MORE IMPORTANT THAN A KEYSTONE

heidi08 Beavers, Environmental October 11, 2018

I was thinking yesterday about the keystone concept. And noticing it’s not really big enough to describe everything that beavers do, Sure they connect the the two halves of the archway and let it stand and support the weight of whatever follows, but they also build the reason for the archway to be there in the first place and make possible the other blocks that will come later.

They’re actually way more important than a simple keystone.

Which lead me to spend yesterday putting together some additions to Ms. Arnold’s lovely artwork. It involved thinking of what was needed and shopping the internet for like-colored images that matched her overall theme. Okay, crime. It involved crime I admit. But it’s for a good cause, I’m not making any money from it and it was worth it. My hope is to inspire some talented artists to do it right.

What do you think? It has already been shared a dozen times on Facebook and our beaver-loving brits are already hard at work to paint their own with comparable english species which is an auspicious start, I feel It gets the point across nicely! (h/t to Robin and Shauna who’s suggested helped make it better!)

WHERE BEAVERS ARE M.I.A.

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beavers elsewhere October 10, 2018

Isn’t this a beautiful painting by Lucy Arnold? It’s title is “Friends of the Eel River”. There’s a banana slug and a flying bat and a hermit thrush. But Hmm. Something seems to be missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

The Eel river is the third longest river in California and stretches from the top edge of Fort Brag all the way to Fortuna where it empties into the sea. You can be sure that its long range means that it was popular with the fur trade who generally made sure that it was empty of beavers by the mid 1800s.

Turns out it’s still pretty empty of beavers. Even though in recent years there has been concerted effort to teach folks about their benefits and beaver champion Brock Dolman himself spoke at the Save the Eel symposium a few years back, there still aren’t many. Megan Isadore of River Otter Ecology posted this the other night on facebook and I was reminded how rare they still are in the region.

Talia doesn’t see beaver on the eel. If you go to her lovely website there are no photographs of beaver. Over the years of processing depredation permits for the state I have come across only one or two for beavers in the region.

The eel river has a beaver shortage. That has to change.

BEAVERS AND DIRT

heidi08 Beavers, Environmental October 9, 2018

Dirt Rich – Trailer from Passelande Pictures on Vimeo.

Back in the spring of 2015 I was contacted by filmmaker Marcelina Cravat who was working on a documentary about climate change and creative solutions. She was interested in talking about the wetland work that beavers do and wondered if Martinez would be a good place to film some sequences. She and her husband came over to survey the setting and meet the fam.

At the time we were excitedly expecting what turned out to be our last group of kits and had already arranged with Suzi Eszterhas to photograph them for Ranger Rick magazine. That had been set up at the last beaver festival so I thought I better ask her how she felt about another camera on site before I answered Marci. To my surprise Suzi said ‘no’. Because in her experience it was hard to work around two visions at once. So I introduced Marci to the good folks in’ Napa, and off she went in their direction.

Dirt Rich explores strategies that re-stabilize atmospheric carbon levels and revitalize the soil in an effort to reverse the effects of runaway global warming.

Fast forward three years later, and her film premiered this year at the SF Green Film Festival this summer, got awards at Sundance and is available to watch online for a short period. Robin Ellison of Napa has a lovely snippet of footage inside and let me know about the opportunity to watch our beaver buddies online. The 6 minute beaver segment starts around 24 minutes in and stars Brock Dolman, Kate Lundquist, Eli Asarian, Sherry Tippie and some even more beautiful furry faces. I can’t embed it, but here’s the link. Dirt Rich. Lucky for you, you have three more free days to watch the whole thing.

And here’s proof of many selfless hours spent at the beaver dam. Congratulations Robin!

BEAVERS IN BANFF

heidi08 Beavers, Who's saving beavers now? October 8, 2018

Good news for our friend Sarah Koenigsberg and her film about beavers and climate change.

This is a dream come true. The Beaver Believers has been selected as a finalist in the 2018 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival!

