Give the children a short introduction to beaver ecology – how a beaver dam creates a “Neighborhood” and other wildlife moves in! Then have several pieces of paper with questions about beaver impact on the habitat. “How do beaver help fish?” or “How do beavers help birds?” for example. Have the children draw them out of a hat or something. Have enough copies of each question so that there’s a small group of children who get the same one (2-5). No one knows who gets what. Then tell the children to go find the people who have the same ‘research question’ and talk together to figure out the answer. Ask them to sit down and raise their hands when they’re done. Then share everyone’s ‘research’ with the group! Make sure to applaud everyone’s contribution to the scientific research understanding beavers! If you’re in the classroom why not write up everyone’s answers as a joint paper? Or film them to show other classes?
When author Ben Goldfarb was here, I mentioned how whistful I’d be when the UK finally accepted the inevitable decision to live with beavers. He wondered why, and I explained that needing to extoll their benefits over and over to convince their countrymen was hugely valuable to all of us – and an international reminder of the good that beavers do EVERYWHERE. Take this newest article in the Guardian for example.
The return of beavers to Britain half a millennium after we hunted them to extinction is both thrilling and controversial. The Eurasian beaver has been reintroduced into virtually every European country in recent
decades, including densely populated nations such as the Netherlands, where conservationists laugh at Britain’s agonies over the animal. While Britain remains a member of the EU, it is obliged to reintroduce extinct species “where feasible”. In Scotland, the government last year declared the animal a native, protected species after an official trial and unofficial releases – the first ever formal reintroduction of a once-native British mammal. In England, several Bavarian beavers unofficially let loose on to the river Otter in east Devon are now part of an official trial licensed by Natural England, the government’s conservation watchdog. In 2020, the government will decide whether to allow them back for good.
In Europe, beavers have stimulated ecotourism, but they may also benefit human communities in other ways. Scientific studies show that their dams remove pollutants from water – they are particularly effective at filtering out harmful phosphates – and reduce floodwater peaks. Enthusiasts proclaim these large herbivores could become 21st-century water engineers, protecting towns from flooding. But some farmers hate beavers because their dams can also flood productive land. In one Scottish valley, where beaver numbers are estimated to have risen to several hundred, beavers have been shot before the formal legal protection is in place. Beavers can live in Britain but can the British live with beavers?
The experimental site in Devon is vivid proof of how beavers create a wildlife paradise, re-engineering small valleys with amphibian- and insect-friendly ponds. Exeter University scientists counted 10 clumps of frogspawn here in 2011; this year there are 681. There were eight species of water beetle in 2011; 26 in 2015. Herons, grass snakes, kingfishers, willow tits, rare barbastelle bats have all returned. In Scotland, ecologists recently found that beavers increased the number of plant species by nearly 50% because they create such a rich variety of habitats, from saturated meadows to sunny glades where moisture- and light-loving plants prosper.
But it’s the beavers’ water works that have really struck those studying the site in west Devon. Its small beaver ponds and soil saturated by damming hold nearly 1m litres of water. Scientific instruments measure water flows and quality above and below the site. The beaver dams improve water quality. (Phosphates and excessive fertilisers washed into waterways can create toxic algal blooms, which can be fatal for anything from fish to swimming dogs.) Exeter University researchers have collated data in a remarkable graph showing flood events. During heavy rain, the volume of water flow increases rapidly above the site, creating a dramatic spike in the graph. But when the floodwater is measured again below the site, there is a gentle curve. In other words, the beavers dramatically reduce the peak flow of floodwater on this stream.
With articles like this in huge papers like the guardian, I can’t imagine the decision is very far off. But I honestly wish it were. I wish it would take them centuries of public debate and mountains of scientific study just so that we could see articles like this over and over again in the paper. I’m the first to admit my motives are entirely selfish. There is enormous value in highlighting for the public and the farmers alike how radically important beaver are to the landscape.
Don’t rush into anything, Britain. Talk about it some more.
Elliott says that, in Devon, “the farmers say to us: ‘We don’t mind the beaver, but if they return we need to be able to deal with problems quickly.’” This doesn’t necessarily mean killing them. In two instances so far on the Otter, dams have flooded small areas of grazing pasture. Under the trial’s terms, Devon Wildlife Trust pays to solve the problem at no expense to the farmer. In one case, it installed a “beaver deceiver”. This pipe goes through the dam, lowering the water level and stopping flooding. The pipe is concealed and covered with mesh, so busy beavers can’t block it. Important trees are protected with a sandy-textured anti-beaver paint – the animals hate chewing it. The trust hopes that such technologies will allow beavers back into human-dominated countryside, but also knows that farmers’ acceptance may depend upon government payments to reward them if agricultural land is given over to beaver-created flood defence.
