Month: August 2018

BEAVER GENEALOGY

heidi08 Beavers and salmon, History August 16, 2018

Don’t miss Ben’s interview this morning at nine on Jefferson Public Radio in Oregon.

Click photo to watch an amazing civic beaver meeting

With the news of the horrific Grand Jury report in Pennsylvania, I’ve been remembering a major player in the early story of the Martinez beavers who happened at the time to be a leader at S.N.A.P. (Survivor Network for those Abused by Priests). Joey Piscitelli is a general contractor who lived downtown in a small victorian that happened to be on the same street the beavers moved into. So he was an early observer of their arrival. When the city decided the beavers would be killed Joey used his not inconsiderable connections to the media that he had developed through S.N.A.P. and guided them to the story. I believe it was Joey who instigated the candle light vigil, but I’m not sure. I couldn’t even attend it because I had to work that evening. The city notes from the November 7, 2007 meeting read:

Joey Piscitelli thanked Council for removing the “death threat”. He asked them to listen to the people and keep the beavers. He agreed a committee should be formed to study the matter.

Unlike me, he was not afraid to issue a challenge. I remember one morning after that big meeting he and his wife stopped by to talk about their plans to pressure the state senator. In those early days I was so full of the positive energy of that meeting I completely trusted the process and didn’t want to look ungrateful. I must not have seemed enthusiastic because I don’t think we ever spoke again, I can’t remember him being involved at the april meeting or the sheetpile (by which time my outlook had entirely changed). I’m not sure I heard from him after that.

When I think back to those days I can imagine that he felt he had done a great deal of work to push the heavy rock up the hill, and I swept in a pushed it down the hill getting all the attention.

Of course neither of us could know how many, many more hills there were to come. I never forgot what a crucial role he played, or how much he contributed to keeping the beavers alive. People often misunderstand that November meeting and think it was something I made happen. But I always correct them.

I didn’t make that meeting happen. That meeting made me happen.

In other news the Salmon Coho Confab is just around the corner. With plenty of local and not so local watershed heroes. Of course we all know who will be the furry flat-tailed wonder of that meeting.

Three-day symposium focuses on coho salmon

Fisheries scientists will visit the South Fork of the Smith River next week for a symposium focusing on the endangered coho salmon.

Held Aug. 24–26, the Salmonid Restoration Federation’s 21st-Annual Coho Confab will focus on watershed restoration, techniques and efforts to help coho salmon recover. The symposium will be held at Rock Creek Ranch and will include tours of stream and valley floor restoration efforts in the Lower Klamath tributaries as well as a tour of large woody debris projects led by Dan Burgess, of California State Parks.

The people who will be presenting at the symposium include Michael Pollock, who promotes the use of beavers, which had been native to a lot of coastal streams in California and create deep pools, helping to rehabilitate lower parts of the Smith River, according to Stolzman.

You can tell not even the reporter quite believes that beavers matter to this story, but that’s why we bring out the big guns. Hurray for Michael Pollock and our friends at OAEC and we hope this can change some hearts and minds!

GETTING ALONG SWIMMINGLY!

heidi08 Beaver Book, Beaver ponds August 15, 2018

Folks liked seeing Tim’s mural yesterday, the post got 2 comments and something like 80 likes on FB. Public art does things like that. It seeps into your experience and brightens your day without permission. That’s an extra reason to have beaver public art around.

This morning there are a cluster of stories to take care of. I particularly like this one, since its so close to being excellent.

900-acre preserve focuses on environmental education

Covering 900 acres north of Warrenton, The Clifton Institute focuses on environmental education, ecological research and restoration for native plants and animals.

Grants and donations fund the non-profit’s annual budget of approximately $250,000.

Mr. Harris, an ecology expert, and his wife Eleanor, the managing director and a biology expert, started six months ago at The Clifton Institute. They hope to offer more educational programs and intern research opportunities in the coming years.

“There’s incredible diversity in our own backyards and people don’t realize. Just by showing people what we have here, I think they are going to want to have a lighter hand.

“People protect what they understand and love,” President Doug Larson said. “I think if you gain an appreciation for the natural world you are more inclined to protect and respect it.” and in how they manage their own property,” Mr. Harris said.

