Month: November 2022

BANDOLIER PARK BEAVERS BENEFIT EVERYONE

I have been loving this National Parks Series on beavers. Today we get a new chapter from Bandalier National Park in New Mexico. I remember being amazed at the NM Beaver Summit when presenters talked about hiking down to reintroduce beavers with beavers strapped to their backs.

Under the Willows | Beavers Return To Bandelier National Monument

BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT — Bandelier National Monument has had its share of natural disasters. In 2011 the Las Conchas fire burned 156,000 acres in northern New Mexico, much of it at Bandelier. And then, two years later, a devastating flood, the largest in recorded history, coursed down its narrow canyons. The landscape was drastically changed, from Ponderosa pine forests to rocky mesas and log-jam choked canyons. Nearly three quarters of the Frijoles Canyon’s upper watershed’s forest was destroyed.

But when there is destruction, there is also rebirth and an opportunity for restoring the landscape, by recovering native fish species and the industrious beavers, known as a keystone species. They’re nature’s preeminent dam builders. Their keenly assembled piles of wood create ponds that support wildlife, aquatic species, and even act as natural firebreaks. They also slow stream flows, holding back precious water in this rugged desert landscape.

After decades of them being hunted and killed because they were flooding landscapes, cutting down trees and making travel in the narrow canyons difficult, beavers have made a comeback. In 2019 four beavers were introduced above the Upper Falls by the National Park Service. Since then, 27 beavers have been brought into the park and released. But the idea wasn’t a new one.

Isn’t that an excellent way to introduce the hero of the story? I sure wonder what California’s National Parks are doing about beavers. I really enjoyed this film and her bright explanations.

Ya gotta love an ranger that doesn’t want to drill a hole in a beavers tail and tells people not to walk on the dams! I have gotten such grief from all kinds of biologists and visitors for protecting ours in the day. “Oh don’t worry I do it all the time,” They’d explain. As if I were worried about THEM.
I’m sure if you’re Glynis Hood hiking in back country and never see a sole surrounded by beaver dams you might be able to get away with it. But in heavily trafficked areas, no. Just don’t. Resist the temptation to see if its strong enough to support you. It is. And it wasn’t build for you or because of you,

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in 2018 to relocate problem beavers to prevent them from being euthanized,” she says. And, in a build-it-and-they-will-come scenario, the rangers constructed artificial habitats, called beaver dam analogs (BDAs), for them. They also planted native willows, an essential food source, which have thrived. And beavers are masters at managing willow stands, ensuring a stable supply.

And Milligan recognizes that the beaver can create a place for other species to thrive.

“We are hoping they can establish themselves to provide habitat for our native but endangered New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse and native leopard frogs,” she said. “We also reintroduced native Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in 2018 (and every year since) and they love using beaver ponds.”

Beavers are a heavy lift. Tell me about it! I feel like I’ve been carrying beavers on my back for fifteen years!

Their ponds have also been an ideal place to reintroduce native fish.

“The fires and floods that came through in 2011 and 2013 wiped out all of the fish, and we used that as a place to start from,” says Hare. “We only introduce native fish to the area. The first fish were introduced in 2018; the Rio Grande cutthroat trout. This year (2022) we brought Rio Grande chub and Rio Grande sucker, and used the beaver ponds to introduce them into.”

And as the beavers multiply, they’re starting to repopulate these canyons, supporting not just themselves, but every bird, fish, bear, deer, invertebrates and vegetation that rely upon them. In Bandelier (and many other parks) they’ve been transformed from a nuisance, to a solution.

Excellent closing solution. Of in city storm drains or urban ponds they were already a solution too, just not one for a problem people felt like fixing. I have a dream that one day there will be plenty of beavers in our wild spaces AND plenty of beavers in our urban in between spaces and everyone will realize what a fantastic solution they are and let the stay put.

AIRDRIE BEAVERS HAVE A CHAMPION

If you traveled north of Montana and kept on snow plowing until you passed Calgary you’d come to the city of Airdrie, And you have dropped into a most unusual presentation to the city council there. Meet champion Barbara Kowalzik who I suspect is going to be our very good friend soon.