On the banks of the Otter there are more storylines than a soap opera. A nosy dog recently got a nip from a beaver for straying too close to its lodge. The other night, a badger slipped from the riverbank into the water and was hustled out by a beaver. Locals named one adult Bob, but were surprised when it returned with a pink eartag. So it’s now Mrs Bob, its mate Mr Bob; their kits Miss Bob, Master Bob, Bobby Junior and Roberta.
“It’s the little ones that have really enthralled me,” says local Gaynor Cooper, who comes out most nights. “They are tranquil and seem very gentle.” These slow-moving herbivores don’t eat fish and are much more easily spotted than otters. Five minutes after the first picnic blanket is laid down, there’s a plop of flat tail against water and Mrs Bob glides upstream, with a cute black button nose and brown fur matching the muddy bank.
Ah, yes, I remember. Those golden hours spent watching and waiting at the dam. The surprise at finding how unhuman and unquarrelsome beavers are with each other. I’m happy to know the origin of Mrs. Bob. I had heard of her generous and exhibitionist ways but didn’t know how she got the name. Reporter Patrick Barkham does a great job talking to the right people and learning about beavers, but apparently everyone who works for the paper didn’t do their homework. The current copy of the article has that adorably fuzzy baby beaver photo at the start. But a woman from the UK posted their version yesterday on the Save the beavers of England FB page and it had a photo of a groundhog.
Obviously learning about all beavers is still a work in progress.
Yesterday’s fieldtrip was the kind of absorbing delightful fun such that it is only after you have had it you realize how truly exhausted you are. Both of Alhambra Creeks protectors were there as Igor ditched the salmon conference for the morning and came to assist. We took everyone out for a gratitude lunch at Lemon Grass Bistro afterwards and there was lots to be grateful! There were bright shiny faces, enchanting questions, delightful observations and new discoveries. I talked to small groups at a time about the Martinez beaver story and how the ‘special pipe’ we installed allowed the beavers to stay and ‘make a neighborhood’.
But the best part was when I asked the children to help us by becoming ‘junior beaver scientists’ and helping research an important beaver question. Each child drew a question out of the basket – such as ‘how do beavers help fish?’ or ‘how do beavers help frogs?’ and their job was to find the two OTHER children with the same question and figure out the answer. Then we asked all our research teams to share results so everyone else could learn from them. Sitting back and hearing 76 8-year-olds explain to me how beavers make habitat for fish or birds or turtles was the very best part of the day and I highly recommend it!
Rumor is that Leonard and Lois Houston of the Beaver Advocacy Committee might come to town today to see the dams, so we’ll keep an eye out!
Meanwhile I thought I’d let you know that next week the International Bird Rescue group in Cordelia is having their volunteer training and needs good people like YOU to wash ducks coated in oil or raise baby chicks. Our own VP Cheryl Reynolds is volunteer coordinator and would love to have you aboard. Here’s the information:
International Bird Rescue Volunteer Orientation
Do you love helping wildlife? Then come be a part of our dedicated team and learn how you can help. International Bird Rescue is a non-profit wildlife hospital for injured and orphaned aquatic birds. Volunteers are needed to help in our wildlife hospital, transportation of wildlife and facilities support.
International Bird Rescue has been saving seabirds and other aquatic birds around the world since 1971. Bird Rescue cares for over 5,000 birds every year at its two bird rescue centers.
Our upcoming orientation is: Sat Apr 14, 2012, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PMFor more information please visit our website at or email us. Registration appreciated
One final note is that tomorrow’s very special Easter Sunday Podcast will feature a certain beloved young stop-motion filmmaker from Kentucky. This year it seems like everyone wants to talk to Ian, but only on Martinezbeavers.org will you learn the startling truth about how this
started out as this:
I knew I forgot something! Today is International Beaver Day! How will you celebrate?
Beavers are an engaging, charismatic species that can help children and adolescents learn about habitat, ecosystems and the environment. A field trip to the dam can be a great way to bring those lessons home, as well as an easy opportunity to see nature up close. Amtrak offers the perfect transportation choice, as the train station is right next to the secondary dam. If you’re considering adding beaver education to your classroom, these resources might be helpful:
The teachers at Martinez Early Childhood Center have done a great job adapting some of these activities for preschool children. They can be reached at (925) 229-2000.
Sure the NYT does a great article on beavers that people will be sending to me for years but the SF gate could not be outdone so the published an article the same day by their friendly intern. Of course it had a photo of an otter originally but the pulled that eventually. Beaver. Otter. What’s the diff?
They’re stocky, furry and usually a bit damp, and they’ve been underappreciated for decades. But not anymore. Meet one of California’s best climate-change fighting tools: the beaver.
Lauded as some of nature’s most effective engineers, a motivated group of beavers can divert rivers and streams with their dams of sticks and mud and, in doing so, keep the land they occupy moist, helping fight the ongoing drought. That moisture can also play a key role in slowing the state’s virulent wildfire season — flames can’t burn wet sticks. Smokey Bear? Think Smokey Beaver instead.
This year, the state has begun harnessing the beaver’s potential, pumping over a million dollars into restoring these industrious rodents in each of the next two years.
