Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Category: Beaver Art


Yesterday the world erupted with mourning the death of P-22 the moutain lion trapped in Hollywood without a mate that had been championed by our good friend Beth Pratt for all these years. A heroic effort was underway to build a wildlife overpass crossing the 405 so that he and other wildlide could safely cross the 8 lanes of traffic, Beth tirelessly implored officials, stars, politicians and anyone who would listen for the better part of a decade to step up and contribute. In doing so she and the lion raised awareness of the plight of urban wildlife and Pumas in general. P-22 achieved the impossible with her help. But he will not be alive to enjoy it.

P-22, L.A. celebrity mountain lion, euthanized due to severe injuries

The mountain lion P-22, who lived in the heart of Los Angeles for more than a decade and became the face of an international campaign to save Southern California’s threatened pumas, was euthanized Saturday because of several long-term health concerns and injuries that likely stemmed from being hit by a car, officials said.

In a tearful news conference, wildlife biologists described multiple chronic illnesses that may have contributed to the mountain lion’s recent uncharacteristic behavior. The big cat of Griffith Park was “compassionately euthanized” at about 9 a.m., officials said.

“This really hurts, and I know that,” said Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “It’s been an incredibly difficult several days. And for myself, I’ve felt the entire weight of the city of Los Angeles.”

It is no stretch of the imagination to say that P-22 with Beth’s help did what could not be done. He crossed 8 lanes of traffic twice eeking out a long life in the middle of a terrifying city AND more impossible still he made Chuck Bonham cry, which I would never have thought likely. Beth posted a beautiful Eulogy yesterday on facebook about being allowed to sit with him before it happened and what it was like to love and lose him. The reaction to his loss not only makes me like Los Angelos more – it makes softens my heart to CDFW in general, and that’s saying a lot.

Before I said goodbye, I sat in a conference room with team members from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the team of doctors at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. …As the agency folks and veterinarians relayed these sobering facts to me, tissue boxes were passed around the table and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. This team cares just as much for this cat as we all do. They did everything they could for P-22 and deserve our gratitude.

Yesterday I could not help think about momma beaver and how I felt personally standing by her orphans the night of her death. It is a staggering and lonesome grief to lose the thing that you have given your life too. And it touched me, more than words can even say, to see the amazing outpouring of feeling people had for this wild cat that had come to represent our own quest for wildness in urban spaces. Beth you were the best possible champion for this hero. We are grateful for you and P-22,


I’m sure after that tearful news we all need some Christmas cheer. And I have JUST THE TREAT. This from a Vancouver dance studio that is reinterpreting the timeless Nutcracker with some very special editions.

‘Nutcracker’ performance in Vancouver challenges original’s cultural stereotypes

Becky Moore, the director of the dance school Columbia Dance in Vancouver, Washington, loves Tchaikovsky’s classic holiday ballet “The Nutcracker” but she worries it hasn’t aged gracefully.

She researched Fort Vancouver’s role as a major trading post during the height of the fur trade and quickly fell in love with this history.

 

“You had folks coming over the Oregon Trail. You had the Indigenous populations here. You had people coming down from French Canada to trap beavers, people coming from the Hawaiian Islands to trap beavers,” she says. “The main character dreams of getting outside of her normal world and exploring something she’s never been to before. So why not have her explore this world of 1840s Fort Vancouver?”

Moore changed the main character from a European daughter of aristocrats to an American daughter of James Douglas, the real life chief trader at Fort Vancouver.

She turned the iconic nutcracker into a fur trapper and the mice into beavers.

“I fell in love with the beavers,” she says. “I’ve never been a fan of mice and they’re in every Nutcracker. I thought let’s choose a new rodent and this one is so Pacific Northwest centric.”

OF COURSE the mice should be beavers and of COURSE the soldiers should be trappers. That makes perfect sense to me now, but Clara should  maybe change who she wants to win, okay?

I LOVE the look of these costumes. I think you will too.

Gee those costumes look really detailed. They must have taken a lot of work. I wonder what the company might possibly do with those beaver costumes after the performance is over? I mean I’m sure the ballet company doesn’t need a bunch just lying around to perform “Beaver Lake” next. Maybe they would donate one to a festival of some kind? I mean if someone else who loved beavers asked them really, really nice?

Do you think?


