Did you ever type those numbers into a calculator as a child and see what it reads? (Go ahead, I’ll wait. Remember to turn it.) Well I got the most interesting email from Beaver friend Igor Skaredoff about the 300,000 settlement reached yesterday regarding the relatively small 2006 oil spill. Turns out 50,000 of that money has to go to the city of Martinez towards a Marina project, which, since the beavers are in the tidal area of the creek it is theoretically possible that that money could be used to implement the bank stabilization/flood management proposals outlined in the report.
In its settlement, Equilon Enterprises LLC, which operates the Shell Martinez Refinery, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $250,000 to Fish and Game and $50,000 to the city of Martinez, which will use the finds for a community project along the waterfront, according to Lesher.
Igor thinks it’s worth pursuing, and this could be paired with matching grant money if it was done right. This could solve the city’s lawsuit problems and take care of the beavers at the same time. Mark Ross was less hopeful, saying that these moneys are often very specific in their wording and may need to be for the Marina proper. Still, the Granger’s wharf area is part of the Marina and with the beavers working as far down as the train bridge, I would say that’s possible. Remember, healthy beavers mean a healthy creek, so its work worth thinking about.