“This new beaver restoration program is not just figuratively but literally a watershed moment for Californians to recognize beaver as a climate change and nature-based solution partner,” said Brock Dolman, co-director of the Water Institute at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Sonoma.
Dolman and Water Institute Co-Director Kate Lundquist have been a part of what they call the “beaver believer” community for decades, advocating for beaver restoration in the state. The money — which amounts to $1.67 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year and $1.44 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year — will fund jobs for five new environmental scientists who will work with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to revise outdated beaver policies and prioritize beaver restoration projects.
So how exactly does this group of rodents help solve some of California’s drought and wildfire problems? It all starts at home.
Beavers live in dams they construct from tree branches and mud surrounded by water, which create a hard barrier that’s difficult for predators to penetrate. They have underwater entrances to these lodges, which are usually home to two monogamous adult beavers and their offspring. These barriers aren’t just homes. The blockade spreads water from small streams into vast wetland areas.
Oh and just between us girls, BEAVERS DON’T LIVE IN DAMS.
These wetland areas allow water to slowly seep into the soil so when droughts happen, enough water is stored in the ground to keep areas green, explained Emily Fairfax, assistant professor of environmental science and resource management at California State University Channel Islands. They help support all kinds of wildlife from salmon and trout to lush plant life.
The rodents are also constantly chewing vegetation to create their lodges, keeping greenery “a little bit less old, less stagnant, and shorter,” Fairfax said. Taken together, the beavers are essentially building firebreaks before a fire ignites: “It’s wetland and wet plants and not a bunch of big old trees. And that’s hard to burn,” she said.
Well okay, if you’re going to talk nice about beavers I can forgive the otter. Just as long as there isn’t another egregious outburst that I can’t ignore any time soon. I know the gate would rather eat it’s own arm off than say nice things about beavers so this is something, right?
Beavers are native to many parts of Northern California, including the Bay Area, but not everyone recognizes their ecological value. Once prized for their meat and furs, they were nearly hunted to extinction by European colonizers from the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, according to Lundquist and Dolman’sresearch. By the early 1900s, there were just 1,000 estimated beavers left in California, they said
A reprieve for the beavers came in 1911, when the California Division of Fish and Game, now the Department of Fish and Wildlife, passed laws protecting remaining beavers from being hunted. But, it was only temporary, and the law was revised to allow landowners to kill “nuisance” beavers. Their dams, while impressive, often cause damage to farmland and can pose a flood risk.
Depredation is still a threat to California beavers today. Before landowners can kill beavers, they must apply for a permit through the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department issued 148 of these permits in 2021. Just because a permit was issued doesn’t mean it was used to kill a beaver, though. Alternatives can be limited. Relocating beavers is illegal in California, according to Chad Dibble, deputy director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In 2007, the city of Martinez nearly exterminated its beavers after its dams were reported to create a flooding hazard. Because the beavers could not legally be moved, killing them appeared to be the only option. Public outcry was so great that the beavers were ultimately allowed to stay.
Don’t you even. Hey did Rick Lanman have something to do with that research? I forget. And oh year MARTINEZ KEPT BEAVERS BY INSTALLING A FLOW DEVICE. Jesus Christ on a ritz cracker. To drop us an honorary mention without actually saying the point makes me homicidal. And did she actually glance at those papers? Didn’t she notice that their names weren’t at the top?
“There’s that phrase that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, and our sense is that a living beaver’s life is a terrible thing to waste,” Dolman said.
It’s hard to say how many beavers inhabit California today, according to Dolman. He explained there currently is no monitoring of beaver populations at the state level. But, they could be doing better.
“We are absolutely hemorrhaging beavers out of the Sacramento River Delta and out of the Sierra Nevada and it should not be that high,” Fairfax said. “Especially if we are also having these really intense fires and droughts in those regions.”
Many in the “beaver believer” community hope the state’s efforts at restoration will create a new age for the animals in the Bay Area and California. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has already spent millions implementing beaver restoration programs, including creating beaver dam analogs that mimic the form and benefits of natural beaver dams, according to Dibble.
But he explained the department is now going to take a “more holistic and proactive approach towards supporting beavers,” including prioritizing beaver restoration projects, fostering better partnerships with local communities, indigenous tribes and landowners and updating and adopting policies for better beaver management throughout the state.
Lundquist added the new program could identify some places for potential pilot relocation projects, taking beavers from where they aren’t wanted and placing them where they’re needed.
Dolman is optimistic the department’s efforts will have a positive impact on beaver populations in California.
“The beaver glass is more than half full with benefits and half empty with problems, and we have affordable legal code and strategies to address all of those problems,” he said.
That’s exactly how I feel about this article. It’s kinda nice that it got written at all and it says nice things about beavers. But it’s kinds annoying to say that the junior author of the papers did the research, that martinez is a bed time story, that beavers live in the dam and run a photo of an otter.
