WHERE BEAVERS ARE M.I.A.

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beavers elsewhere October 10, 2018

Isn’t this a beautiful painting by Lucy Arnold? It’s title is “Friends of the Eel River”. There’s a banana slug and a flying bat and a hermit thrush. But Hmm. Something seems to be missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

The Eel river is the third longest river in California and stretches from the top edge of Fort Brag all the way to Fortuna where it empties into the sea. You can be sure that its long range means that it was popular with the fur trade who generally made sure that it was empty of beavers by the mid 1800s.

Turns out it’s still pretty empty of beavers. Even though in recent years there has been concerted effort to teach folks about their benefits and beaver champion Brock Dolman himself spoke at the Save the Eel symposium a few years back, there still aren’t many. Megan Isadore of River Otter Ecology posted this the other night on facebook and I was reminded how rare they still are in the region.

Talia doesn’t see beaver on the eel. If you go to her lovely website there are no photographs of beaver. Over the years of processing depredation permits for the state I have come across only one or two for beavers in the region.

The eel river has a beaver shortage. That has to change.

BEAVERS IN BANFF

Good news for our friend Sarah Koenigsberg and her film about beavers and climate change.

This is a dream come true. The Beaver Believers has been selected as a finalist in the 2018 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival!

I’ve watched the touring version of Banff most every year since college, and held it as a goal for nearly 15 years. Two years ago, as I watched the tour I felt so frustrated with myself that I’d been working in film for so long yet still hadn’t produced an independent piece worthy of submitting. Last year I didn’t even go, as I was up to my neck in editing. When I got the news a couple weeks ago I burst into tears. So many thank you’s are in order, to everyone who’s put up with my “work-too-much” crazy self, my stressed out self, my stubborn won’t-give-up self, and all my ups and downs. Thank you friends! So much big love!

That’s just wonderful news! We are so excited for you and for your film and all the folks that get to see it, This has been a crazy successful year for beavers and I’m thrilled Worth A Dam and our little beaver festival could be a part of your amazing film. Thanks also to all the knights in shining armor that helped this film get made by supporting production costs along the way!

Another delight came from the recent beaver event held by Wyoming Untrapped, who used a knockout technique to help children learn how beavers build dams. Click on any photo to see it larger,

ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR BEAVERS

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere October 4, 2018

Even on vacation we are still a one-stop supermarket for all things beavers. This morning there is a question from a rehab center in Missouri about a sick beaver and a man and wife heading on vacation in the sierras who want to see some beavers on their trip.

I introduced the rehab questioner to our beaver-saving buddy in New York listed in our “advisors page” (which is a great page, you should definitely visit it if you haven’t seen it lately.)

BEAVER REHABILITATION

CHER BUTTON-DOBEMEIRER,

Abbe-Freeland Animal Sanctuary, Inc.

And introduced the beaver-seeking couple to our friend Sherry from the Sierra Wildlife Coalition, who was happy to help.

Because that’s what we do here on aisle beaver.

Yearling eating Strawberries – Photo Cheryl Reynolds

ADVOCATES UNDER PRESSURE

heidi08 Beavers and water, Who's saving beavers now? September 18, 2018

Beavers: An Unlikely Solution To Western Drought

I’ve been thinking in these past few days about the tight space a certain kind of beaver advocate finds themselves in. The kind that comes when you have been listened to a ‘little’ bit, and people are behaving as if they were willing to do you a favor by telling you privately how difficult the situation is behind the scenes and how they are doing everything they can. I was thinking of the vice-grip of pressure you feel in those moments, not to give up the thing you’re trying to protect, and not to be overpowered, but also not to appear unreasonable, (heavens!) because you don’t want to lose your hard-won status as the practical one who can see both sides and is willing to make compromises. You want to avoid saying “don’t do this” outright if you can, but you see the train is moving in the wrong direction and you want to step in before it gets too far from the station.

Maybe what I’m describing is too vague to understand, I always thought it was unique to my experience on the beaver subcommittee, but I had an hour conversation yesterday with a beaver guardian that reminded me I’m not alone in this. The farther I am from the drama the easier it is to see the chess pieces moving. “I shouldn’t be telling you this but” “We’ve done everything we can to work with the landowner but” “you did a great job explaining your position but now it’s time to back off, or you risk turning folks against you”.

