THE DUTCH ARE FORMING PATROL GANGS TO SCARE AWAY BEAVERS

I would generally say that for the past five years beaver news has entered American hyperdrive with the publication of Ben’s Goldfarb’s book. (Who by the way was in the New York Times yesterday.) (Not about beavers. The NYT will never – mark my words – publish a positive article about beavers) But ever since 2018 this website made a left turn and stopped posting stories about European beavers so much. They have been doing great work and helping futrher our cause greatly but I often ignored headlines to focus on our own shores.

I couldn’t pass this up though.

Too many busy beavers are weakening dykes in Gelderland

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THE RARE HCN ARTICLE WORTH IGNORING

As a rule I have a strict YES policy about posting beaver articles from High Country News. After all, they are generally more responsible and thorough than other news souces, and they are very environmental in their focus. Plus they made BEN GOLDFARB which is a very wonderful achievement. And they boasted the very first truly inspiring beaver article I ever read back in 2009. It remains my gold standard of all beaver articles.

So I won’t be writing at all today about the whining debasement from the new intern (Kylie Mohr) there that will never replace you-know-who. She starts the article with a profile about the new fascination for beaver trapping in the area. because of HATS and all the beaver slums that have appeared where they never used to be. I won’t even point out how horrifically wrong she is about beavers causing giardia and ruining the drinking water. What would be the point? (more…)

DETROIT ISN’T EXCITED ABOUT BEAVERS ANY MORE

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver ecological impact, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? February 21, 2022

Remember when Detroit was excited to see beavers again after a century of setting the river on fire? Well that’s over. Short welcome committee eh?

DNR kills some beavers on Detroit’s Belle Isle

A decade ago, beavers returned to Detroit’s Belle Isle for the first time in a century, causing celebration among environmentalists. But now it seems the rodents have worn out their welcome on Detroit’s island park, or at least with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has run it since 2014. On Thursday, the department announced it had killed some beavers during a Belle Isle Park Advisory Committee meeting.

Ron Olson, DNR’s chief of parks and recreation, confirms that the department killed four beavers on Belle Isle and the nearby Milliken State Park. Olson tells Metro Times the DNR isn’t trying to exterminate the aquatic mammals from the parks, but only trying to keep their population in check. Each pair of beavers has around four young, and around this time of year, they start moving out of their dens and establishing their own territories. (more…)

REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED WET

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers, Creative Solutions, Urban beavers, Who's saving beavers now? February 17, 2022

Wednesday’s have always had a special place in my heart ever since Nov 7, 2007 when I tremulously attended the very first city council meeting on beavers I believe Martinez has ever held. It definitely changed the fate of this city and it certainly changed my life. It may have been the first meeting about beavers but it apparently will not be the last. Tonight the city moves to approve the plan for the Lower Alhambra Creek Watershed Management, which discusses guess WHAT?

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THEY NEVER JUST LEAVE. THEY ALWAYS HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING.

heidi08 What's killing beavers now? December 23, 2021

This wistful ode to trappers is exactly the kind of article I’ve come to expect from the winter months. Something that argues the killing skill is a ‘lost art’ that’s ‘needed more now than ever’. Oh puleeze….

Is Trapping in America on the Brink of Extinction, or at the Beginning of a Comeback?

Up until now, the popularity of trapping in America has always been tied to fur prices and the simple rules of supply and demand. When there’s more demand for fur, prices increase and trapping increases. However, trapping is on the verge of breaking away from its economic ties. It’s facing negative pressures, like legislation that bans trapping in several states plus never-ending attacks from antihunting groups. But trapping is also seeing a slight uptick in participation as more wildlife managers trap for predator control, and hunters who were locked down during the COVID pandemic got into trapping because, well, it’s fun.
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