Month: November 2022

BEAVER BENEFITS IN ‘THE HILL’

The SHOCKING news from Stanford about beavers helping streams even more when as the climate warms was a shot heard round the world. I’ve been getting science headlines for a day now from saucers like Phys,org and Anthropocene proclaiming what a happy accident that a beaver moved into a research project and just started randomly making things better! Who knew?

I mean besides all of us and everyone who has been following the research,

But this headline from the HILL kind of takes the cake, Just think about how shocked all those congressional staffers will be when they read this,

Hot and dry conditions in the U.S. West have created a haven for industrious beavers, whose construction skills are helping improve river water quality.
Their prolific dam building is benefiting rivers enough to potentially outweigh the destructive impacts of climate-fueled droughts, according to a new study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday.

“As we’re getting drier and warmer in the mountain watersheds in the American West, that should lead to water quality degradation,” senior author Scott Fendorf, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University, said in a statement.

“Yet unbeknownst to us prior to this study, the outsized influence of beaver activity on water quality is a positive counter to climate change,” Fendorf added.

UNBEKNOWNST! Who even says that, And is it even true? Well maybe in a very vague specific way folks didn’t know that the effects documented by countless other studies got even more impressive under the extremes of climate change but still, everyone should have had an inkling,

The wooden barriers built by beavers raise river levels upstream, diverting water into nearby soils and secondary waterways to create new “riparian zones,” according to the study.

These riverside ecosystems then act like filters — straining out contaminants and excess nutrients before sending the water on its way downstream, the researchers explained.

To draw these conclusions, the researchers installed water level sensors in a spot along central Colorado’s East River where beavers had built a dam. The scientists also collected water samples to monitor nutrient and contaminants levels.

I kind of like the concept of New Riparian Zones. I bet it would be a lot harder to get permission from CDFW to remove one of THOSE don’t you think?

Ultimately, they found that the beaver dam dramatically increased the removal of the contaminant nitrate — boosting its eradication by 44 percent over seasonal extremes.

“Beavers are countering water quality degradation and improving water quality by producing simulated hydrological extremes that dwarf what the climate is doing,” Fendorf added.

Yes he said dwarf. So whew. I guess we can all keep driving and turn up our heaters because because beavers have totally got this one. I know I’ll sleep better tonight.

BEAVERS CAN FIX IT FASTER THAN WE CAN BREAK IT

What a surprise this must have come to every researcher at Stanford and anyone that isn’t me, It’s. making headlines all over this morning and that’s definitely a plus for beavers and the people who’d like to see more of them.

Beavers will become a bigger boon to river water quality as U.S. West warms, Stanford study finds

American beaver populations are booming in the western United States as conditions grow hotter and drier. New research shows their prolific dam building benefits river water quality so much, it outweighs the damaging influence of climate-driven droughts.

Let that sink in for a moment. Feel better?

As climate change worsens water quality and threatens ecosystems, the famous dams of beavers may help lessen the damage.

That is the conclusion of a new study by Stanford University scientists and colleagues, publishing Nov. 8 in Nature Communications. The research reveals that when it comes to water quality in mountain watersheds, beaver dams can have a far greater influence than climate-driven, seasonal extremes in precipitation. The wooden barriers raise water levels upstream, diverting water into surrounding soils and secondary waterways, collectively called a riparian zone. These zones act like filters, straining out excess nutrients and contaminants before water re-enters the main channel downstream.

This beneficial influence of the big, bucktoothed, amphibious rodents looks set to grow in the years ahead. Although hotter, arid conditions wrought by climate change will lessen water quality, these same conditions have also contributed to a resurgence of the American beaver in the western United States, and consequently an explosion of dam building.

Yes a few of us can do you a world of good. But a battalion of us can do things you never dreamed of, Now stop killing us and let us get to work,

“Completely by luck, a beaver decided to build a dam at our study site,” said Dewey, who is now a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University (whose mascot, incidentally, is a beaver). “The construction of this beaver dam afforded us the opportunity to run a great natural experiment.”

Right, Because who would EVER go out on purpose to STUDY beaver dams, This was just a fluke. I had no idea they saved water and restored the aquifer and made microclimates. I went to Stanford not UTAH state.

To understand how beaver dams may affect water quality in a future where global warming produces more frequent droughts and extreme swings in rainfall, the researchers compared water quality along a stretch of the East River during a historically dry year, 2018, to water quality the following year, when water levels were unusually high. They also compared these yearlong datasets to water quality during the nearly three-month period, starting in late July 2018, when the beaver dam blocked the river.

Okay you compared a wet year to a dry year. I’m pretty sure that’s been done. But not at Stanford. So what did you find?

Through their measurements and computer modeling of the interlinked biological, chemical, and physical processes that affect how contaminants become concentrated or flow downstream, the researchers found that the beaver dam dramatically increased removal of nitrate, a form of nitrogen, by creating a surprisingly steep drop between the water levels above and below the dam.

Warm, dry summers following spring snowmelt also produce big level changes, which generate a pressure gradient that pushes water into surrounding soils. The larger the gradient, the greater the flow of water and nitrate into soils, where microbes transform nitrate into an innocuous gas.

