Category: Beaver-themed merchandise

These are unusual beaver-themed designed merchandise we like. Some of the items have been donated to Worth A Dam, and some we just hope they will be soon.

Beaver beatitudes

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? January 31, 2015

'Beavers create habitats and opportunities for just about everything else.' Photograph: Ben Lee — ‘Beavers create habitats and opportunities for just about everything else.’ Photograph: Ben Lee

Beavers are back – and we should welcome them with open arms

We’ve been showing people wild beavers for nine years now. Wild, yes, but captive. Our beavers are in a large, fenced wetland enclosure, a whole eight-acre loch and its associated marshes and deciduous woodland in Inverness-shire – perfect beaver habitat. They don’t know they’re captive, and they don’t need to, since they have everything they want: plenty of food; birch and willow trees to fell for bark – they are strictly herbivorous – and to build their lodges and dams; streams and ditches to dam; canals to dig; lagoons to create. That’s what beavers do: beavering away, they adjust their habitat to suit themselves, and just about everything else as well.

Our nine years of soggy monitoring have demonstrated precisely what the scientific literature predicts. Measured against adjacent wetland the beavers have not utilised, we find that biodiversity has expanded by a factor of four.

That’s a 300% increase on the initial pre-beaver presence: more aquatic bugs for fish to hoover up; more fish for herons, diving ducks, grebes, otters and ospreys; more newts, frogs and toads; more insects for small birds to snatch; more small mammals, including water voles and water shrews, for owls and other predators. And so it continues up the chain: more food for pine martens, stoats, weasels, foxes, badgers; more and a wider variety of wild flowers and wetland plants. Altogether more of just about everything, in a happier, fatter, richer, healthier and more diverse ecosystem bubbling with life and energy.

Years ago, I knew the River Otter very well. I have fished it and canoed its dreamy Devon reaches. It is right for beavers. They are mammals of optimum habitat. That means they will cruise upstream and downstream until they find the place they like best. Then they will stay, dig burrows in banks and build impressive lodges of mud, sticks and logs dragged and packed into a dome, with underwater entrances to protect their young from predators (they are hard-wired to think there is a wolf, a lynx, a bear or a wolverine behind every bush). Here they will breed, producing two to three kits every year.

Great article from the Guardian by author John Lister-Kaye. Besides being well written, it’s highly informative and a good place to educate yourself about beaver benefits. This is what I’ve enjoyed most about the beaver battle in the United Kingdom. It forces the ‘good team’ to spend a great deal of time getting the word out. And we all are the richer for it.

John Lister-Kaye is director of Aigas Field Centre (aigas.co.uk). His new book, Gods of the Morning – A Bird’s Eye View of a Highland Year, will be published by Canongate in March.

Mean while I’ve been hard at work hunting for adorable things to to see if any kind souls will donate to the silent auction, and came upon Betsey Reiche yesterday. She and her business partner of “bspired “ are San Francisco based artists who do cards and invitations in wood. Everything they make is cute, but this was the particular offering that caught my eye. I’m sure you can see why.

The card is made out of walnut and comes with a little kickstand for display. She kindly offered to give us several printed with what ever slogans you nominate. So, valiant team beaver, get to work on your beaver puns. This caption reads “Wood you be my valentine?” but beaver experts like you can do better than that I’m sure! (I personally like, Dam it! I’m in love again!) I want to hear YOUR ideas. Send your recommendations to me here and we’ll chose the top five to be available at the beaver festival!

Beaver dreams come true.

heidi08 Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? January 14, 2015

Beaver battle: ‘We’re trying to work with nature’

A young family has moved into the Fraser Heights area of North Surrey and has been causing problems for the city parks department. And according to Carrie Baron, environmental planner for the City of Surrey, the new tenants have been causing headaches at city hall by jamming a nearby creek with sticks and causing it to flood surrounding fields.

“We’re well aware of the beavers at Fraser Glen,” said Baron. “We are planning to put in a new outlet control structure that the beavers are unable to block.”

Since the city has a no-kill policy when it comes to beavers, Baron said the idea is to build a structure that the beavers are unable to block, allowing the creek to run freely, while at the same time providing a safe habitat for the beavers to live in.

City parks workers have also been installing wire fencing on tree trunks around the pond to protect them, as many have been chewed down.

Although relocation of the beavers is an option, Baron said, new beavers would only move in, causing the same issues again.

