Category: Beaver Book

BEAVER FRIENDS NORTH

There’s a lot of beaver news from our friends lately. I’m falling behind. Yesterday a story ran about the Port Moody issue and Judy and Jim again were at the forefront. The B.C. city is finding out that actually DOING the right thing is significantly more complex than just “acting like you’re doing the right thing” which is all they had really signed up for last year.

Thank goodness our award-winning nature hero friends at on the case.

PoMo beaver plan needs science say advocates

Two Port Moody advocates hoping their city does right by beavers that take up residence in the city’s waterways are “cautiously optimistic” it is heading in the right direction with a management plan for the industrious creatures.

Judy Taylor-Atkinson said she and husband Jim Atkinson came away from a meeting Tuesday with Port Moody’s city manager, Tim Savoie, feeling better than a week prior, when they expressed their concerns about the process the city was following to develop its plan during a public presentation to city council.

If you’ll remember, the city hired an expert that “accidentally killed’ one of the kits last year by live trapping it in a pipe the beavers flooded? After that fiasco the then-mayor talked a good game of being sorry and vowing to work with the beavers and said they would create a beaver management plan for the future. Then he turned down all the informed help and hired to salmon experts to who voted to rip out all the dams to save salmon.

In the meantime there was an election, and the town got a new mayor that Judy and Jim helped elect, but before he could step in, the DFO ripped out two beaver dams and the beavers have been surviving in a wading pool.

“What seems to be fading is any pretext toward acceptance of beaver as another ingredient in the wildlife urban melting pot,” Taylor-Atkinson said.

Meanwhile, the beaver family has moved on from Pigeon Creek to take up residence in nearby Suter Brook Creek, where it has constructed a new den near the public works yard and is in the process of raising a new kit that was likely born in the middle of last summer.

Taylor-Atkinson said that’s later than usual, so the young beaver is smaller than it should be heading into winter. She said the adult pair likely mated later than its typical January season because of the stress caused by the city’s interference and the subsequent move and establishment of a new home.

Taylor-Atkinson said because the base of knowledge surrounding beavers and the impact they have on their habitat is still growing, it’s important the city’s plan promote co-existence.

“It will come around to seeing beaver as a benefit to stream systems,” she said. “That’s why it’s important to have the best science.”

Ahhh Judy! I’m so impressed to see you on this journey we know so well. From enchanted to hopeful to heartbroken to angry to determined to clear-eyed steely resolve. We know its a treacherous path. We tried to leave little clues along the trail, but it’s a hard clamber and too few come out the other side. Just remember my favorite riddle.

How far can you walk into a forest?

Only half way. The other half you’re walking out. Congratulations on getting the story into the paper and keeping everyone’s feet to the fire. You are making a huge difference in the lives of these beavers and in the lives of the people who care about them.

Meanwhile author Ben Goldfarb is in Montana getting ready for a talk in Missoula this weekend. Here was his radio interview yesterday. It is a very good interview with a smart host, but there was one little part that didn’t sit right with me and I’m sure you can guess what it was.

‘The Surprising, Secret Lives Of Beavers’ With Ben GoldFarb

Sara Arason at the Write Question :“Eager” is the powerful story of how nature’s most ingenious architects shaped our world, and how they can help save it—if we let them. Ben Goldfarb’s captivating book reveals how beavers transformed our landscapes, and how modern-day “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens—are recruiting these ecosystem engineers to help us fight our most pressing environmental problems. The Washington Post calls it, “A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world” and The Boston Globe calls it, “The best sort of environmental journalism.”

Ben is doing such an important of telling the beaver story, and so many people are learning how to live with beavers and why they matter. Incidentally also hearing our story for the first time, which has resulted in some unexpected blessings. I’ve gotten a few “fan letters” from folks who loved the book and yesterday worth a dam got a large donation from a man I’ve never met in Maryland!

I plan to retire early if this keeps up.