In the East River, the researchers found the increase in the gradient compared to an average day was at least 10 times greater with the dam than it was during the summer peak without the dam, for both the high-water year (2019) and the drought year (2018). Stated otherwise, the effects of the dam exceeded climatic hydrological extremes – in either direction of drought or abundant snowmelt – by an order of magnitude.

“Beavers are countering water quality degradation and improving water quality by producing simulated hydrological extremes that dwarf what the climate is doing,” said Fendorf, who is the Terry Huffington Professor in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustaienability and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Do you hear that? Beavers are fixing our streams even FASTER than our climate can ruin them. That’s pretty darn fast,

“We would expect climate change to induce hydrological extremes and degradation of water quality during drought periods,” said Fendorf, “and in this study, we’re seeing that would have indeed been true if it weren’t for this other ecological change taking place, which is the beavers, their proliferating dams, and their growing populations.”

That nitrogen thing is a biggy I guess at Stanford. I mean when you add it to the list of all the other things beavers can do, like save water and increase biodiversity and save salmon and increase protection from FIRES it almost seems like a no brainer to keep as many of them as possible on the landscape

But what do I know?

BEAVERS ARE ON THE BALLOT WITH THE ‘DAMS’ ACT

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beavers, Flow Device Installed November 8, 2022

So the midterms and democracy are important and all but this just got real. BEAVERS ARE ON THE BALLOT. And not just in Martinez but in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. I received a totally unexpected email yesterday saying that Congresswoman Suzan DelBene of Washington state is backing a beaver bill to fund flow devices and will likely introduce it in December of this term. REALLY. She is asking that the secretary of the interior fun flow devices. And I realize if the entire congress is filled with lunatics come January that will be IT for the foreseeable future. SO VOTE FOR SANE CANDIDATES THAT WILL SAVE BEAVERS!

The Bill is called the DAMS act for beavers “Developing Alternative Mitigation Systems” which focuses on establishing a federal grant program to help states, tribes, agencies, local governments, landowners, conservation organizations, and others invest in effective, nonlethal solutions to reduce property damage caused by beavers.

And No, I’m not kidding, Believe me. I have huge bruises up and down both arms from pinching myself over and over to wake me up if I’m dreaming and it hasn’t happened yet.

A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant
program to assist projects that use nonlethal coexistence
measures to reduce property damage caused by beavers,
and for other purposes.

The plan is for USFW to doll out a million dollars a year for five years specifically for tools that allow coexistence and keep beaver on the landscape. Only being used for flow devices or sand painting of trees not being applied to beaver relocation OR BDAS. Priority shall be given based on education and outreach of the project and regional representation, so that the most dollars go to the most diverse states and everyone gets to play.

And no, once again, I’m kidding.

Of course this is from Washington State, because honestly where else would it be from? And of COURSE it will suffer the slings and errors of outrageous change when and it ever reaches the floor. It may never become anything. But executing the dream requires first that the dream exists. That the dream is laid out in clear achievable language. That the dream has a name you can speak aloud.

And this is the dream.

(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be

appropriated to carry out this section $1,000,000

each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

(2) LIMITATION.—Not more than 10 percent of

the funds made available each fiscal year under

paragraph (1) may be used for administrative expenses of the Program.

If every state participated in the grant program that would mean around 20,000 dollars a state. Which isn’t huge. But is WAYY more than zero. That would pay for about 5 flow devices in each state. Which is pretty stunning when you think about it. And of course the odds are that only 5 to 10 states will apply, and then the pot is much more substantial. And if those projects were visible and advertised then it could teach MORE places about why they matter and the whole thing could just snowball.

In addition it requires that the landowner given the grant agrees that for the duration of the project s/he will only use nonlethal measures to control beaver activity. So no trapping or no money. And that the project will only allow installation of a flow device by a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL. And no I’m not kidding.

Here’s the entire proposed legislation for you to review

DAMS for BEAVERS Act 10.28.22

Congresswoman DelBene’s office plans to introduce this bill before the end of this session (likely in early December) and would love a strong list of endorsing organizations to accompany this introduction.

If you would like to endorse individually or on behalf of your organization, please fill out this form by Friday, 11/18 COB.

Just remember, THAT’S what’s a stake when you cast your ballot today! Take your souls to the polls for beavers!

‘BEAVER GATE’ IS AN ACTUAL THING?

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver ecological impact, Who's Killing Beavers Now? November 7, 2022

The Mildred Peterson Preserve is a suburban city park on the east side of Lake Michigan outside Grand Rapids in Suagatuck, It is a nice place to visit the shoreline and see the colors but it is not, apparently, a nice place to be a beaver. So few are really.

‘Beavergate’ reports true, kind of’

Reports of beaver trapping this fall at Saugatuck’s Peterson Preserve are true, said city manager Ryan Heise.

Rumors they were secret, ad hoc and might have even involved larger bear traps, less so. But it was lead-up to elections.

“The City of Saugatuck,” Heise said, “has been placed in the unfortunate position of removing beaver from the Peterson Preserve for the last three years.

