Sure Christmas comes with it’s share of good cheer and all, but nothing comes even CLOSE to this story which features the finest human profile I believe we will ever see.
I love this man with a fiery passion. I’m sure you’ll understand why. You might love him too. But step aside, because I saw him first,
Whatever else you do in the final days before 2023, WATCH THIS VIDEO!
In a near perfect marriage of headaches, Bolduc’s neighbour had an uninvited colony of beavers that he considered a nuisance and Bolduc welcomed the rodents to his side of the property line with open arms.
The beavers soon constructed a lodge that not only ensured the well never ran dry, but created a large pond in Bolduc’s backyard.
“It increased the water table by six to eight feet, solved my problem with the well, no more upset wife which is fantastic,” Bolduc told CTV News. “At the end, it was a wonderful place for the kids and I to come skating.”
It’s not just the neighbours that enjoy the new pond, so does the wildlife. Moose and bears have been spotted in the water, occasionally at the same time.
Don’t you LOVE this man? Shouldn’t he be emperor and president and King of North America forever? Or at least in charge of all the wetlands and water for the foreseeable future?
There are few things that make me want to drop everything and move to Canada. Pierre Bolduc is one of them.
Here’s hoping everyone had good cheer and there aren’t to many things to clean up day. I got really excited when I saw this headline this morning, I love a good “suing USDA story”. But looks can be deceiving. Remember that.
A paper company in northern Minnesota is suing the federal government over a botched beaver dam removal that flooded two streets and a campground, leaving a lake clogged with debris.
Blandin Paper Co., which owns 180,000 acres of forest in seven counties, which in 2019 contracted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to manage beaver dams on its Itasca County land near Lake Pokegama.
But two USDA employees blew up a dam on the company’s property without first digging another beaver dam downstream on the same creek, an action that caused a water cascade that eventually brought the paper company under control of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for complaint .
Sigh. I do love a story about USDA being sued, but not this one. They aren’t suing USDA for blowing up beaver dams. They’re suing them for not blowing up ENOUGH beaver dams. Because you gotta blow them all up at the right time.
Grrrr.
Blandin also claims that it appealed directly to the USDA to recover costs of repairing damage caused by the flood, but was denied. The company’s lawsuit was filed in federal court on Dec. 14. Blandin declined to comment through a lawyer.
According to the agency’s website, she provides technical and direct assistance to farmers and foresters dealing with beavers, noting that an analysis of her work found that “for every dollar spent dealing with beaver damage, $20.93 dollars were saved”.
But in the case of Blandin’s dam removal, the company said in its complaint that the total cost of repairing the damage and paying inspection fees to the DNR was $817,902.30.
After the two USDA contractors blew up the first dam, a second one downstream was overwhelmed, causing “a tremendous torrent of water and sediment,” according to the lawsuit. Water poured downstream onto the creek bed, uprooting trees and boulders, clogging the culvert under Sugar Hills Road and then washing over that road and Sherry’s Arm Road beyond. The water inundated private property and parts of Fishing Springs Campground, eventually depositing dirt, rocks and debris on 19,000 square feet of Pokegama Lake.
The DNR later ordered Blandin to repair the damage to the unnamed creek and lake, which are public waters. A document provided by the DNR showed 14 sites where Blandin was responsible for stabilizing riverbanks, fortifying flood plains and repairing the waterway’s original flow. The company eventually removed around 1,100 cubic meters of soil from the lake.
Gee I wonder how important having enough water is to a paper company? You would think that they would want to save as much of it as possible, wouldn’t you? But I guess they didn’t think about the water-savers before them hired hitmen to kill their families. Why should they?
Under an agreement between Blandin and USDA, the federal agency was responsible for obtaining permits for the dam removal work. But the DNR later told the company that no one had obtained the necessary permit to alter public waters.
Blandin commissioned the USDA to reduce beaver damage by removing the animals from their land by either trapping or shooting, and removing their dams with either explosives or hand rakes. But Blandin claims the two USDA employees were negligent in not investigating how the first blast they set off would affect the rest of the site.
However, the company has completed its restoration work. According to the lawsuit, in October 2021, the DNR determined that the repairs were adequate.
We hired you to shoot the beavers not flood the road! Sure we could have kept the beavers and the water and their dams and all that wildlife and nitrogen removal, but we’re our name is “Blandni”
Yesterday we got some nice new acclaim for Leila’s book and a follow up story about the beaver pond-snow mobile controversy in New Hampshire. I was charmed by both, but couldn’t help feeling that the Martinez beaver story would have been a prime candidate for sharing on the popular Science Friday hour.
