Category: Beaver Behavior

MORE GOOD BEAVER NEWS IN TENNESSEE?

Yet another surprise to come out of the Volunteer state, this one in the form of sand painting. They seem to be towards the end of a game of ‘telephone’ – remember that elementary game where you sat in a circle and whispered into the ear of the child next to you so that one by one the message made it’s way around the room? By the time it gets to the end of the line it’s a little tangled up.

But at least they get it. And that’s huge.

How Painted Trees Are Saving The Lives Of Beavers In America

Trees in Tennessee’s Chattanooga city are being painted with non-toxic paint in a bid to prevent unnecessary beaver deaths in the US.

The bottom of the trunks are being painted in bright colors. The move came about after the city’s Parks and Outdoors department consulted the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The latter provided advice for a non-lethal solution to the problem of beavers destroying riverfront trees to make dams.

Despite being a natural activity for the species, beavers’ chewing can leave tree trunks significantly weakened. Specifically, in Chattanooga, trees have the potential to fall into a nearby children’s playground or across a pedestrian footpath.

Never mind about the BRIGHT colors, or the fact that this NEW technique has been around a decade before Martinez tried it more than a decade ago. Never mind that we found it lasts no more than 5 years and needs to be reapplied when the tree grows. They are taking steps towards coexistence, and that’s something.

Chattanooga’s Parks and Outdoors department claims to have tried a number of preventative tactics before turning to painted tree trunks. These included protective fences – which the beavers climbed – and dousing trunks in hot sauce, which washed off in the rain.

So far, the most successful approach has been the use of non-toxic latex paint mixed with water and sand. The sand acts as an irritant to the beavers’ sensitive teeth, causing them to go looking for wood elsewhere. It is noted that painted trees have displayed light bite marks but nothing more, leading to assumptions that the painting technique is working.

This year is the first that officials have noted repeated beaver activity. According to Brian Smith, the Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors communications and marketing director, it is unclear where the beavers are taking their wood hauls. However, when they source wood that does not pose a threat to human health, they are largely left alone. And, considered a vital part of the region’s biodiversity.

Of course they do supplement with a lot of aquatic plants and grasses especially as the season gets greener. Your trees will be more endangered in the dead of winter when there’s nothing else to choose.

HSUS states that beavers are not the only animals killed to “manage” human-wildlife conflicts in the US. It highlights that many species labeled as nuisances are also “culled,” instead of encouraged to carry out their natural activities away from human populations.

Raccoons, skunks, chipmunks, and even bears are specifically named by HSUS as species threatened by such extreme measures. The nonprofit subsequently calls for a change in tack, as killing animals “only addresses the symptom of the problem, not the cause.” As such, the issue is likely to recur.

The Wild Neighbors program sees HSUS working with local agencies across the US. These include animal shelters, law enforcement, wildlife agencies, and more. In total more than 630 are signed up to the initiative that produces and promotes educational resources about how humans and non-human animals can coexist, without choosing lethal action.

HSUS reports that since 2020, it has trained more than 7,000 animal care and control experts to use non-lethal resolution techniques when dealing with wildlife.

The Humane Society came to the Martinez Beaver meeting long ago. Just remember that before there was Worth A Dam or the Beaver Brigade or the Beaver project or Beavers Northwest, there was HSUS. In fact it was John Hadidian at the HSUS that paid for Skip Lisle to come do a class on flow devices that inspired Mike Callahan in the first place back in the day.

There would beaver no beaver Institute at all if it weren’t for the Humane Society. Think about that.

Just so you know, though, bright colors don’t work “Better” and ask someone how to secure wire wrap because it lasts a lot longer when its done correctly.

Wild Beaver Speculation 8*)=

Bob Kobres Beaver Chewing, Beaver ecological impact, Beavers, Beavers and water, Video March 24, 2023

There’s a dearth of direct beaver news but there is a bit of scientific news that sounds very beaverish:

New wood-based technology removes 80% of dye pollutants in wastewater

by Chalmers University of Technology

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new biobased material, a form of powder based on cellulose nanocrystals to purify water from pollutants, including textile dyes. When the polluted water passes through the filter with cellulose powder, the pollutants are absorbed, and the sunlight entering the treatment system causes them to break down quickly and efficiently. Laboratory tests have shown that at least 80 percent of the dye pollutants are removed with the new method and material, and the researchers see good opportunities to further increase the degree of purification. Credit: Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, David Ljungberg — Credit: Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, David Ljungberg

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new method that can easily purify contaminated water using a cellulose-based material. This discovery could have implications for countries with poor water treatment technologies and combat the widespread problem of toxic dye discharge from the textile industry.