Resident lobbies council for better wildlife management practices

With the City of Airdrie putting a pause on trapping and killing beavers of the Waterstone community, an Airdrie resident presented to council asking that the City adopt a policy to co-exist with beaver populations on November 7.

Summerhill resident Barbara Kowalzik, who has lived there for 13 years, made a presentation to council offering some information to consider as the City explores alternative to trapping and killing destructive beaver populations in the community.

While she presented as a concerned resident, Kowalzik holds a bachelor degree of sciences, and has over a decade of experience in wildlife conflict management.

Kowalzik said that the continued destruction of public and private properties has shown that Airdrie’s current management methods have been ineffective.

“The beaver lodge in my community has existed long before I moved here, and over the last 10 years I’ve seen these beavers relocated unsuccessfully and managed a number of times. I feel that I can say with confidence that we have an opportunity here to make a change because what we are doing is not working,” said Kowalzik.

Ohhh hoo hoooo. I am liking Barbara! What a celestial entrance! I wish I had known enough once upon a time to be able to march in and present to the city council that they should do it better.

“Many trees in my community have been wired, but unfortunately most are wired insufficiently or the cages aren’t properly secured which allows beavers access,” she said.

“I think the fact that beavers have taken a number of large poplars over the last few months speaks to the fact that there’s room for improvement.”

She added that she believed aggressive behaviours demonstrated by beavers were an overstated concern.

“Although beavers are social animals, they’re not aggressive and attacks and bites are exceptionally rare. I can say this from first-hand experience working with wild beaver populations,” said Kowalzik.

“I’ve heard the beavers in my community be referred to as aggressive a number of times, and implying this aggression as justification for trapping,” she said.

Beavers aren’t aggressive buddy. But watch out because I AM! Just putting chicken wire on a tree isn’t the same thing as protecting it. We know that.

“I would suggest that defensive behaviours, such as posturing and vocalizing, has been mislabelled as aggression, which can be very misleading as it relates to public safety.”

She suggested preventative measures as a solution. Those included a proposal to paint tree bases in sand mixures, and a practice called ‘diversionary planting,’ which equates to placing specific plants near beaver colonies to attract them so they don’t turn to other publicly or privately-owned trees and shrubs.

Another proposal was to explore pond levellers to manage water levels and mitigate beaver activity in certain areas.

Kowalzik’s presentation cited a study conducted by Stella Thompson published in the January 2021 edition of the Mammal Review, which estimated that environmental services provided by beavers can amount to $179,000 USD per square mile annually.

The big guns. Cities waste money by trapping beavers. Everything else falls on deaf ears. Keep going Barbara,

She said that could be taken into consideration when looking at the 2018 Nose Creek Watershed Water Management Plan, which highlighted the unhealthy ecosystem of the watershed.

“It’s polluted with phosphorus, nitrogen, and fecal coliform. Not only do beavers on the landscape help increase water quality, but they also help enhance biodiversity,” she said.

“It has a ripple effect, and I think the riparian habitat in Waterstone is a great example of this. There’s mink, muskrat, neotropical songbirds, numerous invertebrates, and numerous species of wild plants.”

She said the challenges presented could potentially be leveraged into new opportunities for innovation.

“Mutiple beavers in my community have been trapped and killed over the last month, but beavers still remain in the lodge and trees still remain accessible,” said Kowalzik.

Ohh hoo hoo Barbara. You got ’em on the ropes now! Don’t let up. Keep wielding that sword until they say uncle.

“I’m hoping we can leverage some of the resources available to us in order to make some well-informed decisions moving forward.”

Councillor Ron Chapman said he was somewhat divided on the issue because of the costs and liabilities they were presenting within the City.

“In the wild they are great, but the City of Airdrie is not a wild environment for them. In a municipal setting, I don’t see it different than having a mouse in your kitchen,” said Chapman.

Hmm does the mouse save money on your water bill and fight fires? Asking for a friend.