The city of Rocklin has a pretty terrible track record with beavers, but still found itself faced with an unwilling beaver heroine as it heads into the final stages of excavating its remaining wetlands to make room for a monstrosity of a housing unit opposite Sierra College. Laurie Rindell has been filming and photographing these beavers and talking to neighbors and doggedly reading planning documents and writing engineers as they ruin one of the last wild spaces left in Rocklin. It’s a grim job. She didn’t ask for it. And I feel a strong combination of beaver solidarity and deja vu whenever we chat about it to plan or console.

But I didn’t expect this.

Yesterday a package arrived for me in the mail wrapped in brown paper. And I thought, “Oh a  christmas gift! That’s nice” and thought maybe it will hold some little beaver trinket or other or maybe a chew and I should thank her. Then I turned it sideways and saw she  sketched this on the side of the box:

Beaver drawing by Laurie Rindell

I was blown away by the artistry, the accuracy, the waterline and the potential. I could immediately imagine this on our ceiling, like the Sistine Chapel or as a watercolor  flag with children filling  in all the fishes below and the dragonflies and birds above. I could see this as a bookmark. A tattoo. Letterhead. I love it. Love it. LOVE IT.

I still have no idea what’s in side the package but I strongly doubt it could ever EVER be as lovely as what’s outside it. Thanks Laurie.


Beaver dam at Mendenhall Glacier: Photo Bob Armstrong

It seems like a million years ago I read about beaver issues in Juneau and the group of volunteers that had stepped up to keep them from resulting in trapping. Which put me in touch with Bob Armstrong who took the lovely photos for this book and whom I introduced to Mike Callahan who arranged a site visit in 2009. Now one of the locals just gave a presentation on why beavers matter and I thought you’d want to see it too;.

Meet Juneau’s Beaver Patrol, a group of volunteers who work to ensure that beavers coexist with people and salmon. Join long-time Beaver Patrol volunteer Chuck Caldwell to learn more about beavers, Beaver Patrol, and how you can get involved!


Amy sent her beaver montage design for the festival this year. And I thought you would appreciate a preview. Imagine how beautifully this is going to unfold in chalk art.

Beautiful, eh?
We’ve entered the dramatic surprises portion of the festival countdown. It will all be very good news or very bad news from here on out. Last week I received an email from Teko Bernard, the author of “Bronson Beaver Builds a Robot“. He talked about living in Kansas and being inspired by his own beaver story which prompted him to check our website. He was touched by the description of the Great Beaver Giveaway and wanted to donate copies of his book as well. He also asked if I might review it.

[wonderplugin_video videotype=”mp4″ mp4=”https://www.tabronpublishing.com/uploads/b/6291445-618885543410628294/bronson_beaver_book_trailer_final_04.18.21_428.mp4″ webm=”” poster=”” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]

I’m a sucker for hard working beaver stories, but just check out his video about how he came to write this book and what books inspired him. Smile.


Right now as we sit in our cozy homes sipping morning coffee the brave and stalwart Virginia Holsworth is almost at the end of her curving drive to Safari West where she and her husband and daughter will display a table for beavers at the Saving our oceans event today. SHe’s never been before. I am certain they will be dazzled. And do a lot of good work  talking about how beavers can help make our water cleaner before it gets to the ocean AND produce more salmon for all those hungry orcas.  Hopefully we get photos tomorrow.

Yesterday Rick Holcomb of “I’ve been Framed” in Martinez finished his framing of Lizzie Harper’s artwork and it’s stunning. Remember this piece originally hung in the National Gallery. And you can see why. Bring your checkbook and get ready for the deal of a lifetime. The piece is lovingly framed with two mats (one blue to capture highlights) a thick rustic frame and the best quality non-reflective glass. It’s wrapped for sale but I think you’ll get the idea. Remember there are no beavers in Wales. Yet. Soon there will be way too much competition to get a donation like this.

Reedbed Landscape with cross section: Lizzie Harper

There has been so much good news that I haven’t even found a moment to share this. You need to find 8 minutes to listen today because nothing else will be more satisfying.

Beavers could help solve the climate crisis, if we learn to coexist


GO BEN. Go forth and bring more believers to the light. If you get their attention it will be just like it was in Martinez. Beavers will do the rest.

DONATE

TREE PROTECTION

BAY AREA PODCAST

Our story told around the county

Beaver Interactive: Click to view

LASSIE INVENTS BDA

URBAN BEAVERS

LASSIE AND BEAVERS

Ten Years

The Beaver Cheat Sheet

Restoration

RANGER RICK

Ranger rick

The meeting that started it all

Past Reports

November 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  

Story By Year

close

Share the beaver gospel!