I had a dream like this once, but it never came true. Have I suddenly died and gone to heaven? Are there really such cities as this in the world? Do employes from public works really wrap trees with wire? Surrey British Columbia is right across the water from Vancouver, so I think we owe Fur-bearer Defenders a heap of gratitude for educating Fraser Heights.

Thank you! And Ms. Carrie Baron, environmental planner extraordinaire! Let’s hope there are lots more like you at home.

There’s more good news to put on your calendars. Michael Runtz is a photographer, educator, and beaver lover from way back. I first connected with him through Donna Debreuil of the Ottawa-Carlton Wildlife center. His brilliant photographs are in the beaver documentary on PBS. I knew he was hard at work on his book about his decade+ beaver observations, but it’s FINALLY going to be released February 1. His interview with Michael Howie for Fur Bearer Defenders Radio airs monday. This is an excerpt from Michael’s review.

About dam time: new book showcases the remarkable world of beavers

Michael Runtz Dam BuildersA perfect mixture of science, poetic anecdotes and gorgeous photos makes up the foundations of Michael Runtz’s Dam Builders: The Natural History of Beavers and Their Ponds (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, February 2015).

Runtz, a renowned naturalist and photographer, and an instructor at Ottawa University, has taken all that is incredible about beavers – from their long evolutionary history, to their social structure, to their aquatic engineering skills – and compiled it in his new book.

It is the combination of these three passions of Runtz that make this book such an essential part of any animal, nature, history or photography lover’s collection.

Preorder the book for your very own here. And listen to the interview on Fur Bearer’s Radio Episode 212 available Monday January 19th, here. I’m sure we’re in for a dam good time!

Pin the tail on the beaver!

heidi08 Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Creative Solutions, Educational, Festival, Who's saving beavers now? January 11, 2015

Let’s say, (and why not) that you’re an eager child at the beaver festival who wants to do the keystone project again. You’re thinking to yourself, I wonder what it will be this year, necklace? Bracelet? You march to the info booth and say that beavers eat leaves and build dams and that Heidi lady gives you something new.

“Everything changes, especially with beavers!” she explains. “We’re not doing the charms this year”, she adds. Instead she hands you a beaver tail made of burlap. “All around the festival at the different exhibits there buttons you can pin to this tail to fill up the Keystone arch and show how beavers make a neighborhood.” “You will earn the buttons by learning how beavers help each animal, because that’s what KEYSTONE SPECIES means. They make all this possible”.

Heidi passes you a laminated card. “This will help you learn how beavers help us, and if you have questions, the people at the booths can make sure you understand.” The card shows how dams lead to bugs, which get eaten by fish and birds, which get eaten by otters and mink and bigger fish. There are pictures so it’s pretty easy to understand. “We aren’t telling you where the buttons are this year. Think of it like an Easter egg hunt. You have to look in every booth and find them, but when you’re all done, you will know a lot! And your tail will look like this.

“The buttons are yours to keep. Bring the laminated cards back to me for someone else to use. Then we would love you to take a short quiz to help us show that this was a good idea and tell what you learned. Put the quiz in this box when you’re done with your mom or dad’s phone number. At the end of the day two quizzes will be chosen at random and the winners will get a beaver kit puppet to keep. Thanks for your help, go show off your tail and teach someone else what you’ve learned!”

Honestly, how cool is that?

This free activity for 150 children is the subject of a grant application to the Fish and Wildlife Commission of Contra Costa County. But don’t worry, even if they turn us down we are doing it. The genius behind those lovely button designs is this man, Marc Poulin from his downtown studio in Oakland. Go right now and look at his designs, because he has made a million things you will want to buy.

And before you ask, calm down. This project will be available for adults to do too, for a small fee.

Ohio in a whole new light…

heidi08 Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers elsewhere, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? December 23, 2014

Okay, remember all the unkind things I said about Ohio’s attitudes towards beavers? Well I take it back…most of it. Just look at this article out of the Telegraph Forum.

Overeager beaver causes big headache at Ohio park

MASON – City officials here are grappling with a gnawing problem: a bothersome beaver who’s made his home at Pine Hill Lakes Park.

Officials say the beaver has been, well, busy as a beaver gnawing away at 52 trees and felling three others lining the park’s bike path and lake.

What the beaver sees as a smorgasbord city officials see as a health and safety risk.

Other wildlife experts warn that simply killing the flat-tailed, buck-toothed pest isn’t a quick fix and that more might come in its place.