“If you have a mouse in your kitchen, you have to get rid of it because it’s doing damage. It’s going to continue to do damage while it’s there,” he said.

“I’m not convinced that we’re going to be able to… co-exist with them.”

The City of Airdrie is looking to do some additional research with the insight of other wildlife experts on how to best approach the beaver problem.

Councillor Candice Koleson said she looks forward to seeing what comes from those discussions, but added that she recognized that there’s a very apparent problem for the municipality.

“They are incredibly destructive. Big trees have been taken down overnight, and it’s very difficult for us to be able to justify that destruction,” she said.

The week prior to the meeting saw beavers take down a tree along Main Street, which has only raised safety and liability concerns around the critters remaining in an urban environment.

Well yes it’s easier to Kill a problem than to solve it. I agree. But is it better for the community? Is it better for the green spaces in your community? Better for your water quality? Better for the mental health of your residents? I’m going to guess the answer to that is “NO”.

Barbara we need to talk.

12th Martinez Beaver Festival 2019. Photo by Cheryl Reynolds 6/29/19.

THE TALE OF NO TAIL

heidi08 Beaver Anatomy November 18, 2022

I had a saying for 15 years that I might decide to replace. The saying was that “Beavers change things” which is still true today and no less relevant but I’m approaching full embrace of a new saying. “Beavers get over things“. This is based on their remarkable and increasingly emerging ability to adapt. Habituate. ADAPT. To whatever seems to happen in their lives. Captured and stored in a fish pond before relocation? They adapt. Rehabbed in somebodies living room for a year? They adapt. Beavers seem to make a considerable effort to change things to their liking, They try and try over and over again. With their friends and without getting irritated or annoyed.

And then, with very little ceremony or fanfare, if they can’t beat it, join it.

Patti Smith | View from Heifer Hill: A strange beaver tale

I wrote of the possible existence of this beaver kit in June when I found that his mother, Dew, a beaver who had been living in isolation for a year, was about to give birth. The only other beaver in I had seen in this watershed was Dew’s half-sister, Gentian, so the most likely explanation for her pregnancy was, I told myself, immaculate conception

I was not surprised that Dew would be so chosen. Those of you who have read this column before will not need to be told why Dew is an extraordinary beaver. You will know that she has survived numerous trials, including the wounds inflicted by the bear that killed her mother.

Because I had been busy with other beavers over the summer, I couldn’t return to visit Dew and meet her holy child until late September. There was no sign of them in the pond where I had last seen her. No worries. Beavers move often. For a week, I searched along the rest of the brook and then along the tributaries. I found no beavers anywhere and feared the worst.

Patti does her best to locate Dew and then she gives up. Thinking that maybe something happened to her and focusing her attention on her sister Gentian. Did she ever mate? Why don’t they live closer together? In looking for Dew she notices something very very surprising.

Since then, I have been heading down to the brook most nights. I most often see Gentian at work in a new pond in the downstream section. Dew inhabits the upstream portion. One night, in the upstream region, I saw a beaver swimming underwater, the biggest beaver I had ever seen in this brook. I checked and then checked again. This beaver had no tail. He swam under a submerged log to hide. Beavers can hold their breath for 15 minutes in a pinch. I had no wish to cause a pinch for this fellow, so I set out to look for the other beavers.

A beaver with NO TAIL! Is such a thing possible? Of course it is. Beavers get over it. This beaver knew when to be cautious. And probably had to adapt some muscles to master swimming and diving without the equipment. But he had found a life and a mate.

Two actually.

As this puzzle piece clicked into place, a very curious picture was beginning to emerge: a beaver that suffered such a traumatic injury might well become extremely wary. Such a beaver might be invisible to a distracted beaver watcher for months. He was probably the beaver I had seen in Gentian’s territory, too. This fellow was the likely father of Dew’s kit. I think that when the puzzle is completed, the picture will reveal the sisters living next door to each other and sharing a mate. There are still enough pieces missing that I could be very wrong.