I’ve watched the touring version of Banff most every year since college, and held it as a goal for nearly 15 years. Two years ago, as I watched the tour I felt so frustrated with myself that I’d been working in film for so long yet still hadn’t produced an independent piece worthy of submitting. Last year I didn’t even go, as I was up to my neck in editing. When I got the news a couple weeks ago I burst into tears. So many thank you’s are in order, to everyone who’s put up with my “work-too-much” crazy self, my stressed out self, my stubborn won’t-give-up self, and all my ups and downs. Thank you friends! So much big love!

That’s just wonderful news! We are so excited for you and for your film and all the folks that get to see it, This has been a crazy successful year for beavers and I’m thrilled Worth A Dam and our little beaver festival could be a part of your amazing film. Thanks also to all the knights in shining armor that helped this film get made by supporting production costs along the way!

Another delight came from the recent beaver event held by Wyoming Untrapped, who used a knockout technique to help children learn how beavers build dams. Click on any photo to see it larger,

MAKE TIME FOR NATURE

heidi08 Environmental October 7, 2018

An interesting survey from Canada, saying folks aren’t spending as much time in nature as they used to or as they know is good for them. I can’t even imagine this poll being conducted in our country. I bet however little time they spend outdoors it’s still way more time than Americans.

Canadians too lazy, busy to go outside and play: survey

A survey released last week confirms grown-up Canadians still like to groan about going outside to play, often because they find outdoor activities too uncomfortable or time-consuming.

The Ipsos poll asked 2,000 Canadians to report how often they traded urban comforts for a natural setting. Although nine out of 10 agreed they’re happier when surrounded by wilderness, three-quarters admitted they find staying inside “easier.”

That answer varied considerably by age, with 80 per cent of millennials agreeing to the statement, compared to 68 per cent of baby boomers.

Rain, extreme temperatures and work pressures topped the list of reasons people avoided the outdoors, with a full third of respondents saying they don’t like the bugs and a quarter claiming they can’t find the motivation to leave the city.

I so want to know what these poll results would look like in this country. I’m sure they’d be so much worse! Maybe there should even be a “nature index” you can consult before moving to an area? The fact that a poll was issued on the topic at all speaks volumes about how much nature is valued in the country.

On average, the survey found Canadians spend just over an hour in nature on weekdays, going up to two hours on weekends.

Is it just me, or does that sound like a lot (or a lie)? When you think about the shorter days and longer work weeks, and you classify nature as “away from human environments” it’s hard to think how people steal an whole hour.

Neilson said the average was likely skewed up by a few people who spend lots of time outdoors. The vast majority, she explained, spend very little time outside.

But Neilson found it concerning that four out of 10 Canadians say they don’t spend any recreational time away from human-made environments at all.

“That’s a little alarming,” Neilson said. “There’s a saying — ‘People will protect what they love, and love what they know.’ If they know nature, and love it, they’ll protect it. There’s a chain effect.”

Okay I understand why this matters. And it brings home more vividly than ever why green spaces within urban environments matter. Like beavers in a city creek, for example. Of course this was the line from Vancouver that got my attention.

‘But she’s also noticed more excitement over the beavers, otters and other wildlife in recent years, with visitors eager to encounter critters firsthand.”

“We’re seeing a boom because of that authentic experience. You’re not just watching a movie about exotic birds, you’re seeing baby eagles with their heads popping over the sides of their nests,” she said.

Exactly! It seems to me that getting folks outside increases when they have a chance of observing wildlife firsthand. And they only way that is possible is for us to allow pockets where nature can thrive even in urban cities. Which means we can’t use up every ounce of space we might be able to sell for parking lots or big box stores. Ahem.

Speaking of urban nature making a difference in people’s lives, I finished tweaking this yesterday and wanted to share. This is a short version of my interview with Marcus Smith on BYU from last month set as a slideshow. I had to snip and snip to get it short enough, so I sound rather breathless at times. Enjoy!