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Man about which town?

admin Uncategorized April 23, 2008

Reprinted from the Gazette, Letters to the Editor Tuesday April 22

Editor‘s note: The following is a response to Rick Parker’s “Man About Town” op-ed of Sunday, April 20

On Saturday I had the delightful experience of (wo)manning our display table out at the John Muir Earthday/Birthday event. We had a steady stream of beaver curious folks stopping by the table throughout the event which gave us a prime opportunity to correct the record after the deplorable attempt by Rick Parker to discredit the subcommittee’s report.

One such visitor expressing her outrage equated the City of Martinez with a modern day fiefdom. After witnessing the level of influence some seem to have over City Hall I too am left asking the question, whose town is it?

But let me get to my point. I take considerable umbrage with the notion that I need a reality check. I’ve looked over the figures which supposedly make up this phantom $71,000 expenditure and have to call b s. It was already mentioned in the public comments section of Wednesday’s meeting that many of the man hours listed are exempt employees; that means zero additional costs. Rather it becomes a shell game of assigning hours to a specific cost center/project; the annual salary is what it is regardless. Remove them from the $71,000 and that number is whittled down considerably.

The rest of Parker’s letter is hyperbole and scare tactics. Does it really take an airplane pulling a banner behind it listing the numbers of agencies already stepping up to the plate volunteering resources for folks to get the picture that the tax payers of Martinez will not be burdened with items like signage and kiosks?

As for the current outreach efforts to drive business and tourism – yeah I read where we now have a joint effort to attract tourists from Turlock. Sorry did I miss the notification that the Amphitheater would now be hosting rodeos?

However what I didn’t miss was a group out at the dam Sunday evening taking pictures of the beavers. A local videographer caught one of the party on tape stating that she’d read about our beavers in the San Francisco Chronicle and decided to drive up from Carmel to see them for herself. Far be it for me to point out the obvious.

Lastly, whatever additional flood control fixes are implemented they will be because they are in the best interests of the town and not the beavers.

Linda Meza

The Power of the Pulpit

admin Beaver News April 12, 2008

(Originally printed in the Martinez Gazette, Letters to the Editor January 26-27 weekend edition. Since we’re on the cusp of yet another crucial vote I felt it bore repeating.)

While in another time or forum I could be referring to an actual pulpit, let me be clear it is the Bully Pulpit that I am referring to. A bully pulpit as defined by the online version of the American Heritage Dictionary is: an advantageous position, as for making one’s views known or rallying support.

Recently a council member was overheard discounting what seems to be overarching support of leaving the beavers put. Citing such noteworthy sources as the Contra Costa Times blog spot as their barometer the conclusion was the citizenry is evenly divided. I’m not convinced.

I have to admit that the only time I bothered to read past the initial blog entries was shortly after the city stayed its decision to euthanize the beaver family. Having first hand experience in being flamed for positing my position over the war in Iraq (Navy mom) on blogs such as Yahoo! once offered I’m of the opinion that the vast majority of those responding do so because of the anonymity of the internet. Sadly my opinion was reinforced by the remarks I did read. How is it that people coalescing in support of maintaining the eco incubator we’ve created with our flood control canal found ourselves in diametric opposition to those who value life baffled me.

However misdirected the sentiments, the apparent frustration pointed to an undeniable truth – the will of the people once awakened around a single solidifying event is a force to be reckoned with. In this political season where ‘change’ is the buzzword a bully pulpit handily mastered is the best change agent available to those who wield it.

During all of the initial fervor in October an online news headline read; “Martinez does give a dam,” that one line summed up what had just taken place. The citizens of Martinez found themselves firmly resolved to be heard, we rejected the patriarchal edicts issued by city hall; we stood up and we were counted. That is the power of the pulpit and again it is a force to be reckoned with.

There’s talk afoot of building a bridge between Scotland and Martinez. I can think of no better tribute to the vision of John Muir than to protect this small sliver of water and its inhabitants and no greater shame than to disrupt a wildlife corridor. Now how’s that for diametrically opposed?

