Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Month: January 2020


Isn’t that beautiful? A friend found it for me and my heart was very touched. Things in Australia are beyond horrific, I wish an import of beavers could help. Sigh.


Time for another installation of “Lets use physics to study what beavers could do naturally if we just stopped killing them all the time.” From our friends at Phys.org.

Toward a smarter way of recharging the aquifer

To replenish groundwater, many municipalities inject reclaimed water into depleted aquifers. The injected water has been purified by secondary wastewater treatment, and, in some cases, the water has been treated through tertiary processes and can be clean enough to drink directly.

The original water in the aquifer was chemically stable, in equilibrium with the surrounding rocks, and was slowly recharged by natural processes (water infiltration). However, when more groundwater is consumed than the natural processes can restore, engineered recharging with purified, is needed. Unfortunately, over time, the reclaimed water sometimes becomes contaminated.

Well gosh! Landowners are using so much water that they drain of the water table and have to inject it back. Like refilling your bank account, fair enough. But it’s so weird! When they put clean water in it comes out tainted with arsenic! What’s with that?

When we injected the water, it was good,” she said, “but when we withdrew it, it was bad, tainted with arsenic. What was wrong?”

It turned out that although the water being injected into the aquifer was usually clean enough to drink, it was bringing something new to the aquifer: oxygen.

“By injecting reclaimed water, we are triggering oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals in the aquifer, which were stable at low oxygen levels,” she said. In particular, she looked at arsenopyrite (FeAsS), a mineral that dissolves into iron, sulfur and, crucially, arsenic.

Wait, that’s poison right? I mean if you drink arsenic you die don’t you? At least that’s what happened with those nice little old ladies serving tea to Cary Grant. What rotten luck! You need water so you use water. You will need water in the future so you replace it to save for a not-so-rainy day. And then when you take it out again it gets full of poison! That’s horrible! If only there were some some way to stop it from going all lethal.

Dissolved organic matter keeps water from turning into aresenic? You mean like sticks and leaves and bugs and fish and things that have been broken up in the water over time? Gosh if there were ONLY some tool that could get water back on the land. Recharge the aquifer naturally AND generate lots of DOM so that people won’t be drinking arsenic.

Come on. Snap out of it! Stop you crazy dreaming. What are the odds of all that ever happening naturally?

 

 

 

 


So yesterday I was home alone, minding my own business, when the phone rings and it’s an NBC reporter wanting to ask about the chewed tree photos I put on FB. Turns out one of their reporters reads the site and told her to follow up. So over she comes and we waltz into an interview on camera in my living room. About whether or not I think the beavers are ‘back’, why cities get upset about them and what people can do to help. That’s all fine with me. I expect to be on permanent beaver call.

What I didn’t expect  was that the camera man (child) would – after the interview and after removing the camera – set down his 4 heavy 4 foot tripod 4 feet away and it would fall with a lumbering CRASH because he hadn’t set it down properly and it would miss my very important baby toe by a fraction of a fraction of an inch.

Honestly the noise it made when tipping alone – not to mention his hunched Igor status – told me how very, very heavy that thing was. I would be have spent the afternoon in the E.R. And I suppose it would have been fitting in a way, To be injured by a cameraman while talking about beavers.

But my house was built in 1898 and has at least one very friendly spirit who makes himself known in various mostly friendly ways from time time to time – one of which being the habit of dropping things in very dramatic ways without hurting anyone. Once every single one of our plates and cups fell from the wall and the cat, who was in the tiny kitchen at the time, was mercifully spared and when we ran in alarm to check coolly picked his way across the shards.

And once a heavy tripod fell a millimeter’s distance from my bare toes and missed me by the scant thickness of a hair and I was fine. Thanks Friendly Spirit.

So the interview was on the TeeVee last night, and a kickstand of concern has been artfully laid to protect the beavers by making them visible to the people that saved them last time. She wanted to talk to the city too so I gave her Mark Ross’s cell phone; On a whim Jon went down scouting for beavers last night but  he saw narry a one. I suppose we shall see what transpires. This may turn out to be nothing, but it might be a beaver shot across the bow, so to speak.