It’s not just me. When you’re alone on the other side of that message you feel so torn and motionless. You can’t go forward, you can’t possibly go back, and you know one misstep could bring down the entire card house that you’ve worked so hard to put together.

I thought last night that it might be a uniquely female experience although I never did before. This pressure to behave while you are pushing hard for the thing you want to save, and never act like anyone is doing anything wrong or lying to you even when you know damn well they are – that’s the beaver-guardian’s dilemma, And it’s what I felt every single day on the subcommittee and right up through the sheetpile destruction. It’s why to this day I can say with out hesitation that serving on the beaver subcommittee was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, harder than my dissertation, harder than doing therapy with sex offers, harder than working in the teen psych hospital, harder than testifying as an expert witness.

It was HARD.

It was only when I saw those historic sheet pile photos, and realized that everyone had been lying straight to my face outright for months, with their so-sorry voices and secret phone calls — that all their covert messages to be patient and forbear were outrageous falseoods, that I finally felt free of it. Done. Released. So that now when Carmen in Texas, or Nancy in Michigan or Judy in Port Moody tells me that they feel confused and trapped and like they’re getting pressure on all sides from the city to cooperate but they know its the wrong thing and would hurt the beavers I can literally see the choking translucent net that holds them constrained.

I remember exquisitely how it felt, and that helps me point them towards the scissors so they can cut themselves free.

It took a long time, but I started learning eventually that it’s okay to be outraged when people behave outrageously. And that the amount of power you have is actually the opposite of the messages you are helpfully being told about it.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

heidi08 Who's saving beavers now? September 17, 2018

Are you a wildlife loving, hard worker who’s always dreamed of living in nature?

The Unexpected Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey’s unexpected loss might be your incredible gain.

In case you don’t know the story, the history of the Refuge begins with a love of wildlife. in 1961, Cavit and Hope Buyukmihci, with their three children, purchased an 85-acre tract in Buena Vista Township, located in the Pinelands, halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Mostly wooded swampland, the purchase included a cabin and an old barn on an acre of cleared land, and a stream which beavers had dammed to create a large pond. The Buyukmihcis were distressed by the increase in land development, reducing the habitat available for wildlife in Southern New Jersey. Since childhood, Hope had enjoyed the delightful wonder of bluebirds nesting in the spring, and it was vital that she passed along her respect and love for nature to her family. The couple decided to dedicate their land to habitat preservation so that native wildlife and habitat could thrive.

For years and years the refuge was run by the unflappable Sarah Summerville, and when a replacement was needed they scoured the boundaries and thought they’d found the answer. But she has to leave and the a new search goes on. I was asked this morning to pass on the invitation to apply for the job of a lifetime.

Unexpected Wildlife Refuge is seeking a residential onsite manager. This is a rewarding and challenging position for a responsible and self-motivated individual who is interested in nature and wildlife and maintaining land as protected natural habitat. Preference will be for a person who is at least a vegetarian and who has practical experience with wildlife or academic training so that they are knowledgeable about wildlife in general. We will also consider someone without this experience, but who is motivated enough to learn about indigenous species so that they can be an asset to the Refuge’s education and outreach efforts. The manager lives onsite in provided, free accommodations, including utilities.

If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, please send the following by E-mail only, to Nedim Buyukmihci, president, ned.trustee@unexpectedwildliferefuge.org:

1. Letter explaining why you would be the ideal candidate;
2. an expanded resume; and
3. full contact information for at least three people who can critically vouch for your commitment to wildlife or non-human animals in general, abilities, reliability and honesty (at least one of the people should be your most recent or current employer, none can be a relative and your relationship with each should be made clear).

This link will explain what you need to know about the position. It requires a fairly unique combination of skills including advocacy, outreach and refuge maintenance. What a great place for a budding novelist, painter, young couple to awaken their muses while making such a difference in a place where such a difference is needed

Here’s former cartaker Sarah showing off the resident beaver lodge.