Linda Meza

The Dreaded Beaver Bug

admin Friends of Martinez Beavers April 1, 2008

Seems to have bitten more than a few over at KPIX. To those whose efforts have helped shine a spotlight on what our little band of ne’er-do-wells and miscreants are trying to accomplish – we salute you and wish you god speed.

All of us at Worth A Dam are certain you’ll be scooped up in no time.

Fuzzy Logic and Keystone Species

admin Beavers October 19, 2009

And so I continue. Monday’s final subcommittee meeting also heard arguments against the classification of our beavers as a keystone species. Never mind the scads of information defining them as such; I suppose it would be a far different thing to those with other agendas should Alhambra Creek be deemed a wildlife corridor versus just a happy coincidence for one beaver colony.I am no more a biologist than an economist but I can observe the transformation of what once was a garbage strewn mud hole to a creek that now hosts and sustains wildlife. Just this morning a cormorant was filmed fishing a carp from the creek. Fuzzy logic says that cormorant wouldn’t have been down that far in the creek but for the beavers converting it to a life sustaining pond.

It was also argued that the appearance of kingfishers and egrets or for that matter every duck and goose that has paddled their way up past Starbucks are also coincidental. Obviously kingfishers aren’t named thus for esoteric reasons and I doubt a duckling could have found enough water to paddle in two years ago.

But for beavers and their subsequent pond, muskrats, waterfowl, otters, turtles and the ever elusive tourist would be suspiciously absent from downtown Martinez. If I’m not mistaken that pretty much defines a keystone species.

Beaver Economics 101

admin Beavers March 26, 2008

I am breaking away from my norm of personal essays and while I expect those whose eyes normally glaze over when they balance their checkbooks (like mine do) to react to the title in similar fashion all I ask is a little forbearance. I promise this won’t be a printed equivalent to a dentist visit.

Monday night, March 25^th saw the sunsetting of the Alhambra Creek Beavers Subcommittee whose collective efforts resulted in the compilation of a 57 page report now available in its entirety on-line at www.martinezbeavers.com. On Tuesday March 26^th I received a phone call from a KPIX reporter who was in town to get up to date information on the beavers. That news segment is also available on-line.

My purpose for this post is to draw particular attention to one specific concern raised both in the report and again during the newscast. Numbers are out specifying what it has cost the City of Martinez to maintain our beaver colony in its current habitat. While it could be speculated that these figures appear somewhat inflated, I’m asking that we assume for the moment that they are not.

What the figure of $70,000+/- represents is termed a “sunk cost” or a cost that has been incurred which cannot be recovered to any significant degree. The argument made both in session and again in an interview provided to KPIX is that the cost to the City of Martinez doesn’t warrant a decision to maintain the beavers in their current habitat, yet microeconomics would point to variable costs being the true determinate factor for decision making.

Yes I feel eyes glazing so let me simplify – back in November the citizens of Martinez stood up and demanded the City Council study options that would allow the beavers to remain in their current habitat. Prudence dictated immediate steps be taken to ensure downtown merchants were protected from the possibility of flooding in the interim. The monies spent to date to accomplish both the will of the people and the protection of life and property are sunk costs.

Variable costs are sprinkled throughout the remainder of the report and reflect items such as bank stabilization, flood plain widening, creek walks, etc. These are real and probable costs and should be considered, yet what is and continues to be overlooked is the fact that a non-profit now exists to provide a conduit for necessary funding. The argument that the City of Martinez, ala its citizens, will continue to absorb these costs is misleading and to draw from yet another economic term is geared to create a sense of loss aversion.

What having a non-profit means is the ability to apply for and receive private and public funds, not unlike the New York example where a lone male beaver made the Bronx river his home. That one beaver netted the city $15,000,000 dollars in federal funding. I don’t profess to be much of an economist but to these lay persons eyes that would be one hell of an ROI (return on investment for my numbered addled friends.)