“A Somebody Else’s Problem field, or S.E.P., is a useful way of safely protecting something from unwanted eyes. An S.E.P. can run almost indefinitely on a torch or a 9 volt battery, and is able to do so because it utilises a person’s natural tendency to ignore things they don’t easily accept, like, for example, aliens at a cricket match. Any object around which an S.E.P. is applied will cease to be noticed, because any problems one may have understanding it (and therefore accepting its existence) become Somebody Else’s Problem. An object becomes not so much invisible as unnoticed.”

The great and forever lost-to-us-way-too-early author Douglas Adams first described the SEP field in his book Life, the Universe and Everything. Basically its a way to hide things in plain sight because we are so good at NOT SEEING something that is somebody else’s problem.

Like Beavers for instance.

Just in: Beaver! Relocation program safely removes nuisance gnawers

The beaver project is in its second year, and has so far taken 20 nuisance beavers from private shoreline propLife, the Universe and everythingerty and moved them to wilder habitat up the Wenatchee River watershed.

“We take a nuisance beaver and relocate it to a suitable location much higher in the watershed,” Gillin says. “One of our biggest project partners, landowner partners, is the Forest Service, but we have other public and private landowners as well that have supported us in our relocation efforts. ”

Just like that the problem disappears! Poof!

No need to go though all that tedious labor of wrapping trees of installing a flow device. Just call us in, lean back, pull the tap, kick back and watch your problem vanish forever,

Well – not exaxtly forever because new beavers are going to move in and do this again very soon – but for right now – for a good couple of months anyway. A man can drink a lot of beers in a couple months.

Their next stop is a concrete raceway at the hatchery, where project workers have set up temporary beaver habitat. The transfer usually goes easy — unless an animal decides to prematurely nudge her cage door open.

Beavers run in family groups, so it takes multiple trappings to clear out a shoreline where they’re active. Once all are gathered, there’s an acclimation period, followed by a move to a new upriver home, farther away from conflicts with humans.

Once there, the hope is they’ll carry on with the kind of brush-clearing and dam-building that helps maintain stable populations of wild fish.

“In a dry desert environment, beavers are creating little pockets of extremely biodiverse wetland habitat … and that is essential for many, many plants and animals that live around here,” Gillin says. “Trout Unlimited got involved in this project mostly targeting those sensitive salmonids, salmon and trout, that are listed under the Endangered Species Act.”

Let us S.E.P those beavers away so you can get back to your previous activities and never have to learn anything new! The whole things on us. We got a grant from fish and wildlife or fish and somebody. We’re doing this for the fish, you know.