So far so good! I love the idea of kids in Virginia getting a chance to explore the outdoors. And he’s right. Children will grow up to be adults that protect what they learned to love along the way. Where’s the problem, Heidi?

The property off Blantyre Road near Airlie features a beaver damn, several bodies of water, fields and about 10 miles of maintained trails.

Good lord. Maybe that’s just how they feel about beavers in Virginia?

Time for another fine review of Ben’s book, this one from the Addison County Independent in Vermont by Becky Dayton.

Book review: Eager: The surprising secret life of beavers and why they matter — by Ben Goldfarb

As an environmental journalist covering wildlife management and conservation biology, Ben Goldfarb has written extensively about birds, bears, fish, and more for periodicals such as Mother Jones, Science and Orion, but it was beavers, of all critters, that inspired him to write a book.

And what a book it is! While fantastically well researched, “Eager” rarely — if ever — gets bogged down by its own comprehensive heft. This is a function of Goldfarb’s genuine enthusiasm for his subject, his healthy appreciation for the humor inherent in smelly, buck-toothed rodents, and his entertaining way with words.

“Eager” is, above all else, fun to read. The opportunity it presents to learn almost everything there is to know about these surprisingly bright, if maddening, rodents is almost secondary to the pleasure of consuming Goldfarb’s lively, storyteller’s prose. But learn you will — about the rich natural and cultural history of Castor canadensis. Goldfarb leaves no stone unturned in his investigation, visiting 12 US states and the UK to interview and “go into the field,” i.e., wade into the pond, with everyone from wildlife management biologists to civilian enthusiasts of various stripes, the whole range of “Beaver Believers.” The takeaway — that, contrary to popular opinion, beavers and humans can live harmoniously — is practically a foregone conclusion; it’s the getting there in Goldfarb’s company that makes it entirely worth your time.

What a lively review Becky! Thank you so much for putting your enthusiasm into words for us. That was exactly how I felt reading this book! I hate to ask but do you have a sister or something that lives in Massachusetts? We need your brignt energy proclaiming the book out that way.

Lastly there’s an update from our friend Tom Pelletier at Ask A Naturalist. You might remember a while back I noted that someone had asked a question about swimming with beavers and he wrote back a long detailed description of the risks of giardiasis. I sent him my thoughts and right before the festival he wrote and invited me to provide an update on the post.

Here’s what it says now:

Can I swim with beavers?

Additional commentary from Heidi Perryman of martinezbeavers.org/wordpress: If the question is “Can beaver ponds carry disease?” the answer is yes, and so can any other body of water you might feel like swimming in. If you’re asking “Do beaver ponds cause beaver fever?” the answer is also sometimes. Beavers can pass on giardiasis just like deer, muskrat or even humans. They are not, however, more likely to carry it. One researcher even remarked that in other countries there is no association with beavers and giardiasis because in other languages the words “beaver” and “fever” don’t happen to rhyme!

From the beaver’s point of view the answer to the question “Can I swim with beavers?” is: please don’t. Beavers would rather not have you around while they’re working and would definitely rather not have your dog around. This is especially true in the summer months when there are young beavers to protect. Every year I read at least one story about someone whose pet was attacked by a beaver in June or July. Remember, any animal that can chop down a tree with its teeth can do harm to your dog. (Rosell, F. Rosef, 0 & Parker H ) 2001. Investigations of Waterborne Pathogens in Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) Acta vet. scand. 2001, 42, 479-482.)

Well that sprinkled in a little education! Thanks Tom for letting me add my caveats. Hopefully more folks at least will think twice about letting their dog swim in a beaver pond in summer!

TAGGED

heidi08 Beaver Art August 14, 2018

A few weeks before the beaver festival I was contacted by Tim Hon of Illuminaries who happened to live in Martinez and wanted to create a beaver mural because he had been surprised to see them one night when he first moved in. It was pretty exciting and especially wonderful that it had nothing to do with me and I wasn’t responsible in any way.

Mind you, I asked for one thing. That it look like an actual beaver and not a nutria of woodchuck. I even gave him some photos to work from, and even though our beavers never wore snorkels you can probably see the influence.

