SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN PRAISES BEAVER DAMS

heidi08 BDA's, Beavers, Beavers and Fire Prevention, Beavers and fire runoff, Beavers and Forests February 9, 2022

Every now and then a beaver report emerges that is SO exactly what we need right now and SUCH very good news that I am torn between waving my beaver pompoms and cheering madly in the bleachers and stamping my foot in anger shouting SEE? IS THIS ENOUGH? Do you believe me now? Will you stop killing them now?

For the sake of brevity I’ll just do the first for now.

Beaver Dams Help Wildfire-Ravaged Ecosystems Recover Long after Flames Subside

Dams mop up debris that would otherwise kill fish and other downstream wildlife, new observations suggest

Oregon endured the third-largest wildfire in its recorded history last summer. The Bootleg Fire tore through the Upper Klamath Basin, an ecologically sensitive area that is home to multiple threatened and endangered species including the northern spotted owl and two fish—the koptu and c’waam (shortnose sucker and Lost River sucker)—that are culturally vital to the area’s Klamath Tribes. The fire left behind a charred landscape more than twice the size of New York City.

After the local fire season ended in autumn, Bill Tinniswood, a fisheries biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, went out to survey the damage. Ash from the fire, which burned for more than a month, had clogged formerly pristine tributaries and turned them into black slurries. Thriving trout populations had disappeared, presumably choked to death by waterborne debris particles that deprived the fish of oxygen. “I was in total shock,” Tinniswood said. “It just looked like devastation.” (more…)

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FAIRY BEAVERS?

heidi08 Beaver Book February 8, 2022

So one of my very favorite parts of the festival meeting on Saturday was that we were joined by Virginia of Fairfield who wants to help out with our next beaver s0iree and we were chatting about how I imagined it might help to personal mics if we’re all still wearing masks and she said casually, “Yes my sister uses them for her work now. She’s a fairy”

To which we all blinked heartily and said politely “What?”

Prompting her to explain that she was fairy for children’s birthday parties and that was her job. Which sounded to us like the very best job ever and reminded me greedily of hearing about Frank Baum’s chapter in one of his Oz books called:

Being the JK Rowling of his day, the author of the Wizard of OZ had a great many more fanciful stories which young people of his day read through at a great rate. In fact my mom remembers pouncing on the new books in the library and waiting ravenously for the next one. Now one of his books was (more…)

COULD I PLEASE JUST HAVE THE DAMS AND NOT THE BEAVERS?

heidi08 BDA's, Beaver ecological impact February 7, 2022

Well we had a great meeting. And it was good to see everyone. And I would say we’re definitely going to have a beaver festival this year…probably…and it will be either in June or in October…probably. Don’t you feel better having that all cleared up? I certainly do.

Now I don’t know how this slid by my beaver after christmas except to say it came out the exact day I was released from the hospital so maybe I had other things on my mind and my alerts weren’t very alert yet. But it’s a grand article and deserves our attention.

How Beavers Are Inspiring Efforts to Restore Degraded Rivers

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TO BEAVER FESTIVAL OR NOT TO BEAVER FESTIVAL?

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver Art, Friends of Martinez Beavers February 6, 2022

It’s been a bizarre clanging bell-ringing week for beavers.

I dreaded Monday because it was the artificial date I needed to decide in my head whether we were going to be beaver hermits again or try our best to put together a beaver festival. But I tried to face it bravely. Two weird acts of fate helped. The first was a phone call from the secretary from the county fish and game commission making sure that our grant application was the same as the one from last year which never was allowed to happen. She kindly said that we were likely to be approved.

And the second was a completely unexpected large donation arriving from Mitch Wagoner the retired lawyer who argued the friends of Lake Skinner beaver case. He’s been a great mentor and support over the years but I certainly wasn’t planning on his help. What a difference that man has made in his life!

On Tuesday I received an email from the festival artist Amelia Hunter who said she’d be glad to help us again this year and adapt her California beaver summit logo for the festival. Almost immediately after that I got a note from Bay Nature magazine saying that the schedule for ad space in the Spring issue where we usually advertise was due by friday. And she offered us a discount for our usual quarter page ad.

It was around then I realized I needed to hear from the other festival champion Worth A Dammers and hear their thoughts about a festival. We are zooming this morning to discuss. But suffice it to say as a collective body we are all over the map on the issue, from the very hardy “ABOUT TIME!” To the meeker cautious “Maybe we should” to the wary “Only if kids are masked” folks and the stalwart “Not for me” folks. Maybe most surprising of all was the adamantly hardy “I will only do it if there are NO restrictions on participation!”

Beaver advocates are a mixed bag. I’ve said it before. (more…)

“RADICAL ALLY AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER”

heidi08 Beavers February 5, 2022

So it was all the way back in October that I posted about Suzanne Husky the famous French American artist who had developed a passion for beavers and wanted to feature them in her work. Well she has an upcoming show in Beverly Hills and was inspired by the cities name meaning BEAVER to create a project called “Dam Beverly Hills”. The main event was delayed due to Covid in the meantime things will proceed.

Frieze cancels sculpture element

Frieze, an international art fair, on Jan. 27 announced that the launch of Frieze Sculpture Beverly Hills, planned for Beverly Gardens Park, will not take place in 2022.

“We are grateful to the city of Beverly Hills, as well as the participating galleries and artists, for all their support,” a Frieze spokesperson said. “We continue to look forward to this year’s Frieze Week in Beverly Hills.”

Frieze Los Angeles will still return Feb. 17-20 at the future One Beverly Hills location, 9900 Wilshire Blvd., adjacent to The Beverly Hilton hotel (more…)