BECAUSE YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER BY NOW

We haven’t talked much recently about mundane beaver issue that predictably get written about in October – you know the culverts being blocked and the bridges being flooded. Suffice it to say that beavers are still as persistent and city council members are still clueless.

Honestly, the course unfolding in Berlin Pennsylvania or Farmington Maine is so predictable I should honestly do a mad lib series about it. Maybe that would be fun.

I can’t bring myself to go through the whole tired story again, but just assume they’re out there – even with the wonders of Ben’s book in fricking national geographic. The say “Oh no! Beavers? How destructive! How ever shall we manage to trap them quickly enough?”

Here’s a snippet

Next stop NYC, Berlin vs. beavers

The problem is a beaver dam that has water backed up to within inches of bridge height. If the water level reaches the bridge deck from a stream already swollen by heavy rains, it will force immediate closure of the bridge and could trap drivers attempting to cross it, or even sweep vehicles off it. Roadmasters Rob Mahon and Charlie Gries discussed the logistics of using heavy equipment to remove the dam while working in water up to 15 feet deep in spots.

It’s not the first time beavers have dammed a Berlin stream. And it’s not the first time Berlin roadmasters have removed a beaver dam threatening a road or bridge. But this time the water level, and the stakes, are higher. And the problem will be fixed only when the PA Fish and Game Commission or another wildlife authority finds out if trapping and relocating the beavers is a viable option.

Let me end your suspense. No. Relocating beaver is at the end of October in Pennsylvania is not an option. Of course you could install a flow device and prevent the flooding for the next decade like a sensible city, but I can tell that’s not in your wheelhouse.

So sure, just call the trapper or whatever.

Beavers building dams, plugging culverts raise concerns of flooding in Farmingdale

FARMINGDALE — A population of pesky beavers on Northern Avenue could flood a section of the road if not removed quickly, town officials said Wednesday.

“The situation right there is getting worse every day,” Road Commissioner Steve Stratton said at Wednesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting. “You’ve got a large beaver house above Northern Avenue and there are two or three dams.”

He has been clearing regularly a 24-inch culvert that the brook runs through under Northern Avenue, Stratton said, but the beavers keep clogging it up. He said they even reused the material that he has removed from the culvert to seal it back up.

Stratton expressed concern that the road could become flooded if the beavers were not relocated or discouraged from damming. The water level on Wednesday was about 6 feet lower than the crest of the road, but Stratton said levels could rise quickly if left unattended.

Of course you’ve been digging out the culvert every few days. Of course you’re worried about flooding and are going to call in the trappers. Because what else could you possibly do? It’s not like blocked culverts are THE most reliably solved beaver issue in the entire world or anything.

Sheesh

Kemper said the department will trap and relocate beavers if the problem is caught early in the year. Beavers tend to lodge for long periods of time in the winter in their homes, so they need an appropriate amount of time to settle in a new area. If there is a problem later in the season — and the problem is severe enough — beavers could be killed and removed.

Oops too late. I’m sure you planned it that way.

I’m too old to go to hold your hand and walk you to your first day at beaver preschool. Instead I want to stay in my imaginary college campus where people already know these things. I want to show you something I think is really special. I’ve been working on this for three days straight, stripping out the audio from Ben Goldfarb’s West Linn Library presentation, cutting out the coughs or long pauses to get it down to 5 minutes limit on the free version, inserting sound effects where appropriate using another free audio program, and the stringing the whole thing together with visuals on Powtoon.

I admit, I’m pleased with the final product. Check it out.

THE BEST GAME OF TELEPHONE EVER

heidi08 Beaver Book, Beavers and Fire Prevention October 12, 2018

My beaver reporting gig has changed in the past 6 months. It seems like there is so much good news because of Ben Goldfarb’s book I am too impatient to be bothered with the usual whining from Scottish farmers or duck hunters in Mississippi who think they need to blow up the beaver dam so there’s more room to shoot. I just want to talk about good news!

Like this for instance.