“They can kill 10 beavers and 10 more will come in their place because that’s what the habitat will support,” said Mary Carrelli, president of Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, a nonprofit organization that promotes wildlife education, conservation and rehabilitation.

Carrelli said a better – and more humane – solution may be to simply drive the beaver out naturally through the use of alternative methods, such as fencing off or wrapping trees with inexpensive plastic tubing.

For dam-related issues, a pipe can be placed within the dam to allow for water flow while allowing the beaver to build its structure around it – an approach also recommended by the Humane Society of the United States.

Merry Christmas to you too, Ohio! I never imagined I’d read about a flow device and wrapping trees from the The Buckeye State. Gosh, I guess old dogs really can learn new tricks. Now let’s see of I can.

The Beaver Believers just mailed out their kickstarter campaign gifts. Jon and I got a lovely pair of beaver beer mugs that we will toast on many an occasion. If you need a last minute gift idea for that beaver-lover on your list their shop is open for business here.

Beavers in the News

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver Rehabilitation, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Environmental July 31, 2014

Chip Ward’s article is marching through the liberal hemisphere – now on Salon and Axis of logic. I’m very thrilled for the promotion but I sure hope it gets picked up by a conservative website soon. We don’t want liberals to be FOR beavers. Because then of course conservatives will be AGAINST them. Let’s emphasize their money-saving, small business owner expertise and get them on National Review Online or Red State soon!

On Axis of logic the editor offered these remarks:

Editor’s Commentary:

Timber is a Canadian beaver. That might not be his real name, but it’s what we call him nonetheless – and he responds to it. Timber was orphaned and successfully raised by a friend of mine, Michele.

It was once thought by scientists that beavers orphaned at a young age could not survive because of the intense family structure of these critters, and the fact an orphan would be shunned by other beaver families. We learned through another friend, Audrey Tournay, that this is untrue. Audrey is renowned worldwide for defying the biologists and showing that beavers can indeed survive and thrive with human nurturing.

Timber became one of the stars of two television programs.

I am in the process of working with Michele to write Timber’s biography and it should be ready later this year (I’m the writer, she’s the story teller – the tentative title is Beavers Never Read the Operating Manual). It will be a book aimed at encouraging young people to learn about, and develop a concern for, the environment all around them. It is not yet too late to save ourselves from ourselves, but we’ll need to engage young people to do it.

– prh, Editor

I’ll look forward to the Timber-files soon. I loved Audrey Tournay’s beaver tales (Audrey was the founder of the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary where Michelle Grant worked) and I know you did too. In the mean time, two behind the scenes reveals are that the editor PRH is actually Paul Richard Harris who is the husband of Debbie Harris who we helped with beavers in Ontario way back in 2012, (because it’s a very small beaver world and all roads lead to Martinez).

And btw his original editor’s note credited David Suzuki for the documentary and didn’t mention Jari, which I replied to. So this old comment

Timber became one of the stars of two television programs. One, here in Canada, was a David Suzuki produced program called The Beaver Whisperers. The second was produced in the United States by PBS and is called Leave It To Beavers. Go find them: they are both fascinating.

Got magically edited into this one:

One, here in Canada, was a program aired on CBC called The Beaver Whisperers. The second aired in the United States on PBS and is called Leave It To Beavers. Go find them: they are both fascinating. Both documentaries are produced by Jari Osborne.

Which is a kind of reminder that one can make a difference in this topsy turvy beaver world, if you needed one. I myself made a snippet of difference last night on channel 7, but was disappointed my “amazing” interview in the blazing sun was shortened to 15 seconds. Still, its a great plug for the festival anyway, and they snagged tuesday’s footage, gave us credit, got our name right and linked to the right page of the website so I’m very happy.

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) —

The famous beaver family in Martinez is still at it and now officials say they’re actually good for the drought.

Experts say the beaver dams are helping water stay in the creek year round, despite the drought and that’s helping preserve fish and other wildlife.

The group “Worth A Dam” is dedicated to maintaining the beavers in Alhambra Creek.

The president and founder of the group, Heidi Perryman, Ph.D., says, “They’re kind of doing a restoration job for the town of Martinez. They working 24/7. And they’re doing it for free.”

A “Beaver Festival” is planned for this Saturday. It’s taking place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Marina Vista and Alhambra Avenue in Martinez.

‘A’ Beaver festival? A? Not THE beaver festival? I guess we should be proud of the fact that there are now SO many beaver festivals in the world we don’t merit the definite article anymore. Hrmph!