Category: Dispersal

Sorry Mr. Bernstein, this was irresistible

heidi08 Dispersal May 20, 2014

The beaver’s gonna have his day: Tonight

He’s gonna take it all the way: Tonight

While Fish & Game are preaching

Flood risk!

A flow device is teaching

Solutions Tsk Tsk.

You are in for a surprise: Tonight

Wetlands right before your eyes: Tonight

The desert in Nevada

So dry

With dams to save the water

The stream will get high!

Tonight!

You’re gonna see it tonight

How they can dam it up and get on the ball

You’re gonna get it tonight!

It proves America needs beavers for all!

F&G: Well they’re a nuisance!

Beavers: Well they’re the nuisance!

Both: And come tonight we’ll stand and prove it to all!

Tonight!

Heidi’s gonna get her kicks:Tonight

And call out all the beaver-dicks: Tonight!

Despite their misbehavior

Dam. Chew.

They’re called an eco-savior

And dammit that’s new!

Tonight. Tonight.

Won’t be just any night

Tonight the beaver shines as a star!

Tonight, tonight

We’ll see the truth tonight

At long last, how important they are!

Each day the beavers save the water

The water goes so slowly

When ponds are at their height!

Oh, day grow less

The beaver PBS will profess

Tonight!

Good Beaver News Trifecta

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Dispersal May 13, 2014

Leave It To Beavers

May 10, 2014

They are the master builders of the animal kingdom and their handy work has great importance to life on earth for many other species, including humans. A new PBS documentary examines the remarkable lives of beavers and their surprising contributions to our geology and ecology. We asked the film’s award winning director, Jari Osborne to give us a preview.

The miraculous work of beavers isn’t just a North American phenomenon: In the 16th century, the animals were remaking the English countryside. But then they gradually disappeared, hunted into extinction. Now, 500 years later, the beaver has suddenly and mysteriously returned to the United Kingdom. Reporter Christopher Worth from PRI’s The World tells us more.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this interview. Very smart presentation. And if you need some good cheer stay and listen to the artless transition where the announcer mysteriously wonders why beaver disappeared in the 16th century. I guess it wasn’t corrected after all. Three emails arrived this morning excitedly alerting me to this upcoming documentary. I’m sure more will follow. More importantly, have you planned your superbowl party?

napa beavers — Beaver lodge in Napa: Photo Rusty Cohn

Awesome news this weekend from a resident in Napa who discovered a beaver dam and lodge near his house in a creek off the Napa river. Check out that lovely lodge on the right hand side of the photo. He wanted to make sure the beavers were safe and wrote me for advice. I did a lot of sniffing Sunday and talked monday to the awesome director of the Napa RCD, who spoke with Napa Flood Control and told me that they have been following these beavers for 2 years! And have a “Living River” policy where they don’t interfere with wildlife unless there’s imminent risk. They were very interested in my thoughts about solutions if there ever was an issue, and we will keep in touch. She also told me that there is a vineyard on their land where some beavers showed up last year. They share the border with fish and game. Neither side was worried about harm being caused and Fish and Game actually set up night cameras so both sides could see the nocturnal residents! In the mean time, the man who contacted me has received calls from the Napa Registrar and the Press Democrat. And Wikipedia Rick is updating the Napa River entry with some very special photos.

Pinch me, because I think I’m dreaming. The very best part is that these same beavers could be Martinez’ progeny! How awesome is that?

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Good news out of London Ontario today which has been pushing for a policy where flow devices are tried first and killing can only come after specific permission is given. While nothing has been made official just yet, they have gotten a unanimous committment from the council to pursue it. Which is a dam big deal considering. Congratulations London!

Coun. Matt Brown, chair of the committee, agreed with the notion of coming up with a plan. “We hear the urgency,” he said. “We sense your frustration.” The committee voted 4-0 to push staff for a plan that would see killing beavers left as something to consider once all other options have been exhausted.

