Month: June 2020

BELLEVILLE ABORTS BEAVER KITS, KILLS PARENTS

heidi08 What's killing beavers now? June 29, 2020

That’s what’s exhausting about beaver work. It’s one step forward two steps back. It can feel like all our hard work amounts to nothing. At least it feels that way to Doug Knutson, the defender of the Belleville beavers.

You might remember Belleville from their excellent interview on Furbearer Defenders, or the fact

that Doug is a filmmaker at Windswept Studios in Canada, or that they had Skip Lisle out last year for a training in installing flow devices. They were a success story.

Now they’re the other kind of story.

Senseless killing of our national symbol: McCaw

A Belleville councillor calls the city’s killing of beavers that were causing flooding in the city’s east end, as “troublesome.”

At this week’s virtual meeting of city council, Councillor Kelly McCaw was referring to a staff report that indicated four beavers had been removed and euthanized.

McCaw referred to 11 emails the city had received from citizens in the east end, “lobbying for the senseless killing of our national symbol.”

Doug did everything right. Reached out to friends. Got public attention. Earned the support of the city. Brought in Skip Lisle. How could this have gone wrong?

AND IN JUNE???

She added she didn’t blame the staff. “I want them to know I certainly don’t blame them for doing their job. Who I do blame, really, is the Ministry of Natural Resources. I consider them, in my personal opinion, to have not been helpful in any situation pertaining to beavers. From my perspective they’re nothing short of a propaganda arm for organizations like the fur managers. Relocation should be an option for us, but thanks to the ministry of natural resources that isn’t an option, and here we have a couple of beavers that have been euthanized because we have no option.”

Hear that? If we just could have MOVED them we wouldn’t have had to kill them. I don’t blame the murdering staff. I blame the rules.

Dear dear girl, don’t you realize if these beavers were moved new ones would have come? The same thing would have happened all over again. Either you learn to solve the problem or you keep on killing them. It’s that simple.

A report by Manager of Transportation and Operations Joseph Reid notes that staff has been using mitigating measures in the Belle Creek area.

After many calls from residents citing water levels and unmanageable issues, the city retained a Water Resources Engineer who recommended to remove some beavers from Bell Creek.

The city started live trapping May 27. A total of four beavers were live trapped and “dispatched humanely.”

Reid adds, “We believe there are still beavers in the area and will monitor the area. The flooding has been resolved for the time being.”

May, as you know, is not really a time of flooding. Or of beaver building up the dam. Temperatures are in the high 60’s and rainfall is about 3.2 millimeters a month. So not a time to hit the sudden flood.

But hey, about the time to be nice enough outside to do some trapping. And since everyone’s in quarantine, well that’s an added benefit.

Oh you know what else happens around May? Kits are born. But you knew that didn’t you.

Mayor Mitch Panciuk says there was a safety problem with flooding and under provincial rules beavers can only be moved a short distance. McCaw says she will do some research before presenting a motion to lobby the province to allow a longer relocation distance.

Hmm. I’m glad you made such an effort to switch from foot severing traps to drowning traps. That was mighty white of you. I mean if you’re going to kill infants or abort beavers you wouldn’t want them, to feel any pain right?

Poor Doug, and poor everyone who worked hard to get this right. It’s unbelivable the amount of sustained pressure it takes to get success to succeed when it comes to beavers. I told Doug that I knew just how he felt. It was after our beaver triumph that the city secretly decided to put sheetpile thru the lodge. I was horrifying and my heart was nearly broken.

But in retrospect, it was a turning point not a breaking point. In the secrecy of their private meetings the city let slip the dogs of war, and it meant nothing would be off limits ever again. I could push as hard as I knew how and never worry again about appearing unreasonable.

Some background from Doug himself:

[When Skip came out] it was an amazing time – full of hope and promise! The City seemed to have had a Road to Damascus conversion – they seemed genuinely committed to finding alternative measures to manage beavers and wildlife. And they seemed very proud of all the accolades they were receiving over Belleville’s new role as leader in sustainable management. I had the Mayor and City Manager say to my face that there was virtually no chance trapping would happen in Belleville again!!!

