Category: Beaver Art

Watershed moment, indeed!

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver News, Beavers, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Why We Care June 20, 2021

Wow. Yesterday was a dazzling blur, and I’m still trying to feel my way through it. We woke up early to pick Michael Pollock up at the train station, then drove to the meeting at Occidental where we found a room full of 20+ folks I had been emailing for the past year from various government and environmental agencies all ready to work hard, talk about beavers and change the way folks saw the role of beavers in watershed.

Some of them I knew, like Brock, Rick, Lisa and our Tahoe friends, but some were a delightful introduction to someone I had swapped email with but never met. It was a positive, knowledgeable, cheerful, pragmatic and very intriguing group. Michael found out at the last minute that he lost travel funding so Worth A Dam made the decision to pay for him to come down. I figured that having him there would really make a difference and was worth the train ticket. Brock and Rick are kicking in too.

The meeting was well facilitated by the OAEC’s director Dave Henson, and started with introductions and background. Then Rick and I reviewed the historical distribution paper and talked about where beaver belonged. Pollock made the excellent point that he couldn’t think of another instance where government agencies were relying so heavily on a 70 year old paper, and we all talked about how to change the mindset of today.

Then he presented his data from the current work which is looking particularly at beavers and steelhead, having pretty handily answered any Coho questions. After which we were treated to a delicious lunch, mostly grown on site, and a tour of the gardens. I chatted with our Tahoe friends about their upcoming grant project to get funding for school presentations and their 501.3(c) application.

After lunch we talked about obstacles and made schemes for the work that needs to be done to get a beaver management plan at CDFG that recognized beaver’s incredible assets, acknowledged the damage done to habitat and wetlands by their removal, and required that certain steps be taken to try and solve the problem humanely before trapping. Then we went around the room and discussed what we had taken from the day and what we were going to do next to advance our goals.

Somewhere in the day, Eli Asarian agreed to do the hydrology graph for our article, Lisa gave me a present of a lovely antique postcard from her grandmother, Rick gave me an adorable and entirely fitting ornament of a beaver curled up in a gift box, and Pollock gave me a series of frames containing the historic 1930 article from Popular Science about beavers on Mars – along with the most whimsically charming beaver card I believe I will ever see that he bought in Montana. Here’s the Monte Dolack painting that it’s from.

Afterwards there was dinner, conversation, and wine before a stroll under a brightly jeweled cold and clear starry sky that poured the Milky Way right onto our car.

Chuck James, the archeologist who found the remnant beaver dam all those years ago and kick started the historic paper with his efforts, followed us back to Vallejo before heading off to Redding), and we got home sleepy and dazzled from the day. After a chat by the fire and look at the giant beaver skull (which Pollock had always wanted to see) and the scrapbook of our first year’s beaver story, (which he was less eager to see but he just had to look at to ‘get’ Martinez story), we brought him back to the train station where he embarked on another 22 hour journey home.

(My lost weekend was unbelievable, but his has to be something out of Salvador Dali.)

Well 2012 might not be the “year of the beaver” but I am more hopeful than ever before that big things are moving and shifting on the beaver front. This is as good an opportunity as any to thank the literally thousand of helpers that have cared about our beavers, cared about beavers in general, or taught us valuable lessons along the way.

It is said that the journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step but when I finally fell asleep last night it felt more like we had just taken a series of sprinting leaps.

California Working Beaver Group Meeting at OAEC

Beaver Friend Updates

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver News, Beavers elsewhere, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers December 1, 2011

Happy December! There are several friendly new sprouts on the horizon that I thought I’d make you aware of. The first is an update from our artist friend Anita Utas who rallied to save the beavers in Stittsville Ottawa. Seems she has decided to celebrate their impermanent victory with a beaver blog to keep an eye on the situation.

Go check out the site and sign up for updates to support her efforts. ( Oh, and while you’re there check who’s on her blogroll!) As for Anita’s courageous endeavor I can only say two things. Congratulations! Good Luck!

