JOAN WHITE IS A NATIONAL TREASURE

heidi08 Beavers February 8, 2026

You might remember that we commissioned a lovely painting from wood artist Joan White in Wisconsin for our 40th anniversary. Well she finished the piece this weekend and I just had to share. Here is a reminder of what she had to work with. It is 8 inches by 22 inches.

It’s a slice of a cherry wood burl lovingly prepared by her husband. This is the photo taken by Rusty Cohn I asked her to work with,

And here’s the finished piece. That is our canoe in in the margins and a lovely collection of hidden animals in the wings.Click on the image to see it close up.

You see why I say she is a national treasure? Joan not only sees the wood as it is and creates around it, she turns its scars and imperfections into a thing of beauty.

I met Joan by accident years ago when I happened to ask her to consider donating to the festival. Years later she asked me for a recommendation for the fellowship someone had promoted her for at the Smithsonian. For stupid reasons that didn’t work out but I’m relieved she’s still in the woods doing what she does best and you can see how she earned the nickname.

Thank you Joan, for a beautiful anniversary tribute.

NEW NEIGHBORS – WATCHING BEAVERS IN VERMONT

heidi08 Beavers February 7, 2026

I always enjoy stories about people discovering beavers in their backyards, but honestly you just saw them 70 times in one year? What were you doing the other 295 days of the year?

Keep watching for another nine years and maybe we can compare notes.

Vermont Filmmaker Jim Heltz with Green Mountain Video sits down with us to talk about his documentary on the colony of beavers that moved into his neighborhood in Williston, Vermont. Jim followed and videotaped the beavers for a full year documenting the role they had in creating a healthy ecosystem in the community, greatly increasing the biodiversity, and helping to fight climate change. Watch for community screenings and follow Jim on Instagram and Facebook. www.facebook.com/GreenMountainVideo,Inc. Instagram: greenmountainvideo

STUDY WAR A LITTLE BIT LONGER

heidi08 Beavers February 6, 2026

Once upon a time, back when I was fighting so hard to save the beavers and make friends with all the right people and never piss off the wrong ones too much – back in those precarious tightrope days I would listen to this song over and over and dream about the day the fight was over, the beavers were safe, and the mayor and I could sit together and have a beer at Bertolas and laugh about old times.

I told myself that day would come soon and I just needed to fight a little bit longer.

But when they put in the sheet pile directly through the beaver lodge and I hired an attorney and a geomorphologist and took them to court and still couldn’t stop them from lying I realized something. valuable.

That day was never going to come. I was never going to lay down my sword or shied again.

I might have changed the weapon though.

This was the very best activity we ever did at Earthday and we called it “Building an army” of beavers.