Month: May 2022

MEETINGS, KITS AND BETTER LIVES

heidi08 Beavers May 17, 2022

Tonight the beaver festival goes before the Parks Recreation Marina and Cultural Commission for official approval. Which I usually enjoy because they are the kindest part of our city and will be allowed to present by zoom this time, (thanks covid!)

There’s a crazy amount of stuff going on. I’ll fill you in later I promise. For now let me just say that I got a new movie from the ill-fated beavers in Rocklin who are being followed by a good friend. Guess what she heard last night in amongst all those crazy bird and frog noises, See if you can spot it yourself.

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A kit or kits in the lodge! Whooo hoo hoo I love that sound. I love May. I’m thinking more than one since I hear a quieter voice in that audio too. Apparently the college is bringing in goats to eat up all the forage so that things are easier to “DEVELOP” but somehow those beavers didn’t get the memo. They think they have a right to exist too. What nerve!

This was also cute from the Oregon zoo this morning. I guess if you had to be a beaver in a zoo this would be a pretty good place to do it.

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BEAVERS TO THE RESCUE

heidi08 Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Fire Prevention, Beavers and Forests May 16, 2022

I would like to formally request more opinion pieces like this. Pretty please?

Opinion: Give the job of wildfire prevention to nature’s architects

Our friend the beaver

As a wildland firefighter, I have witnessed the impacts of larger and longer fire seasons. I have smelled the charred earth and watched the soil blown away into dust. In 2020, Colorado had its most destructive fires to date, with the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires burning more than 402,725 acres; that’s equivalent to more than 300,000 football field.

In a state with an expanding population and increasing wildfire risk, we need innovative solutions to protect our communities and watersheds from larger, more ferocious, and more frequent wildfires.

One potential solution involves beavers.

Yes, you read that correctly. Beavers. Let me explain how these critters can play an important role in combating wildfire.

Oh my goodness. I am so crushing on this author right now. I am fully prepared to listen intelligently to everything you’re likely to say, but I should let you know ahead if time and save you any trouble. “You had me at ‘beavers’.”

Recently, legislation was proposed directing the U.S. Forest Service to immediately suppress wildfires on National Forest Service Lands. The bill requires the Forest Service to “use all available resources to carry out wildfire suppression with the purpose of extinguishing wildfires detected on National Forest System lands not later than 24 hours after such a wildfire is detected.”

While this legislation is well intentioned, I think we need to investigate solutions outside of total suppression of fire.

The federal government has plans to spend $50 billion to aid in fire mitigation. Battling larger blazes costs taxpayer dollars, the health of our forests, and precious human lives. In a time of increasing wildfire behavior, why are our leader’s proposing legislation that is business as usual?

One such idea, which does not spring to most people’s minds, is the mass reintroduction of beavers on federal lands. Before colonization, beavers were abundant across the continent, numbering in the tens of millions. Numbers dwindled as Europeans trapped beaver for a lucrative fur industry back in Europe.

Oooh I’m liking this already. Well I’d change your language from “Introduction” to “allowance”. The beavers are there of course. They just get killed before they can do any good. Let’s stop that, okay?

Could we help reduce wildfire risk and return beaver populations to their historic ranges? I say yes!

Beavers are nature’s architects and provide a host of ecological benefits. Beaver ponds and dams filter out pollutants. The wetlands created from their damming activities diversify habitat for many other species, creating an aquatic food web that supports the life cycle of many game species across the continent such as salmon, lamprey and steelhead that humans have depended on for thousands of years.

Beaver dams and ponds aid in slowing flood waters in heavy rainfall and snowmelt events, helping to safeguard downstream communities. Beavers create canals from their ponds, which aid in rehydrating landscapes, giving groundwater the chance to cool and seep into the soil.

Now THAT’s what I’m talking about. Don’t pussy foot it. Just lay it on the line. And hey if my home burns down next year can I sue the neighbor who had the beavers trapped out of his stream for increasing fire risk?

As demonstrated in a recent study, post-wildfire areas with beavers did not burn to the same extent as the surrounding area. Wet, hydrated landscapes are less likely to burn with the same severity as drier or non-hydrated landscapes. This has great benefits for post fire recovery.

The wetlands created by beavers offer a haven for species during and after wildfire events. Beaver dwellings help protect downstream water sheds, as well. The dams and ponds act as collection sites for silt and ash from surrounding hillsides and give them time to settle, providing a filtration system for the water sources we depend on.