And “Run Simba, run! Get out now while you still can!”

Next there’s the announcement about Jo Marshall’s recently published Twig tales where Goliath beavers help save the planet from climate change. It has made a fair splash in the eco-literary community and seems to be off to a great start. I especially enjoyed this part of the review.

Leaf & the Rushing Waters spouts a timely theme: beaver dams solve flood and drought made extreme by climate change. Goliath beavers must battle a glacial outburst. Not so fantastic—one beaver dam in Alberta is twice the length of Hoover Dam, and seen from space. The President of Martinez Beavers, Dr. Heidi Perryman, explains their endorsement, “With her Twig tales, Jo Marshall has done something amazing—tie a story of epic adventure to a naturally anchored account of environmental awareness – all tailored to the fresh, engaging mind of the youngster.”

I told her I hope Disney buys the story and in two years every child in America is going to sleep with a stuffed ‘Slapper’ under one arm. You can read the whole review here, check out the other books here, or buy a copy of your own.

Next come some old friends dressed in new clothes. Lisa Owens Vianni (Formerly of SFEP and now of Golden Gate Audubon) recently found this reference to an article she wrote a few years back for Terrain magazine. It is an interview with unique recycling artist Kathryn Spence who uses ripped portions of her clothing and various fabrics to create life sized wildlife.

In an interview with Lisa Owens Viani the artist explained her love and reason for choosing owls as her subject in her work: “There’s something about owls that just fascinates me. In a way I made them because it was a way for me to have more access to them. Since they are wild birds, I wanted to leave them alone, just look at them from far away and be aware of them, but not destroy habitat or bother them. Making them is my way of reaching them—and for other people to have access to them. It’s not about having an owl; that would be awful. But it was interesting to me to think about bringing these wild things inside—through my pieces—so that people could be with them.” Kathryn pays special attention to positioning of these creatures so they appear close to “the way you see them in the wild.”

Okay, I see owls, pigeons and coyotes. Hmmm what”s missing from her creations? The artist seems delighted to reuse old things in new ways. And the cyclical nature of art, our possessions and wildlife seems very important to her. How’s this for full circle?

What if you bought a bunch of old felt hats at thrift stores, shredded them into pieces and reshaped them back into a beaver! I’m sure we could help you find inspiration if you need it.

One for the history books…

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports November 8, 2011

“None so blind as those that will not see.”

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

ATHENS (TN) — For decades, hard-working beavers that call Piney Creek home have been wreaking havoc on the residents of Ardmore.

Dams built in the creek cause water to back up into the yards of property owners, killing trees, flooding roads and forcing the city’s wastewater treatment facility to work overtime.

After a request from District 1 County Commissioner Gary Daly, Ardmore officials recently decided to take matters into their own hands. Crews have already destroyed at least eight dams and are working on four others.

An employee with the city of Ardmore works to knock down a beaver dam on Piney Creek. Ardmore has worked to destroy a total of 12 dams, 11 of which are in Limestone County Commissioner Gary Daly’s district. However, the dams in the county portion of the creek cause flooding problems for Ardmore residents. Courtesy photo

Apparently there are beavers on Piney creek in Athens TN. They build dams in one county and flood the other. These shockingly industrious rodents have now built an even dozen that residents are hard pressed to remove. Over the years officials have brought in a student group, a wildlife expert, and the army core of engineers. Nothing seems to help because:

“They multiply quicker than you can shoot them,”

Yes that’s right. Beavers reproduce in less time than it takes to reload in Tennessee.

Wow, that’s terrible. I had no idea things were so dire! Since beavers only enter estrus 12-24 hours once a year and offspring take 2-3 years to reach sexual maturity (and elected officials never exaggerate) we can only assume that it takes upwards of 364 days to load a rifle in Ardmore County! Goodness, that must be grueling work! I guess the police are similarly challenged. Their crime rate must be enormous.

