Once upon a time, a lifetime ago, the Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife commission was seeking applicants for representatives and friend of the beavers, Doc Hale who was on the committee also thought I should apply. And maybe teach them all a little more about beavers.
So even though back then I didn’t know anyone else on the commission, and we had been turned down for our grant, and I had never presented to them, I bravely applied. I was invited to the group interview where several of us were gathered to separate the wheat from the chafe. The current members were all there and a county supervisor appeared by phone.
We were asked to introduce ourselves and everyone gave their bio and their little pitch for inclusions. I of course talked about how important beavers were and my work to educate folks about their role in the ecosystem.
But the smarmy little applicant beside me in the three piece suit talked about their work with the flyway festival and that caught the supervisors somewhat flighty attention as something she had already heard and remembered as important. She praised the work. She praised the flyways.
Flyways Flyways Flyways!
And you know who was added to the committee because of flyways. And you know who was not.
I thought of that somewhat humiliating moment as I read this article. I wanted to find that commissioner and ask her “Who’s helping the flyways NOW honey!”
Columbia Wetlands important to ‘flyway’
Autumn brings a season of change and preparation for winter, but for much of nature, it’s also a busy, active time.
We are fortunate to live right in the path of the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory route for waterfowl travelling along the western coast of North America. Even more amazing, the Columbia River Wetlands play a crucial role in supporting this migration. These wetlands offer migrating birds food, shelter, and resting spots, making it a biodiversity hotspot.
The Pacific Flyway stretches from nesting sites in Alaska all the way to wintering grounds in Patagonia, coveng 15,000 kilometres.
Along this lengthy route, reliable and safe stopover sites are essential, especially for young birds making their first journey. A flyway is only as strong as the rest stops along it, and the Columbia Wetlands are one of those vital locations.
Yes the wetlands are essential stopovers for those all important flyways. You know who maintains them right?
Protecting this pristine floodplain is crucial in slowing the drying rate of trends – a troubling effect of climate change – and the resulting ecological shifts. The surrounding wetlands have been drying up for decades, with evidence of a 50-year drying spell. One natural solution involves a rather nifty, paddle-tailed friend: the beaver. They create dams, quite ironically, that help trap water during floods, allowing the landscape to retain water, rather than lose it.
As we begin to turn to human-made beaver dams in efforts to replicate their handy work, it becomes increasingly clear just how irreplaceable these incredible habitats and animals are to our ecosystem and lives.
Well well well. Those beavers aren’t looking quite so unimportant now are they. I hope where ever that commissioner is now, they are reading this.