Downstream I found Gentian deftly cleaving the bark from a birch branch. Upstream, Dew swam over to say hello and enjoy an apple. Tendrils of mist flowed across the pond as the night cooled. I saw the tiny beaver near the spot where I had first seen the beaver with no tail. The small creature seemed preternaturally calm. As he climbed ashore to groom, I contemplated his parentage. His father might not be a deity, but he surely has superpowers. How else would a beaver survive the loss of such a major appendage? How else could he adapt to life without it? This little beaver has no halo, but he has some stellar genes.

A beaver with two wives and no tail! Now this is Patti talking here so we can only believe her. If such a thing were true and possible she would be the one to see it. People survive all kinds of amputations but they have prosthetics to help them out. Not beavers. No one will ever get warned by him again.

But still. A tail eaten by a bear is better than a beaver eaten by a bear. And beavers get over it.

BEAVERS COULD MAKE US SMARTER

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beavers and Flooding, Beavers and water November 17, 2022

Whenever I see an article with a headline like “Smarter ways to work with water” I am like a hound who catches a whiff and suddenly springs to attention. Or maybe one of those busy body old ladies who sit by their widow and lower their bifocals when they see that woman pulling up in the driveway with another new man.

I pay attention, but I don’t always expect to be please by the result.

Smarter ways with water

People need to find better and more productive ways to become allies with water — which might mean giving it space for its processes.

With mounting climate-fuelled weather disasters, social inequality, species extinctions and resource scarcity, some corporations have adopted sustainability programmes. One term in this realm is ‘circular economy’, in which practitioners aim to increase the efficiency and reuse of resources, including water — ideally making more goods (and more money) in the process.

Okay, I admit when I saw that the author was Erica Gies I got a lot more hopeful.

Working with wildlife

Taking a holistic approach is also paying off in Washington state and in the United Kingdom, where people are allowing beavers space for their water needs. The rodents in turn protect people from droughts, wildfires and floods. Before people killed the majority of beavers, North America and Europe were much boggier, thanks to beaver dams that slowed water on the land, which gave the animals a wider area to travel, safe from land predators. Before the arrival of the Europeans, 10% of North America was covered in beaver-created, ecologically diverse wetlands.

Environmental scientist Benjamin Dittbrenner, at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, studied the work of beavers that were relocated from human-settled areas into wilder locations in Washington state. In the first year after relocation, beaver ponds created an average of 75 times more surface and groundwater storage per 100 metres of stream than did the control site⁹. As snowfall decreases with climate change, such beaver-enabled water storage will become more important. Dittbrenner found that the beaver’s work would increase summer water availability by 5% in historically snowy basins. That’s about 15 million cubic metres in just one basin, he estimates — almost one-quarter of the capacity of the Tolt Reservoir that serves Seattle, Washington.

I always have time to stop and enjoy a good Ben Dittbrenner reference. Yes lots of beavers doing their things all over would increase our available water. And help wildlife. And act as fire reduction. And reduce nitrogen.

But don’t listen to me.

Beavers have fire-fighting skills too, says Emily Fairfax, an ecohydrologist at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo. When beavers are allowed to repopulate stretches of stream, the widened wet zone can create an important fire break. Their ponds raise the water table beyond the stream itself, making plants less flammable because they have increased access to water.

And beavers can actually help to prevent flooding. Their dams slow water, so it trickles out over an extended period of time, reducing peak flows that have been increasingly inundating streamside towns in England. Researchers from the University of Exeter, UK, found that during storms, peak flows were on average 30% lower in water leaving beaver dams than in sites without beaver dams¹⁰. These benefits held even in saturated, midwinter conditions.

Beaver ponds also help to scrub pollutants from the water and create habitats for other animals. The value for these services is around US$69,000 per square kilometre annually, says Fairfax. “If you let them just go bananas”, a beaver couple and their kits can engineer a mile of stream in a year, she says. Because beavers typically live 10 to 12 years, the value of a lifetime of work for two beavers would be $1.7 million, she says. And if we returned to having 100 million to 400 million beavers in North America, she adds, “then the numbers really start blowing up”.

