“What happens when they (the beavers) move on, will there still be a Beaver Festival?” is the question before the court of public opinion. The answer is decidedly yes!
The shortsightedness of this comment only serves as a glaring reminder of the inability by a select few to catch the vision that what began here in Martinez has already breached our borders. Safeguarding our beaver colony is merely a start. Worth A Dam’s attention has thus far been trained with laser like focus on our situation here in Martinez, however, we recognized early on that our ultimate destination is Sacramento and beyond.
There is a growing body of evidence in support of fostering the natural ecosystems created by beavers. A fifty four year study of beavers and the wetlands they create, complied by the University of Alberta, clearly demonstrates the value of beaver ponds in mitigating the effects of drought.
Excerpted from a press release issued February 20, 2008 by the University of Alberta:
“Removal of beaver should be considered an environmental disturbance on par with in-filling, peat mining and industrial water extraction,” said researcher Glynnis Hood, lead author on the study and an assistant professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus in Camrose, Canada.
In examining how beaver influenced some of Alberta’s wetlands in Elk Island National Park over a 54-year period, Hood and her co-investigator, Professor Suzanne Bayley, discovered that the presence of beaver and their dams increased by up to nine times, the presence of open water.
Climate models predict the incidence of drought in parts of North America will increase in frequency and length over the next 100 years, and beaver will likely play an important role in maintaining open water and mitigating the impact, Hood said. The infilling and drainage of wetlands has increased to make way for urban and industrial expansion, and beaver colonies are being removed both inside and outside of protected areas, which means a continued loss of water resources, Hood noted.
“In times of drought they may be one of the most effective ways to mitigate wetland loss,” said Hood. “Some people believe climate is driving everything, but the presence of beaver has a dramatic effect on the availability of open water in an area. Beaver are helping to keep water in areas that would otherwise be dry.” Even during drought, where beaver were present, there was 60 per cent more open water than those same areas during previous drought periods when beaver were absent.
The 2007 fire season saw a combined loss of .5m acres in California alone. While it’s true much of the lost acreage was a result of criminal activity, it is also true that drought like conditions fanned the flames.
California on the whole has lost most of its original wetlands; some estimate that loss at nearly ninety one percent. There has been an ongoing water war that has threatened to tear California asunder for years. What would it mean for our state if we were able to restore just fifty percent of our lost wetlands? How many acres annually consumed by wildfires might be spared? How much money in terms of tax dollars is needed to correct the problems we’ve created?
When will people open their eyes to the fact that when ecosystems collapse we all feel the effects, remember this year’s salmon season?
To some they are just beavers, in reality they are the harbingers of all our future; which is why we will celebrate them today and for many years to come.
See you this afternoon!
Linda Meza