“It’s my understanding,” the second-year manager went on, “that in the early 1960s pond work and stream alterations were made to Moore’s Creek, originating from Goshorn Lake.

Placed in the unfortunate position? Seriously? Like “This hurts me more than it’s going to hurt you,but it has be done. You made me do it”. Swear to God they said that out loud with their mouths parts because they truly thought it would make their position better.

Go figure.

There are stories that this creek historically was spawning habitat for native fish, and later salmon/trout introduced to Lake Michigan in the late 1960s.

“We are aware of concerns about the trapping and the dam, which triggers an interesting discussion on the relevance of the dam from an ecological significance perspective.

The trapping is a permitted activity necessitated by need to maintain native habitat, prevent damage to the existing dam, and assists in mitigating damage to surrounding road base and other infrastructure upstream.

“The trapping is complete for this year,” Heise said.

Oh and happy 15th anniversary, by the way.

BEAVERS: FIXING WHAT’S BROKEN

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver ecological impact, Beavers November 6, 2022

I love waking up an hour later and not feeling guilty about it. Don’t you? There are lots of articles celebrating the upcoming beaver moon and the last lunar eclipse for 2 years but it won’t be visible here so I thought we’d focus on this fine article from Vermont instead, which is a state that has some really smart beaver folks too.

Nature Can Still Help Us, Despite the Errors of Humanity

By Dan Hemenway

For some time, I have been thinking that restocking beavers in the hills and mountains of Vermont would solve many problems with minimal cost. A network of little dams that store water at elevation, in small impoundments instead of big Army Corps of Engineers scale structures, has the potential to keep the ‘Ver’ in Vermont. Manifold small beaver dams would restore springs, help forests resist fires likely to result from climate change heat and drought, decrease erosion from aberrant climate-change-induced deluges and tropical storms, increase groundwater, improve forest production far in excess of the trees beavers use, and cool the temperature of brooks and rivers. Healthy trees, with ample water for transpiration in blistering heat, can cool much of the area around them.

Excellent opening argument Dan. I’m completely invested in what you are going to write next.

While dithering about whether to suggest introducing beavers as self-regulating climate-moderating engineers, I encountered an article labeled “Beavers help climate change: Dams boost water storage and lower temperatures” while reading Science News (Sept. 10, 2022, p.8). People (and beavers) are doing it already!

Science News reports that a year after stocking beavers in the upper reaches of the Skykomish River in Washington State, “average water temperatures dropped by about 2° C” (3.6° F), “while nearby streams without beavers warmed by 0.8° C” (1.44° F), more than a 5° F difference. The beavers “raised water tables by as much as 30 centimeters” (almost a foot). The researchers estimated that the dams resulted in double the amount of water stored in the ground as was stored behind beaver dams after just one year.

That seems like a really good service. I mean isn’t there someting IN that water that wants it to stay cool?

People who fish for trout, in particular, will appreciate lower water temperatures, which are vital to trout. Not mentioned in the article is that beaver dams smooth (dampen) stream flow fluctuations. Brooks and rivers are more likely to run year round with no or less severe flooding and little likelihood of drying. Think of the Winooski River if it never dries as it runs through Montpelier as it did this year. Dampening flooding from the anticipated increase of extreme ‘rain events’ by small high ponds would help reduce river flooding, maybe making it a rarity.

The increase in groundwater not only would help the forest resist fire, it would add to the water available to forests, springs, and any wells below the beaver ponds. In my latest commentary in The Bridge (Sept. 6, 2022), I discussed the likelihood that the Montpelier area, and much of northern New England, will be a magnet to climate chaos refugees. Improving the hydrology of the slopes around Montpelier would be an excellent way to prepare for the added human stress on our environment and at least partly counter the damage from a wilder and more dangerous climate.

Well sure, If you’re going to list all those good things beavers do you’re going to make it sound like we need them. But they flooded my cousins basement! They at my aunt’s hawthorn tree! We can’t just let a menace like that run loose!

Eons of erosion ideally shaped the region’s hills and mountains for small pond construction, by beavers or people, to store water in a way that stabilizes and enriches the environment in even more ways that I’ve mentioned. Small dams are minor adjustments to the landscape; they do not pose the wholesale failure risk of large dams. Being modular, with far more potential sites than anyone would propose utilizing, they can be developed carefully and gradually without huge appropriations. Therefore, I suggest some forms of economic incentives, perhaps a rotating fund for low-head hydroelectric where, as the generators pay off, repayment money is made available for new landowner projects. I suspect that the state fish and wildlife folks would enthusiastically stock beavers if that becomes seen as a public good.

All the residents of the area, from songbirds to fish, moose to rabbits, Republicans to Democrats, would benefit from efforts to restore the health of the environment by managing the water as nature arranged before we got here. If we make the right moves, deliberately and incrementally, we can accommodate our forests, our streams and rivers, our wildlife, and an enlarged human population. If we wing it, we will likely make a mess of the change that population numbers and the waste of consumerism bring down on us.

Well said, Dan.

Beavers can help us navigate the armageddon we have brought down on ourselves. I think that’s worth having a moon named after them. Don’t you?