Maybe the entire state shares the same musket and social services is using it this week? (Skip to 4:04 for arsenal reenactment.)

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A little gossip….

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver News, City Reports October 5, 2011

Seems the scandal of telling an artist what NOT to paint has garnered attention beyond our narrow shores. Not since the scuffle in Bemidji has any beaver painting got this much attention. You remember that story right? The artwork was said to look suspiciously like female genitalia and it was removed. The artist protested that it was praying hands and eventually got some friends to help restore it.

Well Martinez didn’t have the same restorative outcome, but it gathered some national attention none-the-less. Take this article from the St. Petersburg Times in Tampa Bay Florida for example,

Artistic impression: City: Mural doesn’t need dam beaver

Artist Mario Alfaro was commissioned to paint a mural celebrating the town of Martinez, Calif. It was to include pastoral scenes, native sons John Muir and Joe DiMaggio, bayscapes and other things relevant to the area. Alfaro included a beaver in his homage, because the city has a few of those that have made themselves known in somewhat expensive ways… Alfaro complied with removing the rodent, but painted over his signature while he was at it. “I feel they do not respect me,” he said. “It was really a very small beaver.”

Or this UPI (located in Washington DC)

Odd News Artist ordered to paint over mural beaver

Martinez officials said they had artist Mario Alfaro paint over the beaver because the animal, while beloved by city residents, does not belong on the downtown mural alongside images of Martinez natives including John Muir and Joe DiMaggio, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

Or the The SOP (student operated press)

Outrage: City Officials Force Artist To Paint Over Beaver In A Mural

(Which originally ran a picture of a nutria, but kindly switched for one of Cheryl’s when I contacted them about the mistake.)

A true artist doesn`t think in a linear fashion, and he doesn`t see randomness as an aberration, but as a constant in life. In Afaro`s artistic vision including a beaver alongside images representing the city of Martinez makes perfect sense.

Most of the residents of Martinez loved the beaver, and it`s a damn shame that the visionary was forced to paint over the beloved animal, because a few philistines complained.In a world teeming with rats, snakes, and politicians, we need more, not less beavers.

Or my personal favorite…from the Eric Milikin’s blog at the Detroit Free Press

San Francisco Chronicle says: “Everything was looking great in the mural … except for one thing: the beaver. …’I feel they do not respect me,’ said artist and Martinez resident Mario Alfaro …’Every day, people ask me, Where is the beaver? So I want to please the people and I put in a beaver. It was really a very small beaver. But the city did not want it.'”

And then the best part….

Eric says: Without the beaver, that mural won’t be worth a dam.

Thanks Eric. I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Lemonade

heidi08 Beaver Art, City Reports September 30, 2011

Let say, (and why not?) that the myopic mean-spirited decision to remove Mario’s beloved beaver from the mural was a “LEMON” of a decision. Not even a sweet juicy meyer’s lemon but one of those really juiceless bitter lemons that will never make it to a glass of tequila or even a salad.

Got it?

Carolyn Jones story this morning on the front page of the SF Chronicle then would be a frosty cool glass of the freshest lemonade you ever tasted purchased for a nickle at the top of a mountain after a sweaty climb up in 100 degree heat. Enjoy!

Martinez mural artist forced to remove beaver

Capture — Artist Mario Alfaro looks at his mural, which no longer includes the image of a beaver - or his name.Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Everything was looking great in the mural commissioned by Martinez to celebrate its heritage – except for one thing: the beaver. In the latest chapter of the city’s conflicted relationship with its resident beaver family, officials last week ordered the muralist to paint over the depiction of a beaver he had included in his panorama.

GO ENJOY THE REST and thanks Carolyn! And thank you also to our good friends at the city whose wisdom and decision making keep bringing us such good publicity!

Oh and since the article has already brought us attention from people far and wide who never heard of us up til now, this video will catch you up to date!