Author: bruce85@mac.com

Heidi Perryman 

Here are pictures of the current state of the dam.  The leveler pipe isn’t flowing because the water is too low.  Paul Wilson was there when the city began work, and said that the dam had already been washed out on the west side.  He said they began removing materials from the East Side with pitch forks.  Mark Ross arrived when I was there and called Dave Scola to ask about what had happened.  Apparently the cable which had been cut and repaired had been wrapped around the pipe, so that if it was pulled the leveler would be pulled out too.  It is unclear whether this unauthorized action was pro-beaver or anti-beaver.  Bob of city works called and talked to Mark as well, saying that branches had been lodged in between the cable and the dam, and were backing up.  He said he took a photo of the debris before starting work and kept the debris in his vehicle.  He stated firmly that he only took the debris that was clogged with the cable, however, because of the flow device forcing the water to split into two smaller channels on either side, the pressure is increased and removing more material.  Mark felt that this was a compelling explanation, and has asked that people not over-react to the dam lowering. 

 I expressed my concern that the level was lower than I had ever seen it, with a sand bar visible for the first time near the lodge.  However, I did observe that the level was higher on the “city lowered side” than it was on the “nature lowered side” and this suggests that there was some effort made to remove material cautiously.    

Photos coming – I am working from dialup.

The experience again places stress on our beavers with fixing the dam, if indeed they decide to remain.  Looking at the sight made some feel like the subcommittee is a farce and should be disbanded.  I can understand it, and I feel discouraged, but I heard something today that made me hopeful.  Councilman Ross was discussing the food issue and my concern that access to willow is problematic with the water height being so low, and he said that he invisioned in the future there being a feeding program that consisted of buckets at an angle along the bank where volunteers could place cut aspen.  I had never discussed this idea with him, nor had anyone else to my knowledge.  He really demonstrated thinking about these beavers long term wellfare, and that made me feel a little hopeful.

Come tuesday to the meeting.  If we still have beavers, come with more solutions than frustrations, and if we don’t have beavers, come and cheer each other up.

Last night at 6 pm, the water was high, but 3.3 feet from the bridge.  This morning there is no dam and the entire leveler system is exposed.  The city came this morning and removed the dam and continued working until a resident came down and started filming.  It wasn’t raining, there was never a risk of the water rising higher than the safe amount.  I am heading down now to take pictures and talk to folks.  There is some rumor that the pipe was clogged, although in very high flow situations like we had last night the pipe is moot.  Remember that proposal by staff was to lower the dam by hand if it reached less than two feet clearance from the bridge.  It is very unlikely that this ever happened. 

The staff mentioned they had to do this because the “Cable had been cut” although this was reported two weeks ago at the subcommittee meeting with ample time to repair it.  I will post more after I have seen the sight firsthand.  Heidi

 TWS Oregon chapter is hosting a Beaver Conference on February 12th. “Ecology, management and Politics of the American Beaver in the Pacific Northwest.

”With lectures like,“Beyond the pond: Beaver and the transformation of the Human Ecology of the Pacific Northwest” by Dr. William Lang, “Oregon’s Efforts to Promote Beaver in Support of Salmon Restoration and Wildlife Conservation Plans: Challenges Obstacles and Opportunities.” Kelly Moore

After the meeting, s/c member Igor Skaredoff asked me to stop by the Friends of Alhambra Creek Council meeting  Mitch Avalon is also a member of both and gave an excellent summary of the beaver “story so far”.  It was an opportunity to speak about the overlap between watershed issues for both the beavers and the creek, and it was clear that there was an interest in allowing the beavers to be a kind of “spokesperson” for larger creek issues. 

This was the first time I sat in any meeting (with the exception of the dynamic november 7th council meeting) where it actually felt possible that the beavers might be allowed to stay.  This is a very knowledgeable group of people with connections to larger environmental groups and city staff.  Survival of our beaver family has always depended on a confluence of interests: economic, civic, educational or environmental. 

With some key exceptions, most people have not been drawn into this issue because of the beavers inherent value–but rather because of how the beavers might impact another particular issue they care about.  Beavers create enormous attention and interest in the creek, and this is a huge selling point for their support.  I am thrilled that our interests so clearly overlap and have been asked to do a similar talk for “Friends of Pleasant Hill Creeks” Next month.   

Jon reported this morning that there was a nice amount of beaver activity down at the bridge.  Kits with branches and Dad with a large green clump of moss or other foliage.  Everyone heading back to the lodge with something to snack on during their “off” hours. At the creek meeting one very thoughtful educator asked me about my significant time committment for the beavers.  It was the first time the issue has come up.  I thought about  the tuesday night meetings and weekends “docenting” at the bridge and answered, “The beavers gave me an amazing summer.  I could wake up every morning, walk 8 blocks from my house and see four kits engaged in a delightful variety of behaviors I will never see anywhere else. They gave me a fantastic gift, and I feel like I want to give them a little something back.”I hope we all can.