Month: November 2023

MAYBE ‘EPHEMERAL’ JUST MEANS ‘WITHOUT BEAVERS’?

heidi08 BDA's November 20, 2023

Beaver dam analogs tend to be more popular than beaver themselves but I guess that’s okay because after people get the grants and volunteers to install them and they wash out or need repairs and have to be repaired folks start asking “How do we make it last” or “How do we make it look like that” or “Who can we get to make repairs this time?” and there is pretty much only one answer to those questions.

Beaver Dams

Beaver dam analogs–catching on in Idaho. -Landowners and conservation professionals are excited about a new type of woody structure that mimics beaver dams. The benefits are similar – they store water, slow down runoff in streams, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat. They’re called Beaver Dam Analogs or BDA’s for short. Bruneau Rancher Chris Black worked together with a number of conservation professionals to install some BDA’s on his private land on Hurry Up Creek, a tributary of Deep Creek.

“I’ve wanted to get beaver in here for years but it is an ephemeral stream,” Black says. “There’s enough willows to make good food for them and everything, but there isn’t enough water for them to stay.” They’ve put in about 10 structures so far, and more are planned in the future.

Hey I’ve got a crazy idea Mr. Black. Maybe if the stream had beavers in it it wouldn’t BE ephemeral. Did you ever think of that?

“It just benefits a whole host of wildlife species and that’s why Fish and Game is really interested in this,” says Chris Yarbrough, habitat biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “It’s a low-cost way to get a lot of bang for your conservation buck.” The Life on the Range crew visited two very different projects on opposite sides of Idaho to learn why BDAs were installed, how they were built, and what benefits may occur.”

Maybe the word ephemeral itself is just a fancy way of saying “A stream that isn’t maintained by beavers yet.”

Did you ever think of that?

One last thought,

Many sympathies to Mr. Jimmy Carter this morning who slept alone for the first time in 77 years last night. When I think of Rosalynn’s death I remember the Methodist words of John Wesley.

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

KEEP TRAPPING: SAFE, LEGAL & RARE

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers November 19, 2023

Long ago, before the supreme court had decided rights were impermanent and could be snatched away at a moments notice, there was a general delicacy in how democrats protected the right to an abortion. They thought it was kind of important and kind of icky at the same time, and struck the hearty compromise of saying it was important to keep the procedure “Safe Legal and Rare.”

(That kind of thing wouldn’t hold its own weight anymore because women are pretty much done acting ashamed of their own bodily autonomy but it does happen to apply to my feelings about trapping beavers so I thought we’d discuss it today.)

In general I am sure you guessed that I’m of the mind that it is a better idea to cooperate with beavers than to trap them. I think trapping is icky, it’s cruel, and it’s a waste of a valuable resource that could have produced many benefits to the community. But even I begrudgingly admit that there are some situations and some places where it is sometimes necessary. Far Far Far less than it actually happens, mind you, but in some levees or sewer lines or crop lands maybe beavers can’t be saved. When that happens there should be rules about how the animal is treated so it doesn’t suffer and a record of the event so we can count how rare it is and everybody should realize that it was an expensive solution that costs the community for years to come.

Safe Legal & Rare.

In no way should it be glorified or sanctified or protected from scrutiny. Trappers are not heroes and they should not get a pass. But I continue to think of them as a foot soldier in a war whose commanders we need to fight more fiercely. They are a distraction from the real fight, I had a conversation yesterday with someone who was very upset about Beaverland because they felt it elevated and sanctified beaver trapping. Which I can understand . They weren’t wild about the author being the keynote speaker at the conference and they wisely argued that Ben’s book made people think in new ways about beavers and for the most part Leila’s book made people feel like it was okay not to.

I have noticed that there is a kind of attitude which implies that serious beaver advocates don’t fight with trappers and only crazy PETA people object because smart savvy people know that its necessary. I’ve heard this argument from some surprising people and places and from people that we think of as beaver heroes. I’ve seen it become a kind of litmus test where people try to find out if you are a serious or unserious beaver advocate by finding out how you feel about trapping.

Because there are so many “trapping chapters” in Beaverland, the author gets credited as producing a more serious and defensable book than Eager where Ben made them seem so cool. NPR and the NYT add weight to the argument. It’s almost like the world sighed with relief when her book emerged because Eager made them feel like they were doing something wrong before and she said, no go ahead. Keep right on trapping them.