Clean water is a prerequisite for our health and living environment, but far from a given for everyone. According to the World Health Organization, WHO, there are currently over two billion people living with limited or no access to clean water.

This global challenge is at the center of a research group at Chalmers University of Technology, which has developed a method to easily remove pollutants from water. The group, led by Gunnar Westman, Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry focuses on new uses for cellulose and wood-based products and is part of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center.

The researchers have built up solid knowledge about cellulose nanocrystals—and this is where the key to water purification lies. These tiny nanoparticles have an outstanding adsorption capacity, which the researchers have now found a way to utilize.

“We have taken a unique holistic approach to these cellulose nanocrystals, examining their properties and potential applications. We have now created a biobased material, a form of cellulose powder with excellent purification properties that we can adapt and modify depending on the types of pollutants to be removed,” says Gunnar Westman.

Absorbs and breaks down toxins

In a study recently published in the scientific journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, the researchers show how toxic dyes can be filtered out of wastewater using the method and material developed by the group. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur in India, where dye pollutants in textile industry wastewater are a widespread problem.

The treatment requires neither pressure nor heat and uses sunlight to catalyze the process. Gunnar Westman likens the method to pouring raspberry juice into a glass with grains of rice, which soak up the juice to make the water transparent again.

“Imagine a simple purification system, like a portable box connected to the sewage pipe. As the contaminated water passes through the cellulose powder filter, the pollutants are absorbed and the sunlight entering the treatment system causes them to break down quickly and efficiently. It is a cost-effective and simple system to set up and use, and we see that it could be of great benefit in countries that currently have poor or non-existent water treatment,” he says.

Wood in water. That sounds dam familiar!

“Going from discharging completely untreated water to removing 80% of the pollutants is a huge improvement, and means significantly less destruction of nature and harm to humans. In addition, by optimizing the pH and treatment time, we see an opportunity to further improve the process so that we can produce both irrigation and drinking water. It would be fantastic if we can help these industries to get a water treatment system that works, so that people in the surrounding area can use the water without risking their health,” he says.

Can be used against other types of pollutants

Gunnar Westman also sees great opportunities to use cellulose nanocrystals for the treatment of other water pollutants than dyes. In a previous study, the research group has shown that pollutants of toxic hexavalent chromium, which is common in wastewater from mining, leather and metal industries, could be successfully removed with a similar type of cellulose-based material. The group is also exploring how the research area can contribute to the purification of antibiotic residues.

Read the whole piece.

But let me tell you a little secret:

This is what beaver poop looks like… a mini sawdust snowball. This beaver poop is special though because this beaver poop is out of the water. Beavers almost always poop in the water, usually within the very ponds where they spend most of their time.

beaver poop — From: **Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks**

It may not be nanocrystal cellulose but it’s twice chewed and filters water real well!

We’ve been cleaning water for a long time but in Iowa some of us figured that we better start farming willow before there was nothing left to eat except corn!

Walking sticks? Forgoing a bit of bark today for a whole willow in a few years is just the sensible thing to do when humans keep whacking down your favorite food! Watch the whole video though. It’s good!

Bob

Heidi & Mitch tell the tale of the Martinez Beavers!

Bob Kobres Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver Behavior, Beaver News, Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, Friends of Martinez Beavers, History, In the News, Urban beavers March 16, 2023

Linksploration – Bay Area

Exploring the many paths to a greener future

Beavers! They’re baaack! Beavers are amazing animals. Hear about their incredible physiology, Heidi Perryman and Mitch Avalon relate the story of the Martinez beavers, and what’s next for them in the Bay Area.

Click to listen in a new tab.

Show notes

Moving in on Motor City.

Beavers reclaim land in southeast Michigan

Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press

Over the past decade, beaver populations have returned to southeast Michigan in places such as Belle Isle, Stony Island, the Conner Creek Power Plant and other places along the Detroit River.

Why did beaver populations decline?
When settlers moved into metro Detroit, beaver trapping for the fur trade was plentiful, eliminating much of the population. The existence of this species was almost wiped out due to 300 years of trapping and trading. Along with trapping, industrialization and habitat loss pushed beavers out of the area and they were last reported in 1877 as a result, said Great Lakes Now.

