You obviously know a lot of things about beavers already. But did you know there was a mongolian beaver? Mongolia is sandwiched between Russia and China, and one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Fully 30 percent of its people are still considered ‘nomadic’. Sure enough there is place for beavers in the Tuul River and they’ve been reintroduced numerous times but never quite ‘took’. Well they’re trying again with another 50 pairs.
M.Enkhbat: Breeding of 100 beavers in Tuul River will bring benefits
A reporting team of the MONTSAME national news agency visited the Beaver Introduction Project Unit in Gachuurt Village in Bayanzurkh district, Ulaanbaatar.
One of the stories I heard from Michael Pollock about his graduate years was a research project he was involved in ages ago where they tried to follow up on the beavers they had released in Mongolia earlier. They traveled from village to village, asking about beaver and looking for signs, but saw nothing whatsoever of their efforts remaining,
Until they met one very enthusiastic man who said he knew what they were.
“Ya!Ya! That thing with the tail! Yes I saw them. I like them. Can you bring more?” They were delicious!”
All of which makes me not hold out the highest hopes for these beavers, even AFTER they get out of their concrete cell block. Hrmph.
Which brings us to the third story of the day, which you must all be detectives to appreciate. Because it describes the case of the missing steelhead in California and the countless measures they are taking to recover them, as well as the businesses and weighty nonprofits up for the task without mentioning A SINGLE TIME what it is that would help those fish and waterways for free every single god-dam day.
How Saving Southern California’s Steelhead Trout Could Also Help the State’s Watersheds
Can saving an endangered fish help heal some of California’s regional water woes?
Masses of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) once migrated freely between the sea and river headwaters along the California coast. That began to change about a century ago as dams, stream realignments, bridges, invasive species and degraded estuaries all took their toll on steelhead, putting this intriguing member of the salmon family on a path toward near-extinction. Now a coalition of private and public entities hopes to reverse the trend — and re-invigorate vital watersheds in California’s most densely populated region in the process.
“It’s not just about water for fish,” says Sandra Jacobson, South Coast director for California Trout, Inc., a state conservation group also known as CalTrout. “Native fish are one of the best indicators of the health of a watershed. If human-caused factors are affecting the fish, it’s only a matter of time before our bays, beaches, recreational venues and even our drinking water are affected.”
The nonprofit spearheads the South Coast Steelhead Coalition, which aims to protect and restore steelhead populations along coastal waters in San Diego and Orange counties.
Sometimes I think the universe is just playing with me. Are there really serious people who want to save steelhead and waterways in Orange County who haven’t hit upon the obvious flat-tailed answer? I suppose there are. Gee I wonder how many millions of dollars they plan to hurl at the problem instead.
However, nobody can dispute the hefty price tag for saving steelhead: Pala’s weather stations were partially funded by a $176,000 grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The price tag for just one new fish passage project currently in progress in Ventura County is even larger: it’s expected to reach $60 million by the time it’s completed in 2021.
The author of this story, Debra Utacia Krol, just replied to my comment on the article and is interested in exploring the beaver connection with the tribal elders in her background. She says maybe another story is coming in the future. Good. We need people to think and talk seriously about beaver benefits.
Orange county could sure build a lot of flow devices for 60 million dollars.