Just so you know, I am serious as a heart attack. I try not to get distracted by trappers themselves either to vilify or glorify them. For the most part I believe that they are irrelevant. I am more focused on the failed SOLUTION trapping offers and the people that pay them to do it.

Because when it comes to beavers, I am pretty sure trapping needs to be SAFE, LEGAL & RARE.

HIGH DESERT MUSEUM WINS ORPHAN LOTTERY

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver Behavior, Beaver ecological impact November 18, 2023

The High Desert Museum in Oregon is one of the most respected museums in the world. It was my father’s favorite and has featured some truly breathtaking beaver exhibits including the interactive grapahic featured in the margin of this page. Once they even asked to use our ecosystem poster in a beaver exhibit.

And now they have this:

Baby beaver from John Day finds home at High Desert Museum

The High Desert Museum recently welcomed a new animal who happens to be an expert engineer, a keystone ecosystem species and the largest rodent in North America.

A baby beaver, called a kit, arrived at the Museum in May. Found in John Day alone in a parking lot, people had searched the area for her family but failed. The kit was then placed into the care of Museum wildlife staff by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Veterinarians estimated at the time that the animal was only a few weeks old. The beaver was very weak and dehydrated, weighing just 1.4 pounds. Wildlife staff spent the next several months working to formulate an appropriate diet and nurse the kit back to health.

“The Museum’s wildlife team was tireless in researching appropriate diet options and providing around-the-clock care,” says Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “Their dedication to providing the best care is exceptional.”

It took most of the summer for the beaver’s condition to improve, but the baby slowly began to gain weight and strength.

Six months later, the beaver is healthy and growing, now at almost 17 pounds. Staff have built a behind-the-scenes space to meet a beaver’s needs, complete with a pool for swimming. The kit eats a species-appropriate diet of native riparian browse such as willow, aspen and cottonwood, supplemented with vegetables and formulated zoological diets to ensure proper nutrition.

The plan is that when ready, the beaver will become an ambassador for her species by appearing in talks at the Museum that educate visitors about the High Desert landscape.

Just to be clear I HATE when orphans are raised in captivity to be ambassadors but of all the places to be kept on display this is probably the creme of the crop. And who knows, maybe he’ll get a companion one day.

“The beaver is doing well and learning behaviors that assist with her care,” says Curator of Wildlife Jon Nelson. “She is learning target training, how to sit on a scale to be weighed and to present her feet for voluntary inspections and nail trims. She also enjoys time playing in the Museum’s stream after hours.”

The beaver is believed to be female. It’s challenging to conclusively identify male or female beavers.

The opportunity to name the beaver was auctioned at the 2023 High Desert Rendezvous. The winning bidder has yet to select a name, which must be appropriate for the Museum and connected to the High Desert.

An estimated 60 million to 400 million beavers once lived in North America, creating wetlands and ponds. The dams built by these “ecosystem engineers” slow streamflow, raise the water table and reduce downstream flooding and erosion. Beavers also help birds, fish and other wildlife and native plants to thrive by creating habitat.

Beaver populations dropped dramatically in the last two centuries with demand for beaver pelts for clothing, most notably hats, in the mid-19th century. Their dam-building activities also at times prompt people to consider them a pest on their properties.

Today in the West, restoration of the beaver is underway and humans in some areas are mimicking its dam-building behavior in order to restore healthy High Desert riparian areas.

“The history of beavers in the High Desert is a profound one,” Whitelaw says. “We hope to be able to share the new beaver at the Museum with visitors soon to help tell the meaningful stories about the role these animals have to play in healthy ecosystems.”

The Museum cares for more than 120 animals, from otters to raptors. Many of the animals are nonreleasable, either due to injuries or because they became too familiar with humans. At the Museum, they serve as ambassadors that educate visitors about the conservation of High Desert species and landscapes.

I’m sure she’ll be called rattle snake or Justin soon. But remember, two years ago the museum dd the best exhibit ever for beavers and the difference they make so take heart little one, at least your among friends.

GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY BEAVERS

heidi08 Beaver Conference November 17, 2023

Well by all accounts it was a helluva conference this time in Canyonville at the State of the beaver. Here’s a photo and Leonard Houston’s parting words to the attendees:

So happy to be home again but so sad to see so many old and new friends leave to journey home themselves, was a fantastic three days and just what we needed to re-energize the old beaver passion… Can’t really put into words how grateful we are to all who came and all who helped make the State of the Beaver 2023 an outstanding event. We can say this though, we love you friends of the beaver and looking forward to seeing you accomplish great things for our furry friends. Seek the truth, Speak the truth,change the world one beaver at a time and never forget you are an integral part of the Beaver Clan.

from left to right Kate Lundquist, Michael Callahan, Adam Burnett, Brock Dolman

ECOLOGICAL HALOS AND GOOD DEEDS

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver ecological impact November 16, 2023

I may be prejudice but I don’t appreciate calling predators ecosystem engineers because they decide where restoration is OVER. That’s like saying your father always made the family meals because he decided when it was time to fast.

Maybe I’m old fashioned but I just think ecosystem engineers should you know, engineer ecosystems. You know?

Beavers Are Ecosystem Engineers, But Hungry Wolves Limit How Far They Influence

The relationships between animals and the environments that they live in are incredibly varied and complex. While the predator-prey interactions are probably the most well-known, each species also has an influence on the other flora and fauna and even the soil in the surrounding areas. Foremost among these influential species are beavers: they are known as “ecosystem engineers” as they reshape the forest around them by felling trees and creating wetlands. One predator of the beaver (Castor canadensis), the gray wolf (Canis lupus), has now been found to influence the foraging habits of the beavers and thereby affect the forest structure.

Foraging and finding food is an important part of every animal’s life. Beavers typically leave their dams on the water and forage on obvious feeding trails that they have created by moving trees and branches through the forest, before returning to the same area. This is known in ecological terms as central place foraging, as the beavers always forage outwards into the forest and then return to a central place.

Previous studies have shown that beavers are limited in how far they will travel from the safety of the water because of an increase in predation risk as they move further away. However, there has been no evidence that the wolves hunt or kill beavers that venture further away from the waterside – until now.

Wolves are known for hunting a wide range of species, from moose (Alces alces) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) to fishing and even predating on seals and sea otters. Where the ranges of beavers and wolves overlap, wolves are the primary predators of beavers. While wolves are usually known for their ability and stamina to run long distances chasing large prey, wolves are also effective ambush predators when it comes to beavers.

Yayaya, everybody likes to talk about wolves ambushing beavers. It’ll probably be a Christmas special soon.

The study found that wolves are more likely to predate the beavers that travel further away from the water on the longer feeding trails. Because of this, the wolves are directly affecting the forest structure by limiting how far the beavers travel away from the water to fell trees and forage.

Thomas Gable, lead author of the study and project lead of the Voyageurs Wolf Project told IFLScience that “based on the distance that wolves killed beaver from water, that beavers would forage an additional 9-18 m [29.5-59 feet] from water on average if wolves were not around. Of course, this is a coarse estimate and we were simply trying to get a rough assessment of the extent to which wolves might be constraining beaver foraging behavior toward water.

“In this study, we estimated that wolves could be influencing the structure and composition of 23-47 square kilometers [8.9-18 square miles] of forest, which translates to 1.4-2.9 percent of the forest in our study area. But this was a rough estimate and just an attempt to estimate the general magnitude of wolves ecological impact.”

The beavers have been known to create what is called an ecological “halo” around the area where they typically forage because they forage around a central place. The beavers alter the forest by felling trees around the central place; they then create gaps in the canopy which allow different tree species to grow.

Beavers also have a preference for felling deciduous trees rather than coniferous trees, which can create a halo of evergreen trees around the water as seen in this image below. The team says the area would be larger if the wolves were not present in the ecosystem

Ecological Halo!!! How much do I like that phrase! Beavers are like angels spreading their good deeds all around the perimeter of their pond. Only those little devil predators can stop them.

Overall, the team found direct evidence that the wolves limit how far from the water the beavers will forage and, in doing so, limit the effects of the beavers’ ecosystem engineering on the habitat they both share – and that the same process could be happening across the world.

“We think the patterns and trends we found likely do occur in many other areas where wolves and beaver co-occur across North America, Europe, and Asia. There are others in the scientific literature that have noted some of the same patterns regarding how far from water beavers will forage in areas with and without predators so we suspect the pattern we identified is not unique to Voyageurs. Hopefully this work will inspire others to go out and study wolf-beaver interactions to see if we are correct about that,” finished Gable.

Hopefully more places will come to tolerate beavers so that they can sprinkle those halos around in more places.