When did beavers return to the area?
Beavers were first reported back in the area in 2008, according to Friends of the Rouge. For the first time in over 100 years, beavers gnawed away at trees and built damns near Conners Creek Power Plant. Since then, beaver sightings in the Detroit and Rouge Rivers aren’t uncommon and continues to increase.

But not necessarily welcome throughout.

Are beavers good for urbanized areas?
The DNR has beavers categorized as nuisance wildlife due to damage caused in urban and industrialized areas. They often gnaw on trees and their damns cause flooding and problems for homeowners. The DNR does offer trapping services and permits for those impacted in certain areas.

Cooley wrote the DNR is given a difficult hand because they want beavers around but not at the expense of someone’s property.

“Beaver in residential areas typically lead to problems, it’s their nature to back up and flood a waterway to create a pond,” he wrote. “Up North or out in the country, they can do that and it doesn’t impact anyone, most people would never even know it happened. However, down here in southeast Michigan if they back up a drain or a river, it is eventually going to flood someone’s yard and possibly impact their house.”

Read the whole article here.

Better acceptance in Cropton:

Cropton Forest beaver project by Forestry England proving successful

A trial project that’s re-introduced beavers to a forest in North Yorkshire is going from strength to strength as it enters its final year.

By Leigh Jones, The Northern Echo

The Cropton Forest beaver project, which saw two beavers released on enclosed land upstream of Sinnington in April 2019, has been credited with helping to reduce the flood risk for the village and for transforming the ecology of the area for the good.

The five year project, which is overseen by Forestry England, hopes to examine the impact of re-introducing beavers to the wild in England after they were hunted to extinction in the sixteenth century. It’s one of a number of pilots across the UK which have support from a number of organisations including the RSPB.

Ecologist Cath Bashforth next to a beaver dam at Cropton Forest in North Yorkshire. The beavers in the pilot scheme at the enclosure have “far exceeded” her expectations. (Image: Forestry England)

At the centre of the North Yorkshire beavers’ habitat is an enormous 70m long dam that the original beavers have built over the years alongside the kits that they’ve had since being re-introduced to the area four years ago.

Ecologist Cath Bashforth, who leads the project, said that the pilot has “far exceeded what we expected.

“We never expected such a dramatic impact in such a short space of time.”

In terms of the dramatic impact, the slowing of water flow through the site helps protect downstream areas from flooding, however the beavers’ presence has a knock on effect in many areas surrounding their habitat.

“At the start of the trial we had some fantastic volunteers who helped us take a baseline biodiversity survey to examine what impact the beavers would have,” says Cath.

The view of the enormous beaver dam in Cropton Forest from above. (Image: Forestry England)

Having built their enormous dam along with five or six smaller ones Cath is optimistic that the beavers will be able to stay in North Yorkshire on conclusion of the pilot scheme.

As the project looks to reach its conclusion in a little over a year, the fate of the beavers presently on site remains undecided.

Read the whole article here.

And you might want to add this to your calendar:

Posted on The Ukiah Daily Journal

Peregrine Audubon Society to present The Beaver Believers program

Peregrine Audubon Society Program will be hosting a zoom presentation on Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. featuring The Beaver Believers hosted by Sarah Koenigsberg of the Beaver Coalition.

In this film, we follow our Beaver Believers out into some truly spectacular landscapes of the interior West, from the east slopes of the Cascade mountains in Washington to the Rockies in Colorado, from the parched red rock deserts of southern Utah to an urban park in central California.

We take you to places where beaver have already begun to transform damaged watersheds, and we learn of the many challenges that stand in the way of larger scale efforts to use beaver as a restoration tool, including trapping, which is tragically still legal in most states.

Perhaps most importantly, we meet incredible people who, undaunted by climate change, are working tirelessly to protect and restore beaver out on the landscape, who embody the spirit and joy that comes from “thinking like a beaver,” who show us that collaboration and watershed restoration truly are possible. All we have to do is let the beaver come home.

The coalition is dedicated to strategically advancing a paradigm shift in society’s relationship with beaver. Learn more at beavercoalition.org

Lastly, from Unofficial Networks:

The cute video that the image above is taken from is by nature photographer Nick Sulzer.