But something happened since then. I have been shut out of all communication with the City over the beavers. I was told not to film them working (strange when they were so enthusiastic last year!??). This issue could be this – at the other end of the space where the beavers live(d), is an open space park. We live on this park. It is a beautiful natural space enjoyed bu many and full of wildlife. But the City announced plans to build a massive “destination location” (mayors words) playground – we along with our neighbours fought this tooth and nail! It would be impossible to link these things together but things changed at this time. I used to be the Mayor’s best buddy for the beaver work we did – last time I saw him he just snubbed me!?

Anyway when flooding issues arose this Spring – new dams – Skips BD worked perfectly.- the City said it would remedy the situation. I OFFERED any assistance I could. Skip couldn’t come with Covid lockdown but he was only a call away – and I could refer the vast amount of experience and knowledge available here. However this offer was declined – “we know what we’re doing”. So they put in their “pipe-thing” – I shared pics on this form and it was universally condemned – and sure enough it never worked. Rather than regrouping or asking for help, they seem to have hatched the plot to say “we tried everything” (they did not!) and went right back to trapping!?!

COLORADO SPRINGS INTO ACTION

Serendipity can be sad or awesome it’s true.

Yesterday I got two unexpected emails. Both just finished reading Eager and wanted to be more involved in helping beavers.One beaver artists in San Jose whose been watching the silicon beavers and wanted to be part of the festival, The other from a man in Denver who wondered if I knew others near him who were trying to help.

Bad news in the first case, good news in the second. Check out this column from Sam Richards of Colorado Springs.

Beavers: Why give a dam | Ranger Ramblings

At first glance, the sight of a large cottonwood standing precariously on a dwindling stump is a cause for concern, but before we lament over the loss of this quiet giant, we should take a closer look at the culprit behind such seemingly mindless destruction: the North American Beaver.

As a biological science technician for the City of Colorado Springs, receiving calls and emails from concerned citizens regarding beaver activity on city property is a regular occurrence at my office. While removing the beaver and moving on with our lives seems like the easiest solution, I believe we should take this opportunity to educate ourselves, to take a closer look at the ecological consequences of having beavers in our parks, and to reevaluate our idea of what a “healthy” environment looks like.

Beavers are considered a keystone species – one that has a disproportionately large effect on the environment in which they exist. In this case, the large impact is a result of their characteristic dam-building behavior. Flooding from beaver dams creates new wetlands upstream, and while they may not be the most visually stunning environments, there is more to these wet spots than meets the eye. Benefits of wetlands include providing critical habitat to an abundance of plants and animals, water storage, carbon fixation, stream bank reinforcement, enhanced nutrient cycling and flood protection.

You got my attention, Sam. What a way to start a column! And give your title I’m betting that you’re they guy that does the trapping when its necessary. Have you ever installed a flow device? Maybe so.

Benefits of damming may suggest that beavers adhere to a utilitarian philosophy by which their very purpose is to create the greatest amount of good possible, but, in reality, this behavior stems from a place of self-interest. Beavers build dams to create deep pools of water in which they can construct their lodge and are safe from predators.

While the ecological benefits of beaver activity in natural environments are evident, the question remains: is there a place for them alongside humans in urban environments?

Historically, the prescription for unwanted beavers was trapping and killing, but people have since accepted more humane practices such as relocation, protecting at-risk trees with wire or paint, and the installation of water-control structures and other devices that allow us to protect culverts and drain water without disturbing the beavers. Trapping and relocating is not without its challenges, including stress put on the animal and the high risk of a new beaver moving into the abandoned territory.

Wow are you friends with Sherri Tippie? She lives just an hour away. You two could have a lot to talk about. I tried all yesterday to find how to contact Sam and offer friendship, but alas, I had zero luck.

