I remembered to check the website to see if there was mention of my upcoming talk. No pressure or anything…

Return of the Engineer

Saturday, February 3 at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm PST

Please join us via Zoom on Saturday, February 3rd at 7 pm for an informative discussion about the return of the beaver to our present day environment. Europeans decimated the beaver population in North America by the end of the 1800s. They hunted the animal for its water-resistant fur, used felted beaver fur for hats, and used castoreum in making perfumes. Heidi Perryman will discuss the return of beavers (Castor canadensis) to our landscape, what it means to our creeks and infrastructure, biodiversity, and resilience to climate change. Even if it is possible, is it beneficial to coexist with an animal that can chew down the landscaping we use tax dollars to plant? Is there any value to sharing our streams with a creature that can block culverts and flood roads? Tune in and let’s find out.

About the speaker: Heidi Perryman, Ph.D., is a child psychologist who became an accidental beaver advocate when she started filming the beavers that showed up in her hometown in 2006. She served on the beaver subcommittee and started the organization “Worth A Dam” to advocate for their safety and educate others about their value in the watershed. Heidi organized the first beaver festival in 2008 an annual event which has since become one of the largest nature festivals in northern California. She has been particularly interested in the way that the beavers’ struggle has connected residents more closely to their environment, to their city government and to each other.