At least our beavers will get slightly better odds than these in Missouri:

Twin Lakes Memo

Beavers have chewed their way through trees at Twin Lakes Recreation Area — including some planted as memorials for loved ones. Families have paid $250 each for these trees to memorialize family members or friends and work colleagues who have died.

The affected trees lie along the southeast corner of the lake inside the recreation area. The stumps can be found just outside of a gate to a fenced-in dog area and continue further inside. Dave Dittmer, forester for the city Parks and Recreation Department, said that department crew members first reported the damage to the trees in December.

Sorry about Grandma, but PLEASE PLEASE can I have my memorial tree eaten by beavers? Can’t you just imagine my plaque next to that whittled beaver chew. Maybe with some artfully scattered woodchips?

“Here lies Heidi, she truly gave beavers all she could”

In a post on Facebook showing the damage to the trees, one user commented that beavers have been doing similar damage to trees around Cedar Lake, which is located just south of Southampton Drive a few blocks west of Providence Road.. Discussion in the comments of the same Facebook post contained some users calling for the beavers to be relocated, and others urging that the beavers be left alone.

Dittmer talked to the Conservation Department about relocating the beavers, he said. He was told it’s not possible to relocate them at this time because the beavers would starve, as they store and hide their food for the winter season.

I guess beavers don’t walk around or go to coffee houses anymore to find stories. They just scan facebook. There but for the grace of everyone in town go our beavers. Martinez has some lucky little flat-tails,that’s all I can say. Here’s a reminder from our friend Emily Fairfax why we were also lucky to have them in the first place.


The good news is that yesterday I found out how I will remotely present at beaverCon 2020 and I will be able to use video and audio, which means I could start pull together tools for both, I’m happy to say that the very old laptop still functions and I myself functionenough to put everything on the new laptop – so things are looking hopeful.

While I was searching through what to share I came across this national treasure of our beavers in 2017 from Moses Silva and thought you’d want to see. Turn your sound WAY up to hear my favorite part.

[wonderplugin_video videotype=”mp4″ mp4=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/chaperone.mov” webm=”” poster=”” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]

Aren’t beavers the most lovely and wonderful thing you can ever hope to see? This video just about puts my entire life in prospective. And we’re not the only one who knows this. Apparently the director of Wildlife guardians, John Horning, is a big fan too.

Beckoning the Beavers — Wild Earth Guardians

I love beavers. Ever since I was a kid and watched them slap their tails defiantly, and loudly, to warn their clan of the threatening presence of large animals, I’ve thought beavers were worthy of my admiration. Then I realized they build dams too! As an aspiring dam builder myself, I figured beavers had more than a few things to teach me.

In fact, when the question of what is my favorite spirit animal arises, my response is almost always: beavers. They bring joy and gusto to their daily work and are quite content in mud and water. What’s not to admire?

Preaching to the choir here, sir.

So, when the opportunity came up in late September to be a beaver for a day with WildEarth Guardians’ restoration crew, I jumped at it—especially since I could bring along my energetic, six-year-old twin boys.

The job of building these beaver dam analogues, or BDAs as they are known, was made easier by the placement of two dozen wooden posts that had been driven into the ground in a cross-crossed pattern across the stream. These posts, placed days earlier by Reid and his crew, provided the necessary foundation for each dam to rise

And so a beaver clan, a crew of five or six people, was deployed to each of the six dam sites. For my boys—as it seemed for everyone—the excitement of the reality of dam-building overrode the hesitation that often comes with trying something new. In partnership with the other adults, the boys wove the willow back and forth between the poles and watched as others did the same.

Without it really being emphasized we had already embodied one of the critical qualities of beavers: collaboration amongst a family unit to accomplish a grand task.

Oh my goodness. I love his enthusiasm. And I love the idea of children weaving branches in a BDA. Hmm beaver festival idea? It gets even better.