Naturalist John Muir once wrote, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Whenever we introduce or remove a species from an environment, we usually observe a cascade of unforeseen consequences that follow. I am concerned that if we collectively agree to remove beavers from their homes across our public lands, the result will be an unintended loss of life, impacting each organism that benefits from beaver-constructed wetlands — from mayfly to moose.

If you are facing difficulties with beavers on your property, I implore you to explore options of mitigation, including contacting your local wildlife agency, before resorting to relocation or extermination.

Accused of cutting down trees, clogging drains, and flooding private property, the beaver awaits our verdict, but before we convict them over such “damming” evidence, let us consider the real cost of removal. The beaver’s impact is far-reaching. What does it say about us if we are so quick to remove any species that poses a mild inconvenience? And what consequences of our actions remain unfound?

OH MY GOD. PINCH ME I”M DREAMING. Could I agree more? No, no I could not. We are kindred spirits, Sam. And there are more of us than you think. I can’t wait until we’re just another face in the crowd saying the same dam thing over and over.

By protecting beaver populations across the continent, we are employing a workforce of ecological engineers that will continuously work to repair degraded environments, creating a ripple that will benefit all wildlife and promote a heritage of environmental stewardship to be passed on to future generations.

Light me a cigarette will you. That was the incredible. I feel so fulfilled and satisfied. This has never happened to me before with a biological science technician. You’ll excuse me if I gush. But it’s called for. I mean it.

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CAN MORE PAPERWORK SAVE SALMON?

heidi08 Beavers and salmon June 23, 2020

The weighty bio report from NOAA in the USDA beaver trapping decision has been making slow and unfriendly waves. The latest is an excellent letter from our friends at the Center for Biological Diversity who were involved in the original lawsuit.

OP-ED: Trump Admin Rationalizes Oregon Beaver Killing, Endangers Salmon

In a long-awaited analysis, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued its findings on the impact on salmon and steelhead of continued killing of Oregon beavers by Wildlife Services, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The analysis highlighted the importance of beavers in creating excellent fish habitat and demonstrated that beavers have been reduced to only 3-10% of their historical populations. Despite the clear connection between beavers and healthy salmon and steelhead populations, the National Marine Fisheries Service concludes that Wildlife Services’ beaver killing will not “jeopardize” 12 species of salmon and steelhead that require protection under the Endangered Species Act because their populations are so imperiled.

“NMFS acknowledges in this opinion that Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead evolved with beaver dams and adapted to their presence, yet, in the same document turns a blind eye to a federal agency killing 400 or more beavers a year in the Beaver State,” said Andrew Hawley, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC). “Allowing Wildlife Services to resume business as usual, NMFS missed the opportunity to set clear guidelines on when beaver killing shouldn’t and should be allowed given beavers’ importance to the threatened and endangered fish of Oregon.

I can’t imagine what it is like to be Michael Pollock today, working for a federal government that does exactly the opposite of what his research recommends. At least the report QUOTES him, even if it doesn’t listen.

This is my favorite part.

“This opinion is a classic mix of science and politics in the Trump era,” said Nina Bell, executive director of Northwest Environmental Advocates. “The science overwhelmingly says that beavers are essential to preserving and creating salmon habitat, yet the federal agencies conclude that continued beaver killing should proceed so long as they send reports about it. Unfortunately, there is no link between more paperwork and salmon survival.”

Oh man that’s good. Very droll. That’s almost British it is so dry. Nina Bell is my new favorite person. If you google her you will see a resume 5 miles long. She has testified more times than you mother can count.

“Unfortunately, there is no link between more paperwork and salmon survival.”

Numerous studies show that beavers benefit endangered salmon and steelhead by creating ponds that provide fish with food and habitat. Despite these well-established ecological benefits, in past years, Wildlife Services killed hundreds of beavers annually with traps, snares and firearms. In 2016 the program in Oregon killed more than 400 beavers — the official state animal.

Just keep repeating that over and over. If beavers can’t win the war they can at least win the battle of public opinion. Teach people why they should live with beavers and you are two thirds of the way home.