Working together with beavers is the answer

I’m thrilled to know that Torrey Ritter will be helping FWP to integrate beavers into the agency’s goals for watershed health and native fish recovery. Since much beaver habitat is currently unoccupied in our region, I commend FWP’s commitment to explore all options for restoration, including active reintroduction of beavers in the right place at the right time. Successful beaver relocations around the West are increasingly accompanied by “beaver dam analogues” or other structures that mimic and initiate the beaver’s likelihood of success. Transplanting mated pairs or family units has been shown to be effective, and I fully trust that FWP will take advantage of these and all other measures of the best available science for relocation outcomes that benefit people, beavers and habitat.

While we are lucky enough to have beavers existing on – or naturally returning to – our landscapes, there are several non-lethal solutions to traditional conflicts. Some, like wrapping special trees in wire fencing, are simple and cheap.

What a nice positive column from Montana of all places! Watching the story of beavers catch on is one of my favorite, favorite things.

“Flow devices” are another solution, and while they require some planning, a 310 permit and modest funds, they are durable, versatile investments that pay back in ecosystem services for years to come. Using a system of pipes and fencing to deter culvert blockage and excessive flooding, flow devices can be calibrated to avoid property damage while keeping the beavers in place. Far more than a compromise, studies have shown that for every dollar spent on flow devices, managers saved $8.37 in annual infrastructure repairs.

We have the tools and skills to work with these water-storing, fire-buffering, habitat-diversifying creatures. For more stories about how beavers are benefiting ranchers, urbanites, fish biologists and so many others, I suggest Ben Goldfarb’s excellent new book, “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter.” Our watersheds have many problems but it is good to know that by working together – with beavers – we can be the answer.

Did you ever play the game of telephone as a child? Take a moment and remember the eager feeling of waiting for the secret to come your way as you watch the ring of giggling classmate faces whisper into each other’s ears – the message that you know is coming to you eventually. That’s honestly how this feels. Except we know the secret already. And it’s not a secret. As the game unfolds this message is staying remarkably in tact.

I’d like to thank the Pathfinder and Biologist Scott Eggeman for last week’s excellent column exploring the history, ecology and growing importance of beavers. As we increasingly face the unpredictable stresses of fires, droughts and floods, I appreciate Eggeman’s nod to the rodent’s keystone role in a resilient ecosystem.

Which reminds me to also thanks to beaver friend Lisa Robertson of Wyoming Untrapped who recently sent me this snippet from an older film by Jeff Hogan.

BEAVERS GO TO SCHOOL

heidi08 Beaver Book October 3, 2018

Panama New York is in Chautauqua County at the very very bottom of the state that’s almost Pennsylvania. It has one of the highest rated public high schools in the US and the Senior English class got a special treat yesterday.

‘Eager’ Beaver

Panama Students Hear From Author In ‘Tech Den’

PANAMA — Rarely do high school students meet the author of the book their reading in class, but on Tuesday, Panama Central School seniors did just that.

Environmental journalist and author Ben Goldfarb wrote the book “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” that 12th grade students are reading in English teacher David Becker’s class. The course is a companion course with Jamestown Community College and offers college credits for students.

“We’re fortunate all the way around,” Becker said of talking with Goldfarb. “It’s just a good experience for us that we can even do this.”

Goldfarb video-called into the newly installed “Tech Den” in Panama where those students were gathered. The meeting served as the first event of its kind in the new room.

The high school room and the elementary Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Lab were both introduced this year with a wider focus on collaborative work.

Hey I know that face! Imagine talking to the best and brightest high school students without leaving home. That must be a fairly surreal experience, but I’m sure Ben is up to the task. I hope they asked lots of questions about chapter 6 especially!

Goldfarb’s book details the impact of European settlers on the North American beaver population and how it affects the natural world today. Becker said drought, diversity of species and types of trees are all impacted by the decreased population of beavers. Goldfarb’s book also discusses the impact of reintroducing beavers into an area where they were hunted to endangered numbers. Becker said beavers can positively impact droughts in the west by raising the water table.

“People that do stuff outdoors, their activities are helped by beavers,” Becker said.

