Category: Beaver ecological impact

HIGH QUALITY FLOW DEVICES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS

I am old. The Martinez Beaver story is old. The entire drama unfolded more than 15 years ago. There have been three presidents since them. Change takes a long time coming. And as hard as it was we got the easy shift. Things were harder when Sherri Tippie was a twenty something and Enos Mills was saying ‘beavers matter’ and harder still when Grey Owl was saying stop trapping beavers.

Martinez has a solid place in the beaver story because there was soo much public interest it forced our city to hire the only famous beaver installer at the time who happened to live in Vermont. He made sure that what he installed worked in our creek which was unheard of in the west. Certainly in California. Since he invented the technology we became associated with the buzz of his invention.

You probably know the legacy. Long before Martinez Skip Lisle trained Mike Callahan. Who started a voluneer group to install flow devices then his own business then the beaver institute. Which is now famous for training professionals all across the nation.

It is all full circle now.

Skip Lisle: There’s enormous potential for beavers and flow devices

This commentary is by Skip Lisle, a resident of Grafton, a wildlife biologist and president of Beaver Deceivers LLC.

By some miracle, we have an animal called a beaver that builds, maintains and improves rich wetlands. However, damming behavior also creates challenging and sometimes expensive beaver-human conflicts.

Partly because of their rarity, which has been increased greatly by development, wetlands like those that beavers create have enormous value. They are critical habitat for thousands of species, including numerous game animals. They have hydrological functions such as water purification, sequestration of fine sediments and pollutants, groundwater recharge, and water storage (flood abatement). Beautiful and teeming with life, they also represent aesthetic or spiritual wealth.

As an example of the importance of wetlands, the federal government sometimes pays hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre for manmade versions that are much less valuable and natural than those created by beavers.

Give that man a pen more often. Skip has been telling this story for a long, long time. To many different kinds of people motivated by many different kinds of things.

Beavers are mostly restricted to a tiny section of the landscape: low-gradient areas on small streams. In this beaver-damming habitat, they are able to create larger wetlands where their dams can survive high-water events.

This is where most of the beaver-human conflicts occur, particularly when high-value properties like roads abut or intersect these zones. Tiny, easy-to-clog holes in large manmade dams (roads), culverts are the biggest problem of all. They are beaver magnets.

Beavers are territorial. They typically do not tolerate the presence of unrelated beavers. Therefore, the number of beavers present in a territory, or at a given conflict point, might range from one to 10 with an average, perhaps, of three or four. Because of deaths from starvation, disease and predation (e.g., humans, motor vehicles, coyotes and bears), births and dispersal, this number is constantly changing.

When dispersing, they search for beaver-free zones, like conflict points where a kill-defense has been employed (double magnet). At a given point, therefore, overpopulation is never the problem, but underpopulation can be.

A little population management of adult beavers cannot eliminate a conflict. It takes only one non-kit beaver one night to clog a culvert. However, when all the adults are eliminated, any kits present will starve. Consequently, a little killing often leads to a lot of slow, wasteful and unconscionable dying.

So humans make the most inviting places for beavers to build a dam AND then humans kill off their competition so they can start fresh and plant nice trees for them to eat. We should never be surprised when a beaver disperser gets our party invitation.

To effectively protect a culvert by lethal means requires permanent extirpation. Just as the presence of beavers frequently leads to ecological miracles, their forced absence often has the opposite effect: Sterilization.

Loss of birds. Loss of fish. Loss of frogs. Loss of water.

A kill-defense at a given conflict point guarantees that the problem will persist in expensive, never-ending cycles. In addition, “killing” ensures that none of the wetland values that beavers symbolize will ever persist (dams decay in their absence) or develop in the general area of any conflict point.

On a broader scale, given the inordinate value of beavers, no responsible governing agency would ever allow the overall beaver population to become low. With concern for protecting the environment growing among the general populace, it may not be politically possible, either. Therefore, we can never rely on killing, either locally or regionally, to solve the conflict.

Hmm. Since I don’t know of any state in the country that monitors its beaver population I’m not sure they would ever know when it got “LOW”.

Fortunately, there is a remedy: High-quality flow devices. These essentially control damming behavior by sneaking water away from beavers.

They are complicated engineering feats, and normally can be built successfully only by skilled specialists. When this is not the case, and flow devices have little design or structural integrity, they invariably fail. This often leads to a loss of confidence by the public in the general concept and to a doubling-down on killing.

At many places in New England and elsewhere over the last 25 years, high-quality flow devices have repeatedly proven themselves. They have saved society millions of dollars while indirectly creating thousands of acres of wetlands. High-quality flow devices can solve the problem at almost any site, generally need little maintenance, last for decades, rarely require killing, and pay for themselves many times over again. They are great investments.

Because of the limited geographical nature of the conflict, in a few weeks one competent builder with hand tools can eliminate the problem in any given town for decades. It’s thus easy to imagine beaver-proofing a small state like Vermont.

There is a tension in the world between saying ‘these problems are solvable’ and ‘any fool with a hammer and a pair of waders can solve them’. Bad flow devices are bad for beavers because they result in trapping and advertise that flow devices don’t work. But rare and expensive flow devices are also bad for beavers because they mean well-intenioned paces can’t afford them or install them and beavers die.