London challenged to ditch lethal beaver traps
London animal advocates want humane ‘beaver deceivers’
City Hall To Develop More Humane Beaver Policy

Misunderstood Adolescent Disperser (M.A.D.)

heidi08 Dispersal May 4, 2014

Mad beaver terrorizes Miramichi

The mad beaver of Miramichi wandered the streets this week, slapping its tail on the pavement and chasing one man down the street. And be warned: he’s still out there

The mad beaver of Miramichi, pictured here in a cellphone photo just moments before it turned aggressive, slapping its tail and hissing.

The beaver was a cute curiosity until it got mad. Then it was just plain scary. Terry Furlotte would know; he barely escaped without getting nipped.

He bent down to snap the beaver’s photo, but evidently the beast didn’t like it. “He slapped his tail, turned around with a big old hiss, you could see his teeth there sticking out,” said Furlotte, who was startled. “I had to turn and run away. . . . He chased me down the road.”

This story sickens me. A young beaver slapping the pavement because he thinks it will keep him safe. Like a child pulling the trigger on his finger over and over and saying “bang” and wondering why the attacker doesn’t fall over. Miramichi is east of Maine in New Brunswick, so not the smartest beaver player on the chessboard. But still, Mad?

Only if MAD is an acronym. Standing for

Misunderstood Adolescent Disperser. (M.A.D.)

The reporter in this [sic] tail exaggerated every possible detail or got it wrong, claiming beavers “live” in the dam, and are “kicked out by their parents” at age 2 and that the beaver is still out there and could return any moment. I guess we should be pleased they could be bothered to do a little research for this story.

Though it’s exceedingly rare, beavers have been known to attack people. Last May, a fisherman in Belarus died after being bitten by a beaver he was trying to photograph. An elderly Virginia woman was knocked into a lake and battled a beaver that had bitten her leg for 20 minutes in 2012. She managed to escape.

Sigh. I’m pretty sure there’s a contract clause we never hear about which rewards any reporter that manages to sneak those tidbits in. Luckily the police in Miramachi are way smarter (and kinder) than the reporters.

Once the mad beaver of Miramichi got aggressive, police were called to deal with the animal. They dealt with the scene by cordoning off streets to make sure the rodent didn’t get hit by a car, and waited for the beaver to wander back into the wilderness.

The beaver was allowed to waddle off into the sunset, while Mirachi residents were furiously texting their loved ones, and Mr. Furlotte was spared to live another day. In addition to the Toronto Star, this was also on the Huffington Post. Apparently the incident inspired many frenzied tweets as well.

Honestly, do they have nothing at all to write about in New Brunswick? No scandals or crime or evidence of climate change? Hmm, maybe it’s just things they’d rather not think about.

New Brunswick barrelling toward bankruptcy, analyst warns

We’ll follow up with that story soon. Now let’s get back to that update on the mad beaver!

OH and Happy Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you!

Another Blessed Event in Bakersfield

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, City Reports, Dispersal March 7, 2014

Beavers spotted in Bakersfield, no new tree damage

The beavers were spotted Wednesday morning in a parking lot near Mohawk Street and California Avenue. One Eyewitness News viewer captured a photo of the furry visitors. In November, beavers were spotted in the northwest near the Riverwalk. The beavers then had done damage to area trees.

Bakersfield parks director Dianne Hoover said Wednesday’s beaver sighting was the first since November. “All told in the last three to four years, they’ve damaged about 40 trees,” said Hoover. She said each tree costs between $100 and $500 to replace.

No beaver story from Bakersfield will every be cheerful, but you should watch the news report just for the anchor. He’s adorable! Oh and seeing Diane Hoover in person helps me understand why she hasn’t been able to learn anything from my emails over the years – her heart is two sizes too small.

No word yet on whether any city official or media representative will ever learn a single thing about beaver DISPERSAL. Or when they’ll stop being confused by the same exact thing occurring at the same exact time over and over again all along the west coast. It’s kinda sweet that these two yearlings start out their journey in tandem. Do you think they’ll split up eventually? Like when a friend comes with you in hide and seek and you shoo them away to find their own spot? Check out their advanced nylon netting system to protect those 500 dollar trees. Bakersfield trees must be made of gold – or possibly crack?

