THE BEAVER AND THE OYSTER

First the fish must be caught. ”
That is easy: a baby, I think, could have caught it.
” Next, the fish must be bought. ”
That is easy: a penny, I think, would have bought it.

I was thinking about this poem while tracing all the steps necessary for the whopping changes at CDFW over beavers. I was thinking about it because years ago they didn’t even believe that beavers were native to California – they were literally listed as INVASIVES until we worked so hard to publish the papers that showed they were as native as poppies and belonged in the Sierras and in the Bay Area.

” Now cook me the fish! “
That is easy, and will not take more than a minute.
” Let it lie in a dish! “
That is easy, because it already is in it.

I was thinking about it because when beavers came to Martinez they told us there was NO way to manage beavers nonlethally because flow devices failed and even wrapping trees never worked. Best just to kill them.

I was thinking about the poem and it’s many steps because in 2014 years ago the SONCC Coho recovery plan that mentioned the benefits of beavers and beaver dams 395 times because they were so important and I thought SURELY this will change things for California. Now they’ll be seen as an asset.

” Bring it here! Let me sup! “
It is easy to set such a dish on the table.
” Take the dish-cover up! “
Ah, that is so hard that I fear I’m unable!

And a few years later when the research about amphibians started flooding in I thought, well FROGS that will be the straw that changes the camels back. I mean we will start to protect beavers because without them frogs are doomed in a very short time. Then in 2018 we got Emily Fairfax fire research and I was sure THIS TIME people will listen the more scared we are of burning up the more accepting we will be of beavers. This is the critical step. This will unlock things. Or maybe the summit will unlock things and having 200 members of state agencies listen to the beaver benefits will do it…

For it holds it like glue — —
Holds the lid to the dish, while it lies in the middle:
Which is easiest to do,
Un-dish-cover the fish, or dishcover the riddle?

And then things finally reshaped themselves enough that we got the announcement that there were suddenly grants for non lethal beaver management. Money to say beavers by. Meaning not only did beavers belong in California and worth saving. there were ACTUAL ways to save them.