Becker said, as an English teacher, he prefers to incorporate “good fiction” into the curriculum, so when he stumbled upon Goldfarb’s book over the summer, he knew it would be well suited for the course.

“I am an English teacher, but I think nonfiction is important,” he said.

Well sure it is. And making non fiction imminently readable so that it gets described as a “Page-turner” is hard, hard work. Your students should be inspired to great heights.

During class on Tuesday, Goldfarb, who was digitally transported to Panama on the electronic flat-board in the technology room, detailed how he came to write the book they are reading for class. Becker guided the meeting by asking Goldfarb student-submitted questions that pertained to data gathering, duration of writing and the future of the beaver population.

That’s so cool. I wish I was in that class.

Cook emphasized the importance of the students being able to see the author and realize that the authors they read are normal people, too. She said the students benefit from learning how Goldfarb became an author as well.

Well, I’m not sure I would go that far… 🙂

That’s it folks. Be excellent to each other! If my voice sounds very relaxed tomorrow, it’s because I’ll be at the ocean, drinking in the end of Summer on the Albion Coast. Ta ta!

EMILY AND THE 360 VIEW BEAVER POND

heidi08 Beaver Book, Beavers and Fire Prevention February 4, 2024

One of the continually interesting perks about maintaining a beaver website is that fascinating people from around the world seem to filter like manna onto your doorstep. Not too long ago I was contacted by Emily Fairfax, a graduate student in geological sciences at University of Colorado at Boulder who happens have a special interest in beaver dams and the water they hold. She has been following this website and even sent her mother-in-law to check out our beaver festival last year. (!) When she made contact she said

“The vast majority of my work has been on how beaver dams change arid/semi-arid landscapes from a hydrologic perspective.’

Her research website says:

My current research focuses on the ecohydrology of riparian areas, particularly those that have been impacted by beaver damming. I use a combination of remote sensing, modeling, and field to work understand how beaver damming changes these landscapes and on what timescales those changes operate.

She especially was looking for stories or anecdotes about how beaver ponds help in fire situations, so I introduced her to some folks and showed her what I had come up with over the years. Which lead me to pay special attention when a recent discussion came up with Lisa Robertson on the Wyoming Untrapped FB page, which brought me to this amazing photo and story by Jeff Hogan.

Jeff is an extraordinary wildlife cinematographer. If you’ve ever watched a wildlife film by National Geographic or the BBC, you have probably seen his work.

This is the kind of thing he captures every day.

jeffhoganfilmsI’ve been filming beavers for 20 years now illustrating the benefits of an active beaver colony and pond. Live beavers are very important to our wild forest lands and watersheds. Far more important than whatever benefit humans may enjoy from trapping these beavers. I believe that a wildlife management plan that allows trapping of beavers is highly irresponsible and reckless! This image illustrates the benefit of a beaver pond in fighting forest fires. Filmed in 2001. Beaver pond is located in Granite Creek.

Now Jeff just happened to be at the wednesday night reading in Teton Wyoming of Eager with Ben Goldfarb and Wyoming Untrapped’s director Lisa Robertson. So Jeff made sure Ben had this photo and I made sure Emily had it too. You can see that the helicopter is scooping water to fight the fire out of the only place it’s available: a lovely beaver pond. You can even see the lodge in the middle.

Beavers make a difference in firefighting, as they do in so many other ways. I’m excited to see Emily’s finished work so we can document just how much. In case all this feels too much like school, take a moment to enjoy some of Emily’s delightful offerings on her website.

You don’t want to miss this. Follow the link to her amazing 360 view of a beaver pond. Go look, I’m serious. It’s so frickin’ cool.

“Visit” a Beaver Pond!

Think beaver dams are cool? Visit one of my favorite ponds via a 360 degree photo I took. It’s the main beaver pond up at Schwabacher’s Landing in Grand Teton National Park! The link can be viewed on your computer in the web browser, in the Google Street View app on your phone, or in a Google Cardboard virtual reality headset!