This was the SOS I received yesterday afternoon.
The Sonoma County Water Authority took a chain saw to the Beaver Dam behind Bettencourt St., between 2nd St. West and the walking path. They claim to have been given “verbal permission”. These beaver’s have pups…please help protect them. Please notify what ever agency can help spare our wildlife. These are the only Beavers in the City of Sonoma. Help!
I was surprised because these are beavers I’ve never heard of an the message was sent by someone I didn’t know. I eventually turned over enough rocks to learn that SCWA had been worried about the dam for a while and was hoping that the recent rains would take it out. When it didn’t they got permission to do it themselves.
Kind of.
A series of emails were forwarded basically explaining that SCWA was concerned about the obstruction of the dam, the possible blockage of culverts down the road and the increase in mosquitoes in the summer (!) so they talked to CDFW who advised them to notch the dam.
A self justifying account was sent by SCWA to folks at Sonoma ecology Center whose phones were ringing off the hook when this all went down. That list is pretty much all bogus official-speak designed to make people not argue with them, except for the first one about obstruction which I’m sure is the whole reason they did it
It seemed stupid to me at first to do this on the first day of christmas vacation when children and parents are home and watching. But the thing is it when you think about it friday was EXACTLY the kind of day they would choose to do this. The last act before heading off for a 2 week vacation so all the public attention and yelling wouldn’t bother them. And don’t think for a moment there wasn’t yelling. Lots of people mistakenly think beavers live in the dam. So cutting into one with a noisy chainsaw probably got some attention.
Of course SCWA could have notified residents that this was going to happen. And explained ahead of time that they weren’t going to harm the beavers. They could have notched the dam with a silent clam rake instead of a chainsaw. They could have put up a little sign to let folks know what they were doing. They could have written the Sonoma Ecology Center BEFORE they got caught and let them know and asked for their help getting the word out.
But – I ask you – where’s the fun in that?
Better to throw a live grenade into the crowded foxhole and then go on vacation for two weeks. It is so exactly what our public works would do – and DID do – that it almost takes my breath. But then I remember how very differently this all feels when I’m not in the front lines protecting OUR beavers.
So I passed on what I could to the right players. I made sure folks knew what had happened and who to talk to, and then I went to make 72 mushroom and leak raviolis for the upcoming beaver dinner. Because, even I, eventually remembered this wasn’t my circus. And those weren’t my monkeys. So to speak.
Sonoma has very smart people who care about this. They will figure it out. But even people who know better can be stupid about beavers.
Case in point: made last year in CANADA for Chrissakes,
Ontario Power Generation “Dammy the Beaver” from Nathan Love on Vimeo.