You are definitely ringing the bell. Now let’s bring it home. One final push over the finish line.

To be sure, beaver reintroduction is not the complete answer to reducing wildfire risk, but one tool among many that can aid in reducing the risk. Recently, researchers have found that most people associate beavers with creating trouble in residential and agricultural areas, causing flooding of neighborhoods and pastures. With smart management, the benefits of beavers on federal lands far outweigh the potential risks to human communities — especially here in the fire-prone West.

Wildfires across the West are only going to intensify in the coming years. Instead of just trying to suppress fire as we have historically done, we need to search for innovative solutions to changing wildfire behavior. The encouragement of beaver populations on federal lands may be one tool of many to help us on our path forward to becoming fire resilient communities.

With all the ecological benefits beavers offer, this is a low-cost win for our communities and wildlands. We all have a role to play in becoming resilient to changing fire behavior. I encourage you to contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife and your federal representatives and demand innovative solutions to fire policy.

Beavers are HIRED! I sure wish this article was syndicated everywhere flammable. By which I mean, everywhere. Thanks Jeremiah Gorske for telling everyone the truth!

BEAVERS AND ORVIS

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and trout May 15, 2022

After yesterday’s dizzy news I felt a little high all day, like I had just won a downhill race or trekked nepal. I heard from many friends about the good news and called a few to make sure they knew. And I sent the License plate design to the governor’s office just for good measure. Late in the day I heard from Ben Goldfarb who was very very excited about and wanted to do an article for NG or something similar specifically on the fight. Good. I want everyone to know how hard we worked to make this almost happen.

I also heard Ben on the biggest podcast interview yet. The Orvis Fly fishing listen that angler’s from across the country tune into. I knew this was coming but it was better than I expected, and I usually listen to them all when Ben’s talking. If you want to skip the fishing advice, Interview starts at 43:26.

You may wonder why I’ve done a podcast about beavers. You may be greatly surprised by the beneficial interactions between beavers and trout habitat—I know I was after talking to Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. Beavers have a much more positive effect on trout streams aside from just making deep pools, and they don’t present any problems to migrating fish. And, yes, we do talk about how to fish a beaver pond, and how to find a good one. I think all fly fishers and nature enthusiasts will learn something new in this podcast.

If every trout fisherman in every stream in every state thought beavers would good for fish then they might have a fighting chance. Nice work Ben.

THIS IS THE BIG ONE: DAM GOOD NEWS

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers May 14, 2022

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Regular readers of this website know that I only break out the starwars award ceremony for very very special occasions. Like this morning. Because last night Gavin Newsome released his budget for next year and you will LITERALLY never guess what it has in it.

Budget Request Description
Beaver Restoration

Budget Request Summary
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) requests 5.0 permanent positions and $1.67 million California Environmental License Plate Fund in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022–23, and $1.44 million in FY 2023–24 and ongoing to fund and support the implementation of a beaver restoration program within the Department.

NO WAY. NO FUCKING WAY. REALLY??? REALLY???

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) requests 5.0 permanent positions and $1.67 million California Environmental License Plate Fund in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022–23, and $1.44 million in FY 2023–24 and ongoing to fund and support the implementation of a beaver restoration program within the Department.

B. Background/History
The North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) is considered a "keystone species”. Beavers
used to live in almost every stream in North America (except in the deserts) with an estimated
population of 100-200 million. Human exploitation and nuisance eradication efforts dwindled
those populations to approximately 10-15 million beavers today. Beavers are known for their
ability to build dams and change waterways – but the ecosystem benefits provided to other
native species in the process may be less recognized. It might be odd, but beavers are an
untapped, creative climate solving hero that helps prevent the loss of biodiversity facing
California. In the intermountain West, wetlands, though they are present on just 2 percent of
total land area, support 80 percent of biodiversity. Further, beaver dams improve water quality
and control water downstream, repair eroded channels, reconnect streams to their floodplains, and the ponds and flooded areas create habitat for many plants and animals.
Beavers create habitat complexity, significantly increase biodiversity, and can provide
perennial flow to streams that would otherwise run dry. Through this process of ecosystem
engineering, beavers can expand wetland, riparian, and wet meadow habitats and increase
wildfire resiliency in areas with known beaver activity.

