Some times when I give a beaver talk I say that Martinez installed the first flow device on the west coast. But that’s not really true. Washington state was way ahead of us. It knows more about beavers than all the other states put together. And has a tolerance and understanding them that I still envy. Just read this article.

Determined beaver refuses to leave road despite pleas from Redmond police

REDMOND, Wash. — A determined beaver got a once-over by Redmond police late Wednesday night after refusing to leave the road.

According to Redmond PD, officers responded to a ‘suspicious subject’ attempting to cross Avondale Road at around 11 p.m. last night, without regard for public safety.

Local Eyal Tropen said he tried to reason with the beaver for ten minutes before giving up and calling the police.

“He alternated from a mission-focused march along the side of the road, repeated attempts to cross (despite heavy oncoming traffic), and slumping in the rain gutter – absolutely refusing to get back on the sidewalk,” said Tropen.

I almost always instinctively hate stories about beavers on the road. They are such a bad shape for traffic. But I can barely resist this one:

Tropen told KIRO 7 that he spoke with the beaver before police arrived.

“During our conversation, before the police got there, I believe he said, ‘I can’t be stopped or even slowed down, nothing’s going to get in my way… The cops won’t even catch me, because I’m on a mission from God.’”

I swear to God I believe it. That beaver had a plan.

Redmond police tried to bargain with the beaver, but said their attempts at verbal commands were also ignored as the beaver continued to evade them.

“After a one-sided negotiation, we let the beaver cross the road towards a wooded area,” said Redmond PD. “Please be mindful of this stretch of road, as this subject apparently has no concept of crosswalks or traffic laws. No citations were issued.”

How much do you love that? Seriously, I could marry everyone involved.