Absent cows, there would be willows along the stream. And almost everywhere there are willows, beavers thrive. And where beavers thrive there is ecological dynamism, and the land sings, with the literal songs of flycatchers and frogs and with the slithering of snakes and the pattering of shrews and mice. And in the stream itself, native trout grow fatter and more abundant in the cooler, deeper waters that beaver dams create.

Here in New Mexico, there is a long list of endangered species that have been imperiled in the absence of beavers and that would benefit from their return. The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the Southwest willow flycatcher are just a few.

Ahhh that does a heart good to read. You know WildEarth Guardians has the right idea.

The next morning after packing up, we were about to get in the car when my boys proclaimed that we could not leave without one more inspection of “our” beaver dam. Much to their satisfaction, not only was the dam still intact, but the water level had risen noticeably since the previous afternoon. As their energy lingered, the boys hummed, gently sang, and chattered to themselves and to each other in contemplative satisfaction with their work. One walked back and forth across the dam while the other waded in and out of the now waist-deep water. Without further words, we headed back up stream and up the hill to our car. But before moving on, one of my boys said, “Dad, we need to come back and build more beaver dams!”

“Yes, we do,” I said. “Yes, we do.”

Yes. And you need to MAKE WAY FOR BEAVERS so they can build and maintain their own dams without your help. Step aside and let the experts take over. This work is more tricky than  it looks. Just check out this video Robin of Napa shared on facebook. Experts are really picky about getting just the right materials.

[wonderplugin_video videotype=”mp4″ mp4=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/82272418_2546775775442873_3950662531206348800_n.mp4″ webm=”” poster=”” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]


So no new nibbles seen yesterday and no sightings either. We have to seriously consider the possibility that this is a “one night stand” (of trees) and not an announcement of a new business address. Sigh. Fingers crossed.

In the mean time there’s a very special treat for the end of the world. It’s a beaver trivia game on the Mississppi based trapping magazine, Mossy Oak. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want to buy a firearm. It will be fun.

Beaver Quick Facts and Trivia

  • Beavers can build a large dam from scratch in about a week.
  • One beaver dam can flood and destroy thousands of acres of timber.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that beaver’s cause $100 million in damage to public and private property in the Southeast.
  • A beaver has a flat scaly tail used for swimming, diving, signaling alarm and maintaining balance while cutting trees and eating.
  • Beavers incisors have to grow continuously to keep up with the wear and tear of tree cutting and eating habits.

Now wait you forgot to mention that beavers start fires, spread disease and ruin forests! Gosh I expected better fake facts from a trapping news paper!

At around 2 years of age, beavers are forced out of their colonies and will begin searching for a new home and mate.
Beavers will make multiple sent mounds in close proximity to each other to attract mates.
At 2-3 years of age, beavers will pick a mate and mate for life unless one of them is killed.
Breeding begins during the late winter months and will extend through the early spring months
Their offspring, or “kits” are born fully furred with eyes open and are able to swim almost immediately after birth.
A colony can contain up to 12 beavers and usually will consist of one adult breeding pair, newborn kits and yearlings from the previous year.

Up to 12 beavers? Never mind all that pesky research. Let’s just write what we guess! If in fact beavers mate for life unless you kill them, as you say, they wouldn’t need to ‘find a mate’ very often now would they? Way back when I went to beaver school they told me that scent mounds were mostly territorial. To keep strangers away. But I’m sure you know best.

Beaver Trivia

1. What is the average age an adult beaver will reach in the wild?
a. 1-5 years
b. 6-10 years
c. 11-14 years
d. None of the above

2. Scent found in beaver castor is a common ingredient in perfumes
(True or False)

3. Beavers have excellent eyesight and rely on it daily.
(True or False)

4. Beavers are able to swim within 24 hours of being born.
(True or False)

Now honestly these are hard. I don’t know whether to answer the actual truth or the pretend bullshit truth that you guys argue exists so you get to kill more beavers, Hmm. But of all the questions I have to say number three is my favorite.

Beavers have excellent eyesight and rely on it daily!

