So the other day I visited the nearby animal park, Safari West, in Santa Rosa. I had heard about it first from a cheerful beaver visitor who said they had spent the day there and weren’t ready to stop watching wild things so visited the beavers on their way back to their home in San Francisco. I was not disappointed. The park is animal and people-friendly, and has a glorious wild feeling, like you could go exploring for days. All the guides were knowledgeable not only about individual species, but about unique quirks about individual animals. They were easily able to answer and encourage questions. There is an amazing aviary where exotic birds were nesting and feeding their young. But the most exciting part is the trek in an old Korean War vehicle out into this fabulous mountainous terrain covered in amazing blue oak and surrounded with zebra, gazell and gunu.
After my exciting trip I thought I’d drop the owners/directors Nancy & Peter Lang, a note to mention the Martinez Beavers and the way they have helped children in the Bay Area learn about local nature. They are deeply committed to conservation and involved in research and education. It is the kind of informal, pushy, self- introduction that I do fairly often for Worth A Dam. Usually nothing comes of it, but one never knows. So I thought I’d try.
To my delight I got a call monday from the coordinator of the “Animal Encounters” program of Safari West. This program allows up close comercial events and donates 10% of its earnings to non profits involved with teaching children about the natural world. After we talked enthusiastically about the beavers in our creek and their influence on the habitat (and the people) we confirmed that Worth A Dam would be one of those lucky non-profits. I may be asked to come present on beavers for the staff, I’ll definitely keep you posted.
