Month: December 2018

2018 WAS A BANNER YEAR FOR BEAVERS

Rusty Cohn of Napa found this on Flickr. Isn’t it beautiful? What a great way to end one helluva year for beavers. The publication of Ben Goldfarb’s book has so far made a 6-month tail-slapping splash across the continent and I don’t EVER want it to end. If you’re having trouble believing how much things changed so quickly, take a wader back through the year with me this morning.

Here’s hoping 2019 is even better!

Jan – Stop in the name of salmon A threat to sue WS for trapping beavers.

– Port Moody B.C. joins the beaver bandwagon. New friends.

Feb – Thirsting for Beavers. Nevada talks Beavers with Carol Evans

– Ring the bells of Beaver Freedom. Students save Brooklyn Beavers

Mar – Baby Steps for Beavers. Urban Beaver Chapter Published in 2.0

– We are Eager For this Book. My Review of Ben’s Book

Apr – In Which an Entire Continent Saves Beavers Best Day Ever?

– Beaver Advocacy in Texas? It’s more common than you think.

May – What John Muir Wrote About Beavers. Finally we have the answers,

– Make Way for Beavers. The book we’ve all been waiting for beavers

– Leave it to Beavers Martinez Beavers in Ranger Rick

Jun – Eager Beavers All. The first reviews are in. And They’re Excellent!

– Martinez on the Big Screen. Just what it sounds like,

Jul – A Day for the Ages Festival Report

Martinez beavers go to Chicago Our story is told.

Science Magazine is Eager for Beavers

Aug – Beavers go National In National Geographic at last!

Terre Verde Castor Ben, Heidi & Beavers on the radio.

Sep – The sweetest thing The cutest kit ever.

Castor and Carbon Beaver benefits and Global Warming

On the Radio with BYU Beavers Ben and Heidi

Oct – Fire Prevention is the Hot New Beaver thing

– Beaver Mural in the News A new mural in town

Nov – Beavers go to Yale Ben reports on beavers for Yale 360.

Beaver trifecta in the North Oh Canada!

Dec – Yes you read that right. Praising Urban Beavers

– Non-consumptive use, Baby! CDFW Grant for beavers?
What a year! I could go on and on but that’s a start. I want to end with this lovely portrait by our friends at Beavers & Brush. It’s called ‘the beaver ecosystem’ and it so needs to be seen everywhere. Happy new year!

Beaver Auld Lang Syne! Here’s to another beaver year in 2019.

FRIENDS ON THE JOURNEY

heidi08 Beaver Conference December 30, 2018

“We had lain thus in bed, chatting and napping at short intervals, and Queequeg now and then affectionately throwing his brown tattooed legs over mine, and then drawing them back; so entirely sociable and free and easy were we…”

Herman Melville

Beavers make strange bed fellows.

You never know who might be headed on the same path as you when it comes to beavers. I’ve noted that before. And not just in the romantic sense of like minds falling in love. In the archaic sense of there being an inn with only three beds so you end up spending the night with complete strangers that wake up as friends.

One of Ishmael’s best friends and most memorable characters in Moby Dick started out that way – being the head-hunter in a shabby beaver hat that he just ‘happened’ to be assigned to share a bed with in the Nantucket inn near where the Pequod was docked.

I mention this now because I have a particular beaver project I’m working on at the moment and trying to recruit the right help. (I can’t tell you what it is yet but fingers crossed you will know soon enough.) Along the journey of connecting with folks who might help I met Doug Knutson who is a video producer at Windswept Productions in Canada.

Quite by accident it turned out we happen to have way more in common than you might think. Don’t believe me? Just watch.

Some friendships are destined before they ever leave the gate. Doug became so changed by his beaver-saving experience that he’s working on a documentary now about we deal with urban wildlife and will be filming some interviews with folks at the State of the Beaver Conference.

He said he couldn’t believe how transformed his life has been over the issue. To which of course, I could only smile.

Speaking of transformed Robin from Napa recently shared this from the Netherland Beavers facebook page. Just so you know, you are never allowed to complain about being ‘cold’ again.

Coldest beaver Ever — ***Lukasz Tukasik***

ALL I WANT IS MY WAY, IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?

heidi08 Beavers, Who's Killing Beavers Now? December 29, 2018

Why is it that everyone who hates beavers in Massachusetts looks and sounds exactly the same? No, really. I’m not kidding. Change the name and you could run the same story over and over.

Natick: Some want beavers removed at Dug Pond

NATICK – Bill Kinsman says he knows what is causing damage along the shore of Dug Pond.

“There’s no doubt about it,” Kinsman said as he walked Wednesday past two oak trees that had a significant amount of their trunks nibbled away.

Kinsman believes beavers are the culprits, and it’s hard to argue with him. Several trees have seen the effects of the gnashing of beaver teeth, with wood shavings scattered about as evidence. Others have that classic cone-shape that occurs just before a tree topples after excessive nibbling.

Kinsman was joined by his wife, Karen, on his stroll along the pond. Karen Kinsman, 58, grew up on the pond, and spent many hours playing in the nearby woods. She hates to see beavers destroy her beloved trees.

“If I had a choice between beavers and the trees, I would choose the trees,” Karen said.

How about if your choice was between beavers and drought or beavers and fewer birds? Would you still pick the trees? Something tells me you would.

A trapper could be hired, but a damage assessment and getting a sense of how many beavers are involved would first have to be determined, White said. Permits would also be needed to eradicate the beavers, and the entire process, including trapping the critters, requires approval by the Board of Health and Conservation Commission.