Nice test construction skills boys! Are you sure they don’t just rely on it every other day? Or once a week? And hey even if beavers had lousy eye sight, wouldn’t they use it every day anyway? I mean you’re commuter car might be a piece of trash but you have to drive it to get to work don’t you?

Quick Facts

  • Beavers incisors can grow more than 4 feet a year.
  • Prehistoric beavers were believed to reach 400lbs and 8 feet in length.
  • In the colonial ages, beaver trapping contributed to shifting economic and political alliances between Europeans and Native Americans.

Well, that first fact is doozy. I guess we’re supposed to be imagining beavers with four foot teeth? It’s hard to even how that fact would be observed. I guess you could count the amount a tooth grows in a day in the lab and multiply it by 364. But that really wouldn’t tell you if the process is constant or sporadic or if it occurs the same no matter how long the tooth is?

I can’t blame you specifically, Everyone gets beaver facts wrong. You aren’t special. Even the national geographic site says that their life span in the wild is 24 years.

It’s an ignorant beaver world out there boys and girls. We have a lot of work to do.

test1green-next-button


If there is a soundtrack you should be hearing in your head all through this post, It’s the jaunty Andrew sisters number above. I could not get it out of my head all day yesterday. And here’s the reason why. At our beaver dinner Sunday, we had two guests who take the train from the east bay and walk up Castro to our house. When they got here they told us about some pretty interesting marks on the trees.

So of course I made Jon check first thing in the morning. And guess what he found? Chew Chew Chew Baby!

That beautiful gnawed arrow! Precious beautiful wood chips! Look at how lovely. If there’s a more heavenly sight for these sore eyes I can not imagine what it is. After we finished dancing a jig and calling everyone we know to share our cigars we  did what we could to face any backlash that might arise. I connected with city leaders and Jon wrapped the trees to make sure the final product isn’t felled into the street or the restaurant.

Beavers in Martinez again. Just like it used to be.

There are a few fascinating things about this bit of manna from heaven. The first is timing. Every year the beavers were with us, like clockwork, around new years we would see a massive chewing night. Not -mind you- a massive felling night, just chewing. Several trees in a clump. Almost like marking territory. For no apparent reason,

It used to vaguely remind me of the half empty bottles you find in your kitchen the day after new years. Did we drink all that?

Was this a beaver party? A single beaver with a very sudden tooth growth spurt? Who can say, But this is not a new phenomenon, the January tree massacre. It’s something I’d worry about every year. I don’t know if it happens everywhere or if its something of a family tradition unique to our beavers, but I know it exists.

Another thing worth noting about this incident is that this is the EXACT SAME PLACE the beavers were living before. Right above where they lived. So whether that means this is some offspring visiting his old haunts or some disperser staying overnight at a ghost town because it was easier than making a new home from scratch we cannot say but it’s pretty awesome news anyway.

And the final bit of awesome sauce is that if you look closely you can see that these VERY trees have been chewed before, resprouted, and chewed again. If there is a better educational poster for coppicing I certainly don’t know what it is.

Of course there’s no guarantee that a beaver that visits is a beaver that stays. It might just be “one of those things”. A random stop on a journey somewhere else. Like all magical trysts we could get all excited but this could turn out to be a classic one night stand [of trees]. Just because you really really like when someone visits it doesn’t ever mean they’ll stay.

Cue the second soundtrack.

But we’ll always have Paris. A town that gets happy about beavers. A town that knows what a flow device is. A network of people to help. A village of people where 200 people react with joy when I post a picture of a tree chewed by beavers. Who else has that?

There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.

If it be now, ’tis not to come.

f it be not to come, it will be now.

If it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all. 

 

DONATE

TREE PROTECTION

BAY AREA PODCAST

Our story told around the county

Beaver Interactive: Click to view

LASSIE INVENTS BDA

URBAN BEAVERS

LASSIE AND BEAVERS

Ten Years

The Beaver Cheat Sheet

Restoration

RANGER RICK

Ranger rick

The meeting that started it all

Past Reports

Story By Year

close

Share the beaver gospel!