Bob

BDAs to correct a century old problem

Bob Kobres Attitudes towards beavers, BDA's, Beaver ecological impact, Beavers, Beavers and water March 12, 2023

Leave it to Beaver: Partners Collaborate on Beaver Dam Analog Project

Mimicking Mother Nature for Maximum Impact with Minimal Financial and Environmental Cost

By Amanda Smith

“One plus one plus one equals six on this project,” said Kat Hall, restoration manager for The Lands Council, an environmental non-profit organization that seeks to preserve and restore Northwest ecosystems through partnerships.

The excitement is evident in Hall’s voice as she speaks about an innovative and collaborative effort to reconnect and restore aquatic habitat in Thompson Creek, a primary tributary to Newman Lake located northeast of Spokane, Washington. For the past 3 years, Hall has been part of what she calls “a dream team” of federal, state, and local partners to design, implement, and monitor beaver dam analogs (BDAs), human made structures inspired by nature’s busiest builder that efficiently improve the health of aquatic ecosystems.

Historically, Thompson Creek meandered through the lower watershed; but over a century ago, it was straightened to accommodate for agriculture, helping to reduce flooding for farmers. While the straightened channel was beneficial to the farmers, it had less desirable impacts on watershed health. The straighter, less natural flow path increased the speed of the water, led to the erosion of the bank, and transported more sediment and pollutants downstream into Newman Lake. This incision of the creek has also caused a disconnection between the creek and its surrounding floodplains, which has allowed for the dominance of reed canary grass in the area, a non-native species that outcompetes more diverse and beneficial vegetation.

Drone footage of a artificially straightened creek passing through an agricultural field. — Aerial photos taken of Thompson Creek before the completion of the beaver dam analog structures.

Drone footage of a creek beginning to widen and meander after the construction of a beaver dam analog. — Aerial photos taken of Thompson Creek after the completion of the beaver dam analog structures.

There doesn’t seem to be much food to entice beavers yet and that might be good for awhile due to the current poor water quality!:

“One of the primary concerns about straightening the channel and disconnecting it from its floodplain is the increased phosphorous levels we are seeing as a result,” explained Brian Walker, a private lands biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). “Phosphorous travels with the sediment through Thompson Creek and ends up downstream in Newman Lake, which really impacts the water quality in the lake.”

While phosphorus is a naturally occurring and essential nutrient for plants and animals, too much of it can cause explosive growth of aquatic plants and algae. This can lead to a variety of water quality problems, including low dissolved oxygen concentrations, which can cause fish kills and harm other aquatic life. The major concern with phosphorus in Newman Lake is a toxic blue-green algae bloom that can cause the lake to be closed to recreation and private landowners (see a write-up from USGS on phosphorus and water quality).

“High levels of phosphorous are detrimental to both people and wildlife — just a couple licks of contaminated water can be lethal for pets; it’s pretty bad stuff,” said Walker. “But thankfully, we people are learning how to mimic wildlife to come up with a solution for us all!”

Phosphorous-laden sediment plume flowing into a waterway. — Phosphorous-laden sediment plume flowing from Thompson Creek

Improving Thompson Creek has long been a goal, and several time consuming and costly measures have been implemented in the past with varying degrees of success.

“We weren’t getting the results we hoped for from other projects and we needed to go in a different direction; we needed to get creative,” said Walker.

Inspiration struck in the form of brown fur and bucked teeth — beavers. Like ecosystem engineers, beavers manipulate their environment by building dams that slow the passage of water through a river and can act as a natural filter that cleans the water supply. Beaver dam analogs aim to do the same thing through creating roughness — think speed bumps — to slow water velocity and allow sediment and pollutants to settle. The beaver dam analogs will also raise the water level of Thompson Creek, reconnecting it to its floodplain and allowing for the growth of more natural vegetation to create a healthier ecosystem.

A completed beaver dam analog structure obstructing the flow of a creek. — A completed beaver dam analog structure on Thompson Creek.

“The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program has had success with at least 20 BDAs in other Washington watersheds and, with the help of our “dream team,” we knew our odds of making positive change in Thompson Creek were high,” Walker said.

The “dream team,” compromised of partners from every level — The Lands Council, Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Gonzaga University, Spokane Conservation District, Newman Lake Property Owners Association, and Spokane County — got to work in 2019 and began making the beaver dam analogs in Thompson Creek a reality.

A group of people stands in a marsh near a beaver dam analog structure. — Engineering students from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington share the work with staff from the Service and The Lands Council during the implementation phase of the beaver dam analog project which involves pounding posts into the ground.