It’s an age-old conundrum we’re getting a little better at solving.

The implementation of high-quality flow devices — mostly by contractors, and largely at the Penobscot Indian Nation in Maine and several New England states — has led the world. The two leading flow device companies are Beaver Deceivers LLC (mine, from Vermont) and Beaver Solutions LLC (Massachusetts). Both companies also offer presentations and workshops, as does a nonprofit, the Beaver Institute (Massachusetts).

Their willingness to share their knowledge represents an opportunity for government managers and budding entrepreneurs, among others.

Because of a past absence of high-quality flow devices and their builders, killing has long been a necessity to protect the infrastructure. Even today, it’s sometimes an important short-term solution. Along with predators, we should thank shooters, trappers and state wildlife managers for helping with this prior defense.

But beavers can’t be an eternal enemy. It is long overdue for society to begin to make a serious transition toward a more reliable, long-lasting, economical and ecologically friendly approach.

That’s what I call a closing argument.

CHECKING IN ON THE MILWAUKEE BEAVERS

Fall is a great time to head back to Milwakee and check on how the beaver recovery is coming along. Here and now Producer Chris Bentley recently gave a nice report on WBUR. Unfortunately it’s featured with an otter photo from Getty images which they say was sleeping “on a branch” which is the greatest possible fail. But we hope more beaver sightings will straighten them out eventually. It’s a nice 5 minute listen, enjoy.

Milwaukee welcomes back beavers, after hunting and pollution drove the industrious rodents away

Beavers are moving back into Milwaukee.

The American beaver was once a fixture of this area, at the confluence of three rivers by the shores of Lake Michigan. Then the region’s first European residents made Milwaukee one of their main fur trading posts. They hunted and trapped beavers for their pelts, and the population plummeted.

But a few years ago, people started noticing trees along the riverbanks in the heart of downtown Milwaukee that had been gnawed down to a point — a telltale sign of a beaver.

There’s even a quick mention of our buddy Bob Boucher’s study about flooding, but then it’s back to worshiping at the trout rumors.

That’s another reason ecologists are happy to see beavers returning to urban areas.
Last year, researchers at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee found beavers could substantially reduce flooding in some of the county’s most flood-prone areas.

Trout fisherman, however, worry too many beaver dams could muck up their fishing streams.
But in urban Milwaukee, there’s still room for people to share the rivers with a few more beavers.

The sun eventually set on our canoe ride and we got back on shore while bats snapped up bugs over our heads.

You know how beavers are. Always ruining streams for trout. The oddest thing is that they only seem to do that in WISCONSIN. In every other state they are GOOD for trout.

Weird.

“THE STREAMS ARE TOO DAM HOT”

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers and climate change October 24, 2022

Over and over again we are reading about science scratching its head and wondering what can be done for our heating drying rivers across the west. I’ll give them a hint. One answer comes in a furry package with a flat tail.

Heat waves in U.S. rivers are on the rise. Here’s why that’s a problem

The temperature spikes can cause trouble for fish, plants and water quality

U.S. rivers are getting into hot water. The frequency of river and stream heat waves is on the rise, a new analysis shows.

Like marine heat waves, riverine heat waves occur when water temperatures creep above their typical range for five or more days (SN: 2/1/22). Using 26 years of United States Geological Survey data, researchers compiled daily temperatures for 70 sites in rivers and streams across the United States, and then calculated how many days each site experienced a heat wave per year. From 1996 to 2021, the annual average number of heat wave days per river climbed from 11 to 25, the team reports October 3 in Limnology and Oceanography Letters.

Gee that sounds bad. The water is getting hot hot hot. That’s rotten for the fish who need it cooler like salmon and trout. I wish there was something we could do to help. Anything at all…

The study is the first assessment of heat waves in rivers across the country, says Spencer Tassone, an ecosystem ecologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He and his colleagues tallied nearly 4,000 heat wave events — jumping from 82 in 1996 to 198 in 2021 — and amounting to over 35,000 heat wave days. The researchers found that the frequency of extreme heat increased at sites above reservoirs and in free-flowing conditions but not below reservoirs — possibly because dams release cooler water downstream.

Huh. Dams make the water cooler. Who knew. Gosh I wish there was some kind of dam-making creature that could just build them in all our waterways all across those hot streams…I mean like a dam-o-matic but one that could replenish itself and keep working even when things were hard. It would have to be a vegetarian too, because we don’t want it to eat those fish we’re trying to save, right?

There are chemical consequences to the heat as well, says hydrologist Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland in College Park who was not involved with the study. Higher temperatures can speed up chemical reactions that contaminate water, in some cases contributing to toxic algal blooms (SN: 2/7/18).

The research can be used as a springboard to help mitigate heat waves in the future, Kaushal says, such as by increasing shade cover from trees or managing stormwater. In some rivers, beaver dams show promise for reducing water temperatures (SN: 8/9/22). “You can actually do something about this.”

