Check out the new poster for Utah’s Beaver Festival! Mary O’brien came this last year to observe ours first hand and has been hard at work implementing her own. Okay, its slightly bigger than ours. Two days instead of one. A life sized lodge and bigger donors. In a State Park and not a featureless city square that Martinez won’t even honor with a name. BUT it’s our idea that set it off and it will teach folks across Utah about beavers and I couldn’t be happier.
Here’s a nice photo of the close attention Mary paid to our efforts last year. She flew out to visit her son in Berkeley and then took the train to the festival. After seeing everything we put together she trotted off to the John Muir House before jogging back and joining us for dinner. If it hasn’t occurred to you already, Mary is no slacker.
Okay team, beaver festivals in California and Utah! Only 48 more states to go!
Other good news of the day includes this compromise from Estes Park in Colorado where Sherri Tippie worked hard to slow down the whirring wheels of back room deals and save some beavers.
Colorado Division of Wildlife officer Rick Spowart explains the compromise that kept the beaver dam and lodge intact. The roadside trail will be narrower, but the beavers won’t be pushed out.
And this article from Maryland where some beavers have made their presence known in a city park but they aren’t on the hit list yet. Yesterday I wrote the major players and heard back that they will be looking into sand-painting trees as a less obtrusive way to handle the problem.
SALISBURY — A beaver that has taken up residence in the City Park is there to stay, according to officials.
Public Works Director Teresa Gardner said the city is not considering removing the beaver, as the state Department of Natural Resources has recommended the animal remain in place for now.
Which, from my point of view, is a pretty good news for beavers in three states. Not too shabby!
Oh and we’ve had confirmation from all the biggest fish names in the state that the little morsel being nibbled in Cheryl’s excellent photo is a Sacramento Splittail which happens to be a species of special concern. Another reason to have beaver dams in your creeks I guess!