February is Dispersal Month

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers elsewhere, Dispersal February 20, 2014

Why does no one in the media seem to comprehend the fact that this month we are more likely to see beavers crossing the street, occupying new ditches and hiding in swimming pools? It’s the time when nearly 2 year old beavers head out to seek their fortune, looking for their own territory to settle in. It’s the most dangerous time of a beavers life because he might be without all the things that normally protect him: his colony and his pond. Dietland Muller-Swarze tells us that females actually go farther than males, but ever able beaver must go on their own to seek their fortune. It’s a scary world out there, but sometimes people are merciful. Here are a few lost beaver stories from today’s news.

Lost beaver discovered under car in Cliffsend

A CLIFFSEND resident awoke to a surprise this morning when she discovered a beaver hiding underneath her car.

RSPCA Thanet centre manager Clive Martin was on hand to load the lost animal into a dog crate and transport it to safety.

The beaver may well have taken a wander from Ham Fen nature reserve near Sandwich, where a colony of European beavers live in a specially maintained environment.

Mary Knott, from animal charity Cats in Crisis, said: “I had a call this morning from a lady in Cliffsend who normally calls us regarding injured birds or hedgehogs.

“Imagine my disbelief when she said there was a beaver under her car!

Castor Fiber under a car in Kent! Maybe you’re looking for something more local?

Why did the beaver cross the road?

BANDON — A Bandon couple has a local police officer to thank after a potentially unfortunate event involving an angry beaver was narrowly averted Saturday evening.

Kimberly Jonas, owner of the Book Nook in the Continuum Center in Old Town, was headed home with her husband Lee about 6:30 p.m. after closing shop.

Near the Ferry Creek bridge just east of Face Rock Creamery on U.S. Highway 101, Jonas noticed a large adult beaver in the highway, trying to cross.

It was dark, raining hard with strong winds and low visibility and Jonas was concerned that the beaver, which was apparently trying to get to the creek on the south side of the highway, would get hit by a car.

It is the state animal, after all.

Kimberly called 911 who dispatched a police officer. The officer initially refused to stop traffic and said the beaver would be fine. Kimberly was persistent and he eventually relented, helping the beaver back to the pond.

Officer Tony Byrd arrived on scene but couldn’t be convinced to stop highway traffic to allow the beaver to cross. The beaver would be fine, he said, and didn’t require human assistance.

“I tried to convince him that the beaver needed to get to the creek,” Jonas said. “I told him it was the state animal and that yesterday was the state’s birthday. And I reminded him of images everyone’s seen of police officers leading ducklings across busy intersections.”

It was his opportunity to be a hero.

Finally, Byrd agreed and he and Lee Jonas used branches to shoo the animal — all approximately 50 pounds of it — across the highway while Byrd waved a flashlight to warn motorists.

The beaver slapped its tail loudly on the pavement as it scurried across, then quickly disappeared into Ferry Creek.

The entire incident took about 45 minutes, Jonas said. After which, she burst into tears.

“I just couldn’t leave the beaver there, I just knew it would try to cross the highway again and I was about to form a human chain and get some flares to help it to the creek,” she said.

Kimberly may just be my favorite human EVER! Go Kimberly! Shhh let’s not tell her that the beaver was probably trying to leave that creek and just crawled out again somewhere else. Maybe it was at least farther from the free way.

More good news? I was contacted by the Executive Director of the Blue Heron Nature Preserve in Atlanta Georgia yesterday who happened to have beavers on their wetlands and wanted help presenting good reasons to keep and protect them! We agreed that Georgia was a hard place to be a beaver. Nancy Jones is the founder of the preserve and interested in applying for grant monies to keep beavers on the land. I gave her all the resources I could and put her in touch with beaver friend BK from Georgia so they could work together.

Later in the day I got an email from a beaver advocate in North Dakota who was interested in help educating ranchers about having beavers on their land. I put him in touch with the ‘beaver solution’ film from the Lands Council and made sure he had what he needed. All in all a busy national day for this beaver advocate.

Today’s donation comes from Cathy S. of Yesware in Alberta Canada! Her fun images grace pins and charm bracelets. She was happy to donate and let me chose items from her shop. I had to select this set – out of nine images I only spot one nutria, can you? Thanks Cathy for your support!