TEAM BEAVER GETS CROWDED

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver ecological impact, Beavers, Beavers and climate change October 22, 2022

This has been a banner fall for beavers. States like California and Colorado and Oregon have been flooding the zone with good news, I’ve grown to expect it from them. But Ohio and North Dakota? We might just not be in Kansas anymore,

Beavers: Eco Engineers and Services

There is an old saying that whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over. And particularly in the western states in a seemingly warmer and drier climate, some scientists are beginning to see beaver activity as important to our ability to adapt to a changing climate. Beaver ponds can store a lot of water on the land, at no cost. And those ponds can mitigate the effects of heavy rains and flooding, and recharge ground water, as well as serve as an important source of water (and forage) for livestock and wildlife.

Beaver activity may also result in important benefits related to changes in hydrology. The pond helps sediments settle out of the water, which increases water quality. As the pond fills in with nutrient rich sediments, it may form a “beaver meadow” which spreads the slowly moving water through a much larger area “sub-irrigating” the plants growing there. One study estimated the economic return of beaver ponds may be $1,000 or more per acre per year in benefits relating to ecosystem services such as sediment retention, flood control, water quality, and wetland habitat enhancement, and recreation.

Beaver activity, mainly associated with the ponds behind dams, has also been credited with a variety of desirable changes in the local ecosystem including increased aquatic habitat, increased plant, fish, and bird diversity and abundance, and habitat for big game such as deer and elk. Beaver ponds also generally support greater numbers of ducks, geese, reptiles, and amphibians compared to the free-flowing streams. Plus, the felling of adjacent trees may help rejuvenate stands of aspen and willow which provide important food and cover for a wide variety of animals.\

So, when we see signs of beaver activity, perhaps we should give greater consideration to how we can put them to work for us. If all goes well, we could gain some important benefits… at no cost!

Color me surprised! The whole segment is on audio and a great listen. I can’t embed it here but feel free to go head for yourself and lets just tap our feet and wait for the late bloomers like Texas and Iowa.

Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Corner: Leave it to beavers

The beaver told the rabbit as they stared at the Hoover Dam: ‘No, I didn’t build it myself, but it’s based on an idea of mine.’” — Charles Hard Townes

As it turns out, these natural engineers may well be humans’ natural allies in efforts to confront climate change.

Beaver dams completely alter the landscape, flooding the surrounding area, and creating wetlands. It’s one reason beavers have often been considered pests that can cause serious damage when they build dams too close to homes or roads.

Scientists have understood beavers’ importance for decades. Studies are finding that beavers play a vital role in dampening the effects of the worsening climate crisis, especially in areas prone to fire, drought, and heat waves.

These web-footed, fat-tailed, amphibious rodents help countless other critters survive a heat wave. They not only drench certain landscapes in cold water but also help cool the air. They help make forests and grasslands less likely to burn.

It’s increasingly clear that these animals help safeguard ecosystems against the worst of climate change. Beavers are very much wildlife heroes in a warming world. We know that beavers build dams. But these structures are so much more than just a pile of sticks laid across a stream. They’re hydrological wonders.

Aw shucks! Stop! Beavers are blushing! The way you folks do go on!

Dams form ponds, widen rivers, and create wetlands, building all kinds of aquatic habitats that many other animals like birds and frogs rely on. Beavers are the ecosystem engineers of the animal world.

Because every ecosystem is unique, beavers can have different effects on the environment depending on where they are located.

More than just spreading water around, beavers’ dams also help cool it down. Dams can deepen streams, and deeper layers of water tend to be cooler. As streams run into these structures, they can start to carve into the river bed. So, there can be, for example, a six-foot-deep pool behind a three-foot-high beaver dam.

Dams also help force cold groundwater to the surface. Made of sticks, leaves, and mud, dams block water as it rushes downstream, forcing some of it to travel underground, where it mixes with chillier groundwater before resurfacing. Scientists tell us that is really important for a lot of temperature-sensitive species like salmon and trout.

The presence of beaver dams can also help chill the air. As all that water in a beaver habitat starts to evaporate, the adjacent air cools down. Turning water into vapor requires energy, and some of that energy comes from the heat in the air. It essentially functions like an AC system sitting out there in the landscape, keeping the air temperature, 10 or 15 degrees cooler, which, scientists point out, is a sizable difference.

Beaver damming also plays a significant role in protecting surrounding vegetation during wildfires. By helping replenish the groundwater that humans rely on, beavers’ dams also provide insurance against droughts.

We need smart, out-of-the-box ways to defend against the worst effects of climate change. Instead of just relying on human-made technologies and infrastructure, we can also restore species like beavers to the landscape, working with nature, instead of against it. We need to make our cities and towns much more resilient, not unlike a habitat filled with beaver dams.

Enlisting beavers in the effort could be one such way forward. They are, after all, the only other species anywhere nearly as capable as humans at transforming a landscape.

Wow what a mouthful, Suddenly beavers are Sally Fields at the oscars. YOU LIKE ME! YOU REALLY LIKE ME!

It couldn’t happen to a. nicer rodent.

JUNEAU’S BEAVER PATROL PRESENTS

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver Book, Beaver ecological impact October 16, 2022

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!