He had access to two privately owned places and asked what was involved in getting permission. Even though the approval for our beaver mural took a good number of meetings and several months to finagal, I was able to find out that there was no permit needed for private property in city limits.

The other property he was considering turned out to be on unincorporated land and the county of contra costa said they needed a permit costing 2500 dollars to paint it!

Thus, this little mural on the side of a ancient gas station was born. It just happens to be right across from the Copper Skillet, where I’m told the mayor has breakfast sometimes. I didn’t make him do it or try to stop it. Tim admitted he was a graffiti artist at heart, so doing things was easier for him than getting permission anyway,

He started it the day of the festival and just now finished the ice cream. Doesn’t it just make you happy? Tim cameby the festival afterwards and was very impressed to watch Amy’s temporary chalk creation, which I thought was fun. Bonus points! When our beavers moved upstream their interim lodge was in the creek right next to this property. And when I was in 7th grade I organized a car wash at this gas station to pay for a birthday cake for our beloved band teacher.

Long live the snorkling beaver!

My interview yesterday on BYU radio was fun and very polite. Marcus Smith started it off by saying Heidi Perryman of Worth A – oh goodness I need to swear on the radio – dam. He let me tell the story the way I wanted. Marcus seemed genuinely pleased that I was a civilian and asked a whether being a child psychologist helped me plan the festivals or fight the city, which I liked very much because people don’t usually act like it has anything to do with it. They were going to talk to Ben Goldfarb later in the day. I think I did okay, it will air in a couple weeks and I’ll give you the link then. The only odd part was that the host and his helpers were so polite – letting me say as much or little as I wanted – that sometimes I wasn’t totally sure they were paying attention and not, you know, checking their nails or something,

I’m from California for pete’s sake, I wanted to say, I’m used to more pressure!

BACK FROM SAFARI

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers and Nitrogen removal August 13, 2018

Ohh it was such an adventure to go to Safari West again and see the wildlife and talk to families about beavers and watch meteors from the deck and sleep with the sounds of exotic animals all around you. It was sobering to talk with Marie Martinez about their harrowing escape in the fire and how much business has rebounded in the year following it. Then humbling to receive another generous donation from the Safari West Foundation to support our work – splendid also to drive up past the wineries and sip a glass of Trefethen to celebrate Jon’s birthday.

But honestly, it’s nice to be home too.

This morning there’s an interview with Marcus Smith on BYU radio which I had thought of as only a campus thing, but turns out is actually a much larger deal. it also airs on Sirius which gives it a national audience. The producer originally contacted me after my article on the Center for Humans and Nature blog and I’m hopeful we’ll be able to talk about the value urban beavers can bring to the landscape.

BYU Radio is a talk radio station run by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Operating at Sirius XM channel 143[1] (and in northern Utah on 89.1 MHz HD-2), it is known on-air as BYU Radio. The station features entertaining and informational talk programming,. Marcus Smith serves as radio services manager for BYU Broadcasting, where he oversees both BYU Radio and Classical 89. His most prominent public role, however, is as host of Thinking Aloud,

Meanwhile there’s plenty of outstanding business to tidy up. Especially this article which caught my eye last week and was sent by a couple of friends on the day it appeared in both the Atlantic and National Geographic.

Most Marine Mammals Are Missing One Mysterious Gene

Alarmingly, the adaptation may leave them more vulnerable to pesticides running into the sea.

Millions of years ago, ancient land-dwelling mammals returned to the sea. Their bodies became streamlined for swimming, articulated fingers turned into flippers and fins, hypnotic songs slowly filled the oceans—and, somewhere during the evolutionary process, the newly evolving marine mammals lost a particular gene called Paraoxonase 1, or PON1.

Normally, that story would be intriguing enough on its own. But in a strange twist of fate, PON1 also provides a crucial defense against a particularly nasty class of pesticides called organophosphates. PON1 obliterates pesticide byproducts in blood plasma, so terrestrial mammals with normal PON1 levels—including humans—can effectively deal with exposure.

Still commonly used in agriculture and frequently washed into the sea, organophosphates inhibit the central nervous system, causing paralysis and permanent brain damage. And so far, there are no signs that our marine kin have evolved a mechanism to defend themselves against these toxins in place of PON1.

