Category: Who’s blaming beavers now?

Just how stubborn are the Scots?

The English and Welsh say: very stubborn.

Rewilding: Reintroduction extinct species back to Britain will be ‘enormous’ challenge, study finds

The reintroduction of extinct species across rural Britain will have to overcome “enormous” challenges to be successful, a major study of the UK’s largest “rewilding” project has found.

Rewilding is an increasingly popular strand of conservation. There are ambitious plans to revive biodiversity by reintroducing native species, including wolves, beavers and lynx. But new research for the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) has detailed the range of challenges facing the restoration of ancient habitats and returning of lost species to the wild.

According to the study, which will be presented to the RGS on Wednesday at its yearly conference, a number of “on-ground” challenges, including the unpredictability of wild animals, are likely to make rewilding difficult.

The research, by Dr Kim Ward from Plymouth University and Dr Jonathan Prior from Cardiff University, primarily looked at the recent Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale, which began in May 2009 with the release of three beaver families. The animals went on to breed successfully, making them the first wild beavers in Britain in 400 years.

While the scheme was been hailed as an “outstanding success” by conservationists, the study found it created “conflicts with other land users”, amid local concerns over “disruption to rural business”.

“Disruption to rural business is a chief concern of the most vocal critics of the Scottish Beaver Trial. They argue that the beavers’ potential to build dams along waterways, and fell trees, changes the dynamics of the wider landscape in ways that cannot be predicted and will negatively impact the rural economy,” said Dr Prior.

First of all, why isn’t a Scottish university reporting to us how impossible it will be to release beavers in Scotland? Why do we need professors from 600 miles away to analyze the situation? And second of all isn’t this really a paper about how impervious the Scots are to new ideas? Shouldn’t it be done by social psychologists specializing in attitude change? There was once a time when rural land use didn’t include vegetarians or dental floss too. And it was hard to change those ideas. But they adapted.

I’m thinking they’ll re-adjust to beavers back in their midst, too just fine.

I’m not sure what other people do on their day OFF but I worked on a new brochure about beaver management. I’m thinking of something that we can distribute at events to address the conflicts and outline solutions and also emphasize the good things beavers do. This will need tweaking I’m sure, but what do you think so far? There must be some way to virtually show this as a trifold brochure, but I haven’t found it yet. Try to imagine CONFLICTS as the front cover, techniques on the inside and WHY on the back. I’m trying to sell to the nonbelievers.

Across state lines…

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver Rehabilitation, Beaver-themed merchandise, City Reports, Who's blaming beavers now? August 21, 2015

Slightly better article from Fargo, I’m still wary of these beaver saving efforts.

Activists to again voice opposition to killing beavers in Fargo parks

FARGO — Residents concerned with a plan to kill beavers along the Red River will gather at a Fargo Park Board meeting next week to show support for using non-lethal methods to curb the rodents, which park officials say have been chewing through valuable trees.

Kathleen Keene, a member of a local group of animal advocates, said killing beavers is not a sustainable solution because the dead beavers will be replaced by new ones coming in.

The Park Board in April approved an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cull beavers, citing thousands of dollars worth of damage to trees, particularly in Lemke and Trefoil parks.

The USDA’s John Paulson said culling methods include a lethal body-gripping trap and another trap that grabs the beaver and pulls it underwater so it drowns.

Such methods are cruel, Keene said.

“Just think about if your dog was in a trap like that,” she said. “A beaver’s not much different than any other animal.”

Well, yes. They are cruel. But it’s worse than your dog, Kathleen. Because your dog would drown pretty quickly and it will take a beaver upwards of 15 minutes of suffering to die. Kathleen started the online petition that garnered 58,000 signatures. Remarkable enough that Fargo slowed its grinding wheels of beaver killing.

I’m still a little uneasy with this HS advocate.

Dave Pauli, a senior director for wildlife response at the Humane Society of the U.S., is expected to give a presentation to the Park Board at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at 701 Main Ave. on ways to control beaver populations. Keene said she and like-minded people plan to attend the meeting.

In an interview, Pauli said non-lethal methods are more sustainable than lethal ones.