This isn’t the first time Natick has faced a beaver problem. Just last year, the town hired a trapper to kill beavers at St. Patrick’s Cemetery along Dug Pond.

“There was a lot of beaver activity (at the cemetery),” White said. The problem extended along Lakeview Avenue to Windsor Avenue, and there was a second area of beaver activity, from Farwell Street to Cottage Street to Countryside Road. White said the town thought the problem was solved, but after one population was removed, another arrived.

Wait. Just hold on a second. You JUST said that after on family was killed another arrived. Didn’t you just say that? So clearly killing a family isn’t the secret way to solving your problem. Maybe, oh I don’t know wrapping the friggin’ trees you want to protect would be a better solution?

Bill said it’s a public safety issue, pointing to tree nibbled on by beavers that fell into the pond, because it could have hit an unsuspecting swimmer or boater.

While they hate to see anything bad happen to the beavers, the couple say it’s more important to protect the natural beauty around Dug Pond.

And, Bill thinks the beaver nibbling extends beyond trees. He mentioned a metal piece on his canoe chewed down to a nub.

“What else would have done that?” Kinsman asked.

Oh Puleeze! You think a beaver chewed your canoe? You think beavers are public safety hazards? You’re a public safety hazard. Goodness gracious. It’s too bad your canoe was chewed but anything could have done that. I doubt it was a beaver. Your puppy. A passing toddler. A porcupine.

Any why do reporters allow people to say they want beavers ‘removed’. Why don’t they make them say they want them killed? And why isn’t the title of this article “Natick: Some want another temporary solution at Dug pond.”

Honestly. when is the bay state going to get ANY smarter about beavers? I’m holding my breath.

“I wish the beavers could be relocated, but I don’t want to lose what little forest we have left,” Karen said.

BEAVERS ON WORKING LANDS

heidi08 Beavers and Ranchers, Pavorael Productions December 28, 2018

Ooh I wasn’t expecting this! Time for another AWESOME film from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Honestly their series of regular folk working with beavers films have just blown me away. If you don’t make time for this one you’ll be missing out. This is very nice work by Peter Vince of Pavorael Productions.

Betsy reached out to me a couple years ago and is a member of the FB Beaver Management Forum and a real advocate for the cause. Didn’t she make a wonderful spokeswoman? Having real people who realize beavers can cause real problems is such much more convincing than me just saying nice things all the time.

For a review of their excellent body of work on this matter you can go to the PSMFC “Living with Beaver” page and catch up. They are clearly a force for good change in the right direction.

NO, BEAVERS DON’T USE THEIR TAIL FOR SELF-DEFENSE

heidi08 Beaver Anatomy, beaver myths December 27, 2018

Looks like the Wisconsin Zoo is getting a new beaver in their display. Trouble is that the state is usually so busy killing them to protect their introduced trout that they haven’t spent a long time actually learning about them.

What makes me say that? JEFF THE NATURE GUY says that they can use their tail for self defense and the zoologist states they pretty much hibernate all winter.

Baraboo zoo welcomes beavers

Leave it to beavers to find themselves in the middle of a predicament.

The Ochsner Park Zoo was set to acquire a beaver family from Zoo Montana in the spring. But a surprise otter pregnancy at the Billings facility created a space crunch, prompting Baraboo Parks Director Mike Hardy to drive six hours each way last week to meet handlers halfway in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to pick up the trio.

Renovations planned for 2019 will bring a new beaver habitat, featuring a pond and lodges, to the Baraboo zoo. In the meantime, the parents — Huck and Finn — are bunking indoors next to a pig. Their daughter Shiloh has moved into the zoo’s new otter exhibit. There she was reunited with otters Curly and Moe, who also came from Zoo Montana.

On Friday, hours after arriving, the parents nervously remained inside their carrier compartment. Meanwhile, Shiloh was already busy arranging — and nibbling on — sticks and straw. Better that than the cage door. “We’ll have to keep her extremely busy,” said zookeeper Tori Spinoso.

The parents are about 9 years old, and are on loan from Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department. Finn, the father, was raised in a private home and seized. Huckleberry, the mother, was orphaned when her mother was killed by an excavator.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks reportedly “fixed” the pair, but Huck and Finn nonetheless brought Shiloh into the world three years ago. Shiloh was born dead and revived by a zoo veterinarian, and since has become something of a celebrity. She’s the subject of several YouTube videos.

“We will have limited public viewing until they are settled in to their new exhibit, but plan on some opportunities,” Hardy said.

Did you catch that? Shiloh was born to parents that were “sterilized” by fish and game. And born dead so she had to be revived by vets. (Come to think of it I guess that is a kind of sterile if you still have children but they’re all born dead?) Thank goodness they were on hand because they had to step in and care for the “zombeaver” after her mother rejected her, according to Jeff.

Spinoso noted there won’t be much to see at first, as beavers don’t move much in winter. “Beavers in general seem to be calm,” she said. “They’re going to get very sleepy all winter long.”

Baraboo’s free zoo may be the only one in Wisconsin with beavers on display, Spinoso said. The staff was eager to bring them in, even though it meant scrambling to prepare temporary quarters.

“This creates a little more work for our staff, but I believe this will be a very popular exhibit once completed,” Hardy said.

So generous to care for the animals they bothered to rear and orphan. It’s good the state can learn little about beavers, because there are definite gaps in their knowledge.

When I sent the video to Ben Goldfarb he speculated that Jeff might think beavers are….scorpions? But I think I figured it out though, how beaver defend themselves with their tails, which is a relief. I had to research long and hard to find this.

You’re welcome.