one-month-long residencies, depending upon funding. Participants receive a $500 stipend to help defray travel and living expenses. In exchange, residents give a public presentation of their work in Taos.”

Past residents include Courtney White, John Hausdoerffer, Bonnie Harper-Lore, Leanna Torres, Gavin Van Horn, Tovar Cerulli, Priscilla Solis Ybarra, Andrew Gulliford, Maya Kapoor, Andrea Clearfield, and Ariana Kramer.

Could Ben be in better company than the spirit of these great writers? I don’t think so. He asked me what I thought of “Beaverland” as a title and I said it was nice maybe kind of similar to “Beaver World” and Enos Mills territory? My personal inclination would be more to something about the way they are an extremely unappreciated resource that gets ignored. Like “Untapped” or “Unsung” or more specifically focused as to their function, “Water-Savers”.

I also tossed out the notion I had been toying about thinking of beavers as “Stream-catchers” (playing off the idea of dream catchers being the Ojibwe belief of the woven hoop you place near the infants crib to keep out the bad dreams) Maybe the beaver dam itself is the web? Keeping out flooding and drought, and the stream that it brings are the ‘good dreams’ vibrant with fish and full of life?

Ben liked that idea and thought it might become a chapter, so we’ll see what happens. In the mean time I’m excited that beavers get a book and Ben gets to talk about it tomorrow night.

Unhealthy Medicine Hat

heidi08 Beaver Chewing, Environmental, stupid solutions, Who's Killing Beavers Now? October 2, 2017

Here at beaver central we don’t ask for much. A little appreciation for the ecosystem engineers and a little creativity by officials who encounter problems. Medicine Hat comes almost close to meeting our very reasonable demands. Solve problems FIRST before you kill beavers, is that so difficult?

Parks and rec tackles beaver issue

Beavers are felling large trees in several areas of the city this year, and Medicine Hat Parks and Recreation staff are now actively engaged in a trapping program to prevent more damage, says David Genio, superintendent of parks maintenance at Medicine Hat parks and recreation.

“In some places we have had to use these control measures but we only use them as a last-resort option,” states Genio. “What parks and recreation normally does is try to protect the trees before it gets to a control-type of situation.

“We try to make them less appealing to the beavers. We are going out and actually putting metal wire around the trees to deter the beavers. And then anytime we plant new trees in the river valley, we attempt to plant less desirable trees for beavers, such as evergreens, oak, elm and ash, to reduce the beaver activity in that area.

“When there is significant damage like we are seeing now, once all other options to prevent this damage have been exhausted, then we will proceed with permissible control methods for beavers as outlined in the Wildlife Act.”

I’m really torn about this strategy. I certainly like when parks departments say trapping beavers is a “last resort”. And I like when they say they protect trees with wire instead of trapping. But I’m not really happy about planting new kinds of trees beavers won’t like. Oak and Elm won’t be very hardy when waters rise which obviously will happen. And why, oh why, are you “trying” to protect trees with wire? Why isn’t it succeeding?

Either the beavers of Alberta have learned how to use wire cutters or you’re doing it WRONG.

According to Genio, most of the beaver damage to date has occurred in the Harlow area, the Northwest Riverside trail area and around Strathcona Island and Lions Park. Genio says he hasn’t heard any reports of significant structural damage or personal injury as a result of the heightened beaver activity. He also says some beaver activity is normal and expected in the river valley area, but this year the beaver population has boomed, leading to the destruction seen in some areas of the city.

“Medicine Hat is an inviting destination for beavers with the South Saskatchewan River and its tributaries,” confirms Genio. “We have seen some more beaver activity this year than in recent years. It’s a very delicate balance between saving our urban forest and considering the well-being of the beavers.”

Okay that officially bugs me. No one is asking for you to “consider the well being of the beavers”, you condescending little pratt. What we’re asking you to do is weigh the considerable value that beavers add to your watershed and biodiversity and make reasonable responsible adjustments when you can. Not pretend you tried and it didn’t work just to pacify the protestors. Back in 2014 some very smart beaver advocates scared the spit out of Mr. Genio and he has learned to sound like he’s doing the right things. I would call this a necessary, but not sufficient step.

Apparently MH learned to wrap trees just enough to protect themselves from protestors. They still have zero idea how to keep beavers out.

Anyway, you’re going to plant trees that beavers don’t like so they stay away? You do realize that medicine Hat is surrounded by a long beaver highway, right? You are ALWAYS going to have them passing through.

Even if you surround your parks with only cactus.