“The Red River is a challenge because no matter what happens to the beavers, there’s gonna be more beavers,” he said. “It’s a flashing vacancy sign if they just remove beavers constantly.”

Non-lethal methods include protecting trees with fences and special paint, or by regulating noise and water factors. There is also beaver birth control.

To be honest, way back in 2007, we spent a great deal of time on the subcommittee worrying about the issue of birth control. The Humane Society recommended immuno-contraception and that charming harrigan that advised city staff recommended killing the father so that the mother would be forced to wait until her sons grew up to breed. The looming population explosion was much on my mind during those days.

But the truth we found was, population growth was NEVER an issue.

Since beavers leave to seek their own territory at 2 we’ve only had the one family. And in 8 years with 24 beavers born in our creek, our resident population has never exceeded 9. Not to mention that out of 24 live births, we’ve had 12 deaths over the years. That’s 50% mortality not counting mom. Someone tell that to Mr. Pauli before he starts handing out beaver condoms, okay?

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Another escaped beaver, this time in Kentucky. Makes me wonder if he saw the story of little Choppa making a break for it. You know, a copy-cat beaver crime?

Henderson wildlife rehabilitators looking for missing beaver

HENDERSON, KY (WFIE) -Wildlife rehabilitators in Henderson are now offering a reward for information about a missing animal.

Tyler the beaver from Misfit Island Wildlife Rescue Center disappeared.

The couple who runs the rescue say with help from donations, they’re now offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to her return.

Another $250 will be given for her safe return.

Hmm, who do we know in Kentucky? Ian was on summer vacation, but I’m sure he wouldn’t take a beaver with him back to Cal Arts, right?

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Beaver fever: Unique collection may set world record

55d69b45d9a29.image — Bill and Shirley Niese are pictured with a portion of Bill’s beaver-related item collection. More than 700 pieces of the collection will be counted at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Farm and Home Building at the Decatur County Fairgrounds during Greensburg’s annual Power of the Past antique farm machinery show. The Nieses believe the collection is the largest of its kind in the world.

Bill started collecting beavers after his Silver Beaver Award from the boy scouts. They just kept coming. Now they’re couple is off to the Indianna county fairgrounds for an official counting to see it their collection of beaver items can qualify in the Guinness book of World Records.

To which I say good luck and, um, just 700?

With friends like these…

heidi08 Beaver Chewing, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's blaming beavers now? August 20, 2015

Humane Society to offer advice on Fargo beaver problem

FARGO (KFGO-AM) — The Fargo Park District will get some advice from the Humane Society of the United States on handling beavers chewing away at trees at city parks along the Red River.

The park district caused an uproar last spring among animal lovers when it announced plans to hire the USDA to trap and kill the beavers, which have caused thousands of dollars in damage to trees.

The society’s Dave Pauli says he has been working on similar problems for 30 years and may have some options when he comes to Fargo next week.

He says a solution is “always complicated”

Always complicated? The HUMANE society says that wrapping trees is always complicated? How complicated can it be? You cut the wire and wrap it loosely around the tree and close it up with a bread tie or something. Then you walk to the next tree and repeat the whole process.

Or go to home depot, buy a gallon of paint and a few lbs of mason sand. And throw a pizza party for all the boyscouts in Fargo if they spend half the morning painting trees. It’s not rocket science.

Honestly, maybe this is what progress in North Dakota looks like, but shouldn’t the representative from the HUMANE SOCIETY sound a little more hopeful? “You could try neutering your dog, but that’s pretty hard, and then he won’t have balls.”

I think I need to know what Mr. Pauli gets paid, because even in North Dakota they might do better.

I suppose it’s always possible that he was misquoted by some doubting reporter. Maybe he said “It’s never complicated” and they didn’t believe him? Of course the AP picked this story in all the world of beaver news to pick up so I’m seeing it run everywhere including the SF Gate. I guess it’s national news that it’s complicated protecting trees with wire. I’m sure it wasn’t national news when it worked all those times.

Hrmph.

Here’s a story to calm us down after all that excitement. It’s a sweet reflection on a half chewed beaver tree. Enjoy.