Read the entire piece here and there is an earlier report from The Spokesman-Review that includes this informative video on BDAs from Life on the Range below.

Heidi is still on the mend but hopes to be back to posting soon.

Bob

WHAT THE LIFE OF A BABY BEAVER SHOULD BE

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver Helpers, kits February 12, 2023

People don’t tend to be great at imagining a beaver’s life. We tend to describe their actions and intentions in human terms, or with only a dim understanding of why they do it. In terms of an internal monologue one of the pieces I found most enjoyable about watching beavers was that they were mercifully free of one. They Acted. Or chewed. Or worked. They didn’t seem to think and dwell about it much.

Still I find this writing utterly charming. You might too…

Curious Nature: A day in the life of a baby beaver

As the morning sun rises over the rocky horizon, you find yourself cuddled up with your family. Mom, Dad, and siblings all stretch into the new day, but you being the baby of the family, you get a few more minutes of shut-eye. You are a baby beaver, a kit, huddled against the cold frost that tries to permeate the den you call home. It’s going to be a long day, but your family will show you the ropes and care for you every step of the way.

The first thing all baby beavers need to know is that Mom and Dad are committed to the family. You have been able to see their devotion to one another ever since you were born, with eyes wide open, ready to take on the pond. Your parents share responsibility for you and your siblings, putting in equal effort to nurture and provide for the colony. The parents are going to be busy today, so your older siblings, the yearlings, will take care of you. It is important that you spend as much time as possible learning from them since next year they will leave the den in search of starting their own families. Your oldest brother, Brother Beaver, will take you out first.

It’s funny but I can see footage in my mind that tracks with every one of her observations. Older Sibling did take them out of the lodge at first, we have lovely film of them spinning the kit in the water to make sure he could dive and swim. Except for the first year when there were no siblings, then it was Dad who did that.

Brother is all about playtime and he says having fun is the best way for beavers to learn about the world around them. You chase each other around until reaching the underwater stockpile of sticks that have been stored beneath the layer of ice above you. Using your hands you are able to carry enough for breakfast and Brother teaches you that your body was specially designed for the water. By closing a special flap in your mouth, you learn to carry even more sticks between your teeth without having water rush into your mouth. This will certainly come in handy next time the dam requires repairs.

Once you arrive back at the den, your older sister starts to groom you. She grooms you every day so you know how to take the oils you secrete and use them to waterproof your coat. After waterproofing, she takes your paw and whisks you away.Sister is the brains of the family, a real gnaw-it-all, and she thinks you have not been keeping your teeth down.

“As the largest rodent in North America,” she explains, “our teeth grow especially long and they never stop growing. We always need to find wood to gnaw on to maintain our teeth.”

You two swim to the edge of the bank to her favorite log to chew on and the swim there helps you practice holding your breath underwater. One day you will be able to make the entire 15-minute swim without stopping for a breath, but today you surface the water before joining her again.

I actually love how accurate this is. I’m inclined to say we never saw any difference between the sexes but we never knew for sure who was who except for being able to identify mom. She definitely was the more trusting one. But since we had two moms to compare with over the years we learned how different they were. Mom 2 was much more protective and wary of the kids than Mom 1.

Back at the den, Mom and Dad are waiting for the kids. Dad warns about the dangers of predators on land. Mom is a bit more “go with the flow” — she wants you all to know that the work we do each day is not just for our own benefit. She says, “We are a keystone species and we create habitat for many kinds of creatures like birds, bugs, and toads. We have a duty to protect our family because we make life possible for so many others.”

Any beaver is lucky to have such a loving family dynamic. It is important to soak up the messages from your family because next year, you will be teaching, playing with, grooming, and snuggling new sibling kits.

Well if you could say all that without actual words or having to say anything at all. I agree, that’s exactly what beavers would say. Family is important. Work is important. Safety is important. Food is important.

I am always reminded of the difference between talking/thinking and being when I consider beavers. It is kind of like the story told by Marilyn from Northern exposure in the episode I re-watched last night.

The Eagle wasn’t always the Eagle. The Eagle, before he became the Eagle, was Yucatangee, the Talker. Yucatangee talked and talked. It talked so much it heard only itself. Not the river, not the wind, not even the Wolf. The Raven came and said “The Wolf is hungry. If you stop talking, you’ll hear him. The wind too. And when you hear the wind, you’ll fly.”