Its not as if USDA wants to trap beavers in their spare time and gets lonely without it. They do it because they are paid to do it by cities, counties and landowners who complain about beavers.

Get rid of the complaint and you get rid of the USDA.

BEAVER VICTORY IN OHIO

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact June 22, 2020

You’ll be happy to read this next successful chapter following up on the Ohio beavers by Julie Zickefoose. The girl done good. The headline alone makes us proud.

To Save a Beaver Pond

Sunday morning, June 14, 2020, as I rested in a chaise longue with a song sparrow on my shoulder and a fine cur-dog by my side, I got a call from the county wildlife officer, with whom I’ve been working to try to head off any more beaver killing or dam destruction. Through conversations with my area contacts, I had sleuthed the perpetrator’s address and phone number, even gotten directions to his house. Wildlife Officer Donnelly used this information, stopping by the house and finding no one home, then following up with a call that morning. He told this man that he had taken a few calls concerning the beaver dam and his destruction of it. The gaswell tender admitted to hiring a backhoe contractor to take the dam out. This man claims to have a right of way to lay a gas pipeline through private property. He said that the first couple of times he destroyed the beaver dam (and the beavers, too), he failed to “get it dry enough” to lay the pipe. So he killed the beavers and ruined the habitat for nothing, but that didn’t keep him from doing it twice.

Ugh. A gas pipeline? Is that even legal? This must be Ohio because we never had to contend with anything like that. Good thing she found a friend.

So you see why, when I found the pond refilled in the spring of 2020, in my view it was not if the beavers would be killed again, and their dam destroyed. It was merely a question of when. I was putting my money on September of 2020 for another attack, as much as I hated the thought. I’d seen and photographed this man’s patterns. I’d labeled and saved the photos, calling them up again for this post, in a bit of guerilla environmental journalism that I’m proud to be able to write. Documentation is important! Without these dates and photos, these destructive acts never happened.

Over the years, I had raged and wept over this person’s rampant disregard for the law and the landowner’s rights. He was taking advantage of a person who couldn’t police her own land. But I’d never gotten anywhere trying to enlist the help of the county wildlife officer who preceded Ryan Donnelly. Each time I broached the subject with him, I got the stock answer: “If I don’t see him do it, I can’t do anything about it.” This is the perennial law enforcement dodge for any crime that might happen in the future. And for doing nothing at all to prevent it. You say this to make the complainant go away, to relieve you of the burden of having to bestir yourself. You say this, knowing that you’ll never catch the person at it. He’s free to do whatever he wants, and nobody can walk up to you and make it your problem.

I love the part about guerilla environmental photojournalism. That is EXACTLY what we did in Martinez, and what made all the difference. Good for you!

In Officer Donnelly, I had finally found an ally. Here was someone who was willing to stick his neck out to try to protect this habitat. He listened to me, and made the pre-emptive strike that the beavers so desperately needed him to execute. My pounding on the well-tender’s door would get me nowhere fast. Who am I? Some beaver-lovin’ crackpot. Well. This beaver-hugger finally had the ear of someone with law enforcement authority.

In their conversation, Officer Donnelly reminded the well operator of something he surely knew but had chosen to ignore: that any activity conducted on someone else’s land has to have express permission from the landowner. Having a pipeline right of way does not grant him tacit permission to shoot or trap animals, much less destroy an entire wetland habitat. In a face-to-face conversation with the landowner, also facilitated by this beaver-lover, Officer Donnelly had established that the well operator never obtained permission to destroy the habitat in the two previous incidents. Now, it has become clear to the welltender that multiple people are watching and reporting his activity; law enforcement is watching; the landowner is upset, and the beavers are not to be killed nor their dam destroyed again. All that should make it a bit harder for him to just go ahead and do his thing come fall. He’ll get a knock on his door if he does. He’d better hope it’s not me.

OFFICER DONNELLY! Three hands for the glorious turn of events. There have been a rash of heroic acts by fish and wildlife officers lately. First that amazing one who went undercover to catch the villian in the act of blowing up a dam in Michagan. Then Officer Donnelly in Ohio. And some recent good news I’m not permitting myself to share yet. A tide is turning.