But we love our pollution! We would so miss it! Said no one ever in the history of the world. Why not let beavers do what beavers do and start off on the right foot?

For the most part, mainstream economics doesn’t take into account the many crucial services provided by healthy, intact ecosystems: water generation, pollution mitigation, food production, crop pollination, flood protection and more.

Yup. We don’t put a price on the good things beavers do and what it actually cost us to continue killing them the way we do.. If we did it would blow our frickin’ minds.

BEAVERLAND IS COMING TO TOWN

heidi08 Beavers November 16, 2022

This morning’s landscape bears a bright Ben Goldfarb review of Leila Philip’s new beaver book. It’s definitely worth visiting.

A Busy History

How beavers shaped America—and not just its ecology

Beavers, you may have noticed, are having a moment. These tireless engineers build woody dams that form ponds, which in turn filter out water pollution, sequester carbon, furnish wildlife habitat and avert drought. The Los Angeles Times recently called the beaver a “superhero,” and the New York Times has deemed them “furry weapons of climate resilience.” Wetlands with beavers are so good at fighting megafires that some researchers have urged the U.S. Forest Service to switch mammal mascots from Smokey Bear to Smokey Beaver.

“[T]here is an element of the sacred in the beaver, if only in its deep weirdness …” writes Leila Philip in her engaging new book, Beaverland. “Is it any surprise that beavers have fired the human imagination in every continent that they are found?”

Well I believe Ben will be hired for the introduction of every beaver volume for the foreseeable future. And I’m okay with that, aren’t you? Leila’s take on Beaverland hits the shelves in a few short weeks and her personal journey with beavers started like this very website and some beavers that moved in close to home and captured her fascination.

Although Beaverland may never fully return to its former grandeur, the rodents have made a remarkable recovery. Philip’s odyssey takes her to many sites integral to their comeback, such as the farmhouse in upstate New York where conservationist Dorothy Richards once kept colonies of semidomestic beavers. (They sometimes chewed the legs off mahogany dressers.) She also visits a forest in New Hampshire where contemporary scientists are studying the hydrology of rebuilt beaver meadows: “giant underground sponges that can soak up and hold large stores of water,” thus saving watersheds from drought.

Beaverland visits many of our good friends – Owen and Sharon Brown of Beavers Wetlands and Wildlife, Mike Callahan of the Beaver Institute and Scott McGill of Ecotone, Sarah Koenigsberg, Ellen Wohl and even the dusty shores of Martinez.

Philip spends a lot of time with contemporary fur trappers. Pelts rarely fetch more than $20 these days, but some trappers still make a half-decent living killing beavers at the behest of agencies and landowners, who fret that expanding ponds will damage roads and private property. Philip admirably negotiates these complex interactions: she’s respectful of trappers’ hard-won knowledge of beaver behavior yet rightly skeptical about whether lethal control is the best way to solve conflicts (although she could have more forcefully refuted the self-serving claim that we need trappers to prevent beaver populations from running amok). Rather than resorting to traps, it’s better to use “pond levelers”—pipe systems that partially drain impoundments, thereby balancing human needs with rodents’ instinct.

Ben is in fact much kinder than I’m ever inclined to be. So I will only say that I have zero idea who the trapping chapters are being written for because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me. And I doubt Bud from the Sportsman club is picking up this book any time soon. I can only assume it is an East coast thing. Where the wild world is so far away and long ago and the rocky shores are so peopled with undergrads that there is a warm golden nostalgia for the trappers who live by their own wits off the land the way we used to do.

Me? Not so much.

Near Beaverland’s end, Philip travels to Maryland, where a stream restorationist named Scott McGill collaborates with beavers to capture pollutants that would otherwise flow into Chesapeake Bay. “To build a stormwater management pond with that kind of water retention would cost one to two million dollars,” McGill says, nodding to a beaver compound. The rodents, of course, built it for free.—Ben Goldfarb

Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America
by Leila Philip
Twelve, 2022 ($30)