Radio Diaries: Beaver Tree

Blame the beaver – (Swedish version)

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Who's blaming beavers now? August 19, 2015

Swedish beaver knocks out power for thousands

A spokesman for Sweden’s state-owned energy provider has revealed the identity of the vandal behind a blackout which saw 15,000 Swedish homes left without power.

The households were without power for around an hour and 15 minutes on Monday evening after a beaver chewed through a tree which fell and took down an electricity wire in the Södertälje area – about 30 kilometres south-west of Stockholm.

“The little rascal. It is really something that should not be able to happen,” Peter Stedt, a spokesperson for Swedish energy giant Vattenfall, told The Local when the source of the problem was revealed on Wednesday.

“Yes, but he felled in the wrong direction, so we’re going to have to have a word with him,” joked Stedt.

Ahh the Swedes. Even their episode of ‘blame the beaver’ is smarter than ours. Very droll, Stedt. Good to know their media isn’t much smarter. It runs through the usual litany of beaver assaults on civilization, and mentions nothing about their importance to wetlands or wildlife. But still, fairly cute article on a ~~gnarly~~ gnawly topic!

Here’s some actual footage of an actual beaver chewing an actual tree in America, taken by our good friend Rusty Cohn in Napatopia recently. The beaver was determined and the photographer was patient.

Apparently I was on KGO this morning, just got the word from a friend. They called yesterday about the unexplained deaths and we did a phone interview. (A kind of strange phone interview when they asked questions and continued talking even while I was answering them?) But hopefully it wasn’t too confusing. Jon just did the morning sweep and no dead beavers today. A happy looking live beaver chewing on his supper at ward street with a green heron standing guard. Something like this.

Oppositeville

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, City Reports, What's killing beavers now?, Who's blaming beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? August 12, 2015

The folk who live in Backward Town

Are inside out and upside down.

Mary Hoberman

I was a little disoriented by this article from Brooks, Alberta – but then I tried to remember that the sun still rises in the east and gravity still works downwards. See if it has the same effect on you.

City in midst of beaver hunt

Officials are on the hunt for beaver in the Centennial City.

The pesky dam-building animals have been spotted throughout Brooks, including in Evergreen Park, Pleasant Park, 12th Street West and Prairie Meadows Close.

Beavers can be a nuisance to humans when developing and maintaining their habitat, may damage trees and excessive flooding.

City officials are quick to note however that beavers are not responsible for the stomach ailment “beaver fever” as this is actually giardiasis caused by the parasite Giardia lamblia. Giardiasis can be transmitted by drinking water that’s been contaminated by an infected person or animal.

If and when beavers are found on property, individual trees and shrubs vulnerable to beaver damage can be protected by wrapping the base with hardware cloth or galvanized metal fencing to a height of at least one metre.

Gardens, flower beds and groups of trees can also be fenced off with hardware cloth or galvanized metal fencing. Ensure the fence stands at least one metre above ground and half a metre below ground.

Wow, do you mean to tell me that just 2200 miles away there is an actual city that provides actual accurate information about beavers and tells residents they don’t cause beaver fever while advising them to wrap trees? I’m trying to wrap my head around this, but it keeps slipping out. Especially when I read that the loud beaver-killing voice comes from a social media wielding woman who apparently lives in town.

Now do you understand my confusion?

Recently resident Kathy Denis Rowland took to Facebook to voice her concern about beavers near Pleasant Park.

“There are two beavers in the creek on Pleasant Park Road. They are making a den somewhere in the creeks and have chewed on trees,” she said adding they are seen every night in Evergreen. Evergreen Park is also being destroyed by them.”

City officials note that Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials have been contacted and that city staff are in the midst of wiring area trees to prevent beavers from chewing on them.

“It is an ongoing issue we are trying to remedy,” said Surgenor.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all! Something like this comes along and thoroughly shakes your snow globe, as it were. I of course reached out to Kathy on FB, let’s see if we become besties real soon…

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In the meantime we have a VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY to celebrate, for the hardworking man who makes so many beaver things possible. Jon bravely puts up with my schemes, checks on the beavers every day and nobly has managed to maintain his english accent after 30 years in this country. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the champion that makes this possible!