It’s about bloody time.

Now, he told Officer Donnelly, he “doesn’t have time to monkey with it” and intends to leave it be.

I cannot express how happy I was to hear this. I could hear the smile in Officer Donnelly’s voice as he related their conversation. I was so happy I’d done the legwork, helped the wildlife officer do a pre-emptive strike, and finally had a county wildlife officer who cared enough to step in and do something about it. Finally, after agonizing over the fate of this habitat since 2014, I had some reassurance that, the next time I walk down Dean’s Fork, there will be water, and wood ducks whistling, maybe a green heron or a kingfisher or two. And two beavers gliding back and forth across a big, deep pond of their own making. Perhaps it might have stayed that way without my asking, sleuthing, and making a pest of myself. But then again, perhaps not.

Perhaps wasn’t good enough for me.

Ohhh we LOVE this story! Finding allies is the very best way to change the rules of the game, and if the friend has a position of authority that’s even better. Let’s hope those beavers decorate the landscape for any years to come.

Nice work Julie!

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BEAVER WORKS ARE GOOD WORKS

heidi08 Beavers June 21, 2020

Happy father’s day to all the beaver dad’s out there! And congratulations on another year shepherding the brood. Rusty Cohn took a nice photo last night that reminds me of everything father’s do for their children. I thought you’d appreciate it.

And happy birthday to the beaver response team.

Think Wild launches Beaver Response Team

Think Wild, Central Oregon’s new wildlife hospital and conservation center, is excited to announce the launch of its “Beaver Response Team.”

The response team is an integral part of Think Wild’s program Beaver Works Oregon, which works to build awareness of beaver as a keystone species, enhance habitat and mitigate beaver conflicts.

Every spring and summer, homeowners in Central Oregon — especially those living along a river or stream — may experience fallen trees, property flooding or culvert blockages.

This is thanks to the hard work of a large, tree-gnawing, aquatic rodent — the beaver.

While tree chewing and dam building may disrupt one’s carefully landscaped yard or pose a risk to a nearby structure, these activities are actually critical to maintaining Central Oregon’s watershed health and create essential habitat for native wildlife.

Congratulations, beaver friends! And all beavers of Eastern Oregon who might get a fighting chance at survival with your help. I’m so glad this is on its way, and just in time!

The Beaver Response Team helps homeowners mitigate beaver damage through proven tools and techniques such as exclusion fencing, sand paint, flexible flow devices and culvert protective fencing.

People experiencing beaver conflicts — whether on private or public land — can call the Beaver Response Team, and within 24 hours, field technicians trained in beaver mitigation solutions will provide an initial free consultation.

Further resources and support are also available, to include on-site assessments and field implementation services, for a nominal fee on a sliding scale.

Beaver are valuable to Oregon’s high desert watersheds. Environmental economists estimate that ecosystem benefits of improved water quality, water availability, vegetation and even flood control amount to $120,000 per beaver.

Not just the high desert. Beavers are valuable in the green belt too, and cities that care about biodiversity, water storage and aquifer recharge should be singing their praises!

Oregon native wildlife (and many endangered species, including the Oregon Spotted Frog, Redband Trout and Sage Grouse) rely on the favorable habitat conditions created by beavers.

By educating individual landowners and land stewards on these benefits and providing viable, alternative solutions to lethal removal, Think Wild hopes the program will help both humans and wildlife alike to coexist and even thrive.

To learn more, visit www.beaverworks.org or contact the Beaver Response Team (541-362-1024) for a free 30-minute phone consultation.

Beaver Works’ mission is to support beaver and native wildlife habitat on Oregon high desert landscapes in four different focus areas: Education, Support, Habitat and Policy. Beaver Works is a program of Think Wild, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a licensed, insured member of the National Wildlife Control Operators Association

Excellent work. Bring on the beavers-champions and let’s do this thing right.