You’re probably thinking, gosh that’s sad for whales and manatees but what does it have to do with beavers?

She and Clark are mulling over a different scenario, derived from a clue that comes from expression patterns within pinnipeds. Unlike sirenians and cetaceans, not all pinniped species studied have lost PON1 function. Instead, only the deepest diving—such as the Weddell seal—no longer have functioning PON1. The walrus and others that aren’t so inclined to visit the abyss still retain PON1. So, it could be that the gene’s deleted activity has something to do with the oxidative stress involved in diving, although that idea will need further testing.

In the shorter term, Clark and his colleagues are planning on sequencing beavers, muskrats, capybaras, and other aquatic and semi-aquatic critters.

“We need some species or populations that have lost PON1, and some that haven’t, so we can see what environmental factors differ between these species,” Meyer says.

For now, though, agricultural runoff tainting waters from Florida to California to Australia could be rich in pesticides that manatees, dolphins, and whales have no natural means to combat—and Clark and others suspect it could be playing a role in the multiple unusual mortality events plaguing the U.S. Southeast.

How deep is the abyss? I’m not sure whether it would apply to beavers, but they sure spend a great of time underwater, (very cold water), and that must had triggered some adaptions. The great irony of course is that every day beavers are working to build their organic filters that can reduce the toxins that flow to their brethren in the sea.

While theoretically exposing themselves to it more and more.

VERMONT VARIATIONS

heidi08 Beavers August 11, 2018

Last night we talked beavers at Safari West, and since there’s a good chance I won’t have wifi there, I thought it would be a good idea to have a pre-recorded Vermont article that’s worth sharing, Enjoy!

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Installing Water Control Devices on Beaver Dams

Vt Fish & Wildlife Installing Water Control Devices on Beaver Dams

‘Beaver Baffles’ Prevent Flooding and Resolve Beaver-Human Conflicts

MONTPELIER, Vt. – To prevent flooding on nearby roads, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department recently completed construction of 19 water control devices on beaver dams in locations throughout Vermont. Known as ‘beaver baffles’ these devices allow some water to pass through the dam without breaching the dam and destroying the wetland.

The Fish & Wildlife Department expects to continue to install additional beaver baffles throughout the state this year. The baffles are one of many techniques that department staff employ or recommend to landowners to minimize beaver damage to property or trees. Other techniques include using fences to protect culverts, or placing wire mesh or special paint around the base of trees to prevent gnawing.

“The wetlands that beavers create provide critical habitat for a variety of wildlife such as waterfowl, songbirds, frogs, turtles, and otters. These areas can also absorb extra water during rain events and clean pollutants from water, so we work hard to preserve these wetlands.” said Kim Royar, wildlife biologist for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

“Baffles don’t work in every situation and can’t replace the need to appropriately manage the beaver population,” Royar noted, “but they can often be used to help reduce flooding and minimize property damage while preserving these important wetlands. Beaver baffles add to the tools landowners have at their disposal for resolving conflicts with the species”

As a result of unregulated trapping and habitat degradation, beavers disappeared from Vermont’s landscape by the early 1700s. Beavers returned to the state after the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department reintroduced them starting in the 1920s. Today, beavers are once again plentiful and widespread throughout the state. However, most of the roads and villages in Vermont were established before beavers became abundant again. As a result, conflicts between people and beavers are frequent and can be a challenge to resolve. Beaver baffles have helped.

You will note that this is the actual FISH and WILDLIFE department. Completely unlike anything our CDFW might attempt. Note also that they use the term “Beaver Baffler” which is completely uncommon in anywhere but Canada. But I would define as a strict attempt to NOT call it a beaver decei-you know

Things are a wee big complicated in Skip’s home state.

Landowners with beaver problems can contact the Fish & Wildlife Department for assistance at www.vtfishandwildlife.com. They can also contact private contractor Skip Lisle at www.beaverdeceivers.com.

Another rabid beaver incident will be flooding your internet soon. This in Southern Pennsylvania where the culprit attacked a father and daughter will they kayaked last Sunday, The father apparently killed the beaver and fish and game have already confirmed it was rabid, which is very very rare, but does happen.