California native tribes, non-governmental organizations, private landowners, and state and
federal agencies have been working to partner and successfully implement beaver
restoration projects throughout California. The Department is actively involved in activities that
are responsive to beaver management and reported human-beaver conflict, such as
property damage. This proposal supports the Department’s need for additional staffing to truly
support and manage this native keystone species through the implementation of nature-
based solutions. To be successful in our efforts to protect biodiversity, the Department must
take a proactive leap towards bringing beavers back onto the landscape through a
concerted effort to combine prioritized restoration projects, partnerships with local, federal,
and state agencies and tribes, and updated policies and practices that support beaver
management and conservation throughout the State.

The gap in needed Department staffing to support Species and Habitat Conservation has
been documented through the Department’s Service Based Budgeting (SBB) process
indicating a 73% mission level gap, which is the Department highest need. These additional
resources to support beaver restoration in California will help close this service level gap

I can’t feel my toes. Can you? I think the floor suddenly got very far away. I might be flying. Or sinking. Or floating.


evaluate and report on, the service standards designed to meet its mission, cost estimates and
staffing requirements to meet its mission, and a comparison of the mission level needs against
existing staffing. SBB findings have identified that current staffing is sufficient to accomplish
approximately 35% across mission level needs. Species and Habitat Conservation show the
greatest need with a 73% gap in meeting the Department’s mission level.
D. Justification
Beavers are remarkable at creating more resilient ecosystems – and therefore thinking through
approaches to maximize their unique skills throughout California will benefit our landscapes
and help drive more cost-efficient restoration. The Department is actively involved in activities
that are responsive to beaver management and reported human-beaver conflict, such as
property damage. However, the Department is not well staffed or structured to truly support
and manage this species as a successful contributor to our efforts to protect biodiversity and
increase wildfire resiliency through implementing nature-based solutions. This proposal will
develop dedicated staffing resources to revise beaver policies and guidelines, coordinate
restoration efforts, proactively mitigate human-beaver conflict, and work towards relocating
beavers into watersheds through consultation with local partners, state and federal agencies,
tribes, and non-governmental organizations. Specifically, this program will support and help
maintain:

 A comprehensive approach to beaver management in California
 Native California tribes in their efforts to restore culturally significant beavers to their
ancestral homelands and other lands they manage
 Demonstrate the importance of beaver relocation and climate smart restoration
 Beneficial habitat as refugia to drought, wildfire, and climate change
 Increased abundance of ecologically and significant plants and wildlife species
 Improve water quality and prolong flow during dry seasons
 An integrated “toolkit” of resources and proven effective exclusion methods for
deployment to mitigate human-beaver conflict, prevent damage due to beaver
activity, and foster co-existence
 Create a pathway to utilize beaver relocation in watersheds where beavers have been
extirpated or co-existence strategies have been exhausted
 Beaver habitat suitability models to reduce the risk of human conflict and to sustain
long-term beaver occupancy
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Ohhhh sure, Just do EVERYTHING I WANT and act like it’s nothing. Just give me every single thing I’ve been fighting for for 15 years and dust your hands off like it doesn’t mean a thing, Okay. I’ll take it.

Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Nobody breathe for a minute.

RECOMMENDATION:

The Department recommends approval of Alternative 1: Approve 5.0 permanent positions
and $1.67 million California Environmental License Plate Fund in FY 2022–23, and $1.44 million in FY 2023–24 and ongoing to fund and support the implementation a beaver restoration
program within the Department

OHHH MYYYYY. OHHHH MYYYYYY. OHHHH MYYYY.

Just remember that when Gavin Newsome was running for governor he held a fund raiser attended by our mayor and shook his hand saying “I see those beavers on channel 2 Every night!!!”

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

heidi08 Beaver Art May 13, 2022

Well we’ve fully entered the manic depressive phase of beaver festival planning, because I’ve already been elated by the initial promise that the EBRP fish mobile wanted to join us this year and yesterday dashed to hear that won’t in fact be possible. c’est la vie. I’m sure I’ll be ready for the padded cell soon.

Tuesday I have too appear before the Parks Recreation and Marine Cultural Commission and get final permissions. Lucky for me lingering covid means I can appear virtually via zoom. At least I won’t have to get into all that fuss about getting the special water key or opening a hydrant.

A lot happens at a beaver festival, even without a fish tank.

If you weren’t free wednesday night for the Cary Institute Presentation you can see everything you missed on the video here. I enjoyed everything about it although I would have tossed more credit to Mike Callahan and Skip Lisle for moving flow devices from the crazy to the practical, but that’s just me.

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