Not to toot our own horn too much but Ira would have LOVED us!
The American beaver, Castor canadensis, nearly didn’t survive European colonialism in the United States. Prized for its dense, lustrous fur, and also sought after for the oil from its tail glands, the species was killed by the tens of thousands, year after year, until conservation efforts in the late 19th century turned the tide.
In her new book, Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America, author Leila Philipp tells that tale—and the ecological cost of this near-extermination. But she also has good news: beavers, and their skillful engineering of waterways, have the potential to ease the fire, drought and floods of a changing climate. She talks to Ira about the powerful footprint of the humble beaver.
Nice job! Of course I would add that the problem with ripping out a beaver dam isn’t just that it’s wrong for beavers, it’s also a waste of time. Either those beavers will fix it and you will have wasted manpower. Or new beavers will move into your ‘vacancy’ sign and you’ll have to do it all over again.
What I want to know is why wasn’t Martinez on science friday??? I’m pretty sure you remember this great story. It’s a hallmark Christmas movie just waiting to happen. I would definitely watch it ever year if you just tweaked the ending a bit.
People pitched their ideas for restoring the pond and keeping the bridge safe. Mark Dube even came up with his own, inspired by his time working on railroads in Northern Maine that had issues with beavers plugging nearby culverts.
By the end of the meeting, Dube was exchanging contact information with the rest of the committee to coordinate a proposal.
Some residents are determined to restore the pond. But to install a new dam or make other changes, they’ll need to get a permit from the state, and that could be a long shot. Their best bet might be to wait, and hope another family of beavers moves back in.
We would have been amazing on Science Friday. Although I guess I’m glad our stodgy council didn’t receive any more fame than they did from the whole struggle. You should never get to look like heroes in repeated news stories just for wanting to kill beavers.
Which reminds me it’s a great time to remember this old favorite, so you have something to carol to or sing around the piano tonight. A Merry time indeed!
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me Three watching women< Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me Seven on committee Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Eight eager muskrats Seven on committee Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Nine children laughing Eight eager muskrats Seven on committee Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Ten news reporters Nine children laughing Eight eager muskrats Seven on committee Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me Eleven cameras snapping Ten news reporters Nine children laughing Eight eager muskrats Seven on committee Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Twelve hatching turtles Eleven cameras snapping Ten news reporters Nine children laughing Eight eager muskrats Seven on committee Six baby ducklings Five City Council! Four furry kits Three watching women Two adult beavers and A Dam in Alham-b-ra Creek
If you traveled north of Montana and kept on snow plowing until you passed Calgary you’d come to the city of Airdrie, And you have dropped into a most unusual presentation to the city council there. Meet champion Barbara Kowalzik who I suspect is going to be our very good friend soon.
With the City of Airdrie putting a pause on trapping and killing beavers of the Waterstone community, an Airdrie resident presented to council asking that the City adopt a policy to co-exist with beaver populations on November 7.
Summerhill resident Barbara Kowalzik, who has lived there for 13 years, made a presentation to council offering some information to consider as the City explores alternative to trapping and killing destructive beaver populations in the community.
While she presented as a concerned resident, Kowalzik holds a bachelor degree of sciences, and has over a decade of experience in wildlife conflict management.
Kowalzik said that the continued destruction of public and private properties has shown that Airdrie’s current management methods have been ineffective.
“The beaver lodge in my community has existed long before I moved here, and over the last 10 years I’ve seen these beavers relocated unsuccessfully and managed a number of times. I feel that I can say with confidence that we have an opportunity here to make a change because what we are doing is not working,” said Kowalzik.
Ohhh hoo hoooo. I am liking Barbara! What a celestial entrance! I wish I had known enough once upon a time to be able to march in and present to the city council that they should do it better.
“Many trees in my community have been wired, but unfortunately most are wired insufficiently or the cages aren’t properly secured which allows beavers access,” she said.
“I think the fact that beavers have taken a number of large poplars over the last few months speaks to the fact that there’s room for improvement.”
She added that she believed aggressive behaviours demonstrated by beavers were an overstated concern.
“Although beavers are social animals, they’re not aggressive and attacks and bites are exceptionally rare. I can say this from first-hand experience working with wild beaver populations,” said Kowalzik.
“I’ve heard the beavers in my community be referred to as aggressive a number of times, and implying this aggression as justification for trapping,” she said.
Beavers aren’t aggressive buddy. But watch out because I AM! Just putting chicken wire on a tree isn’t the same thing as protecting it. We know that.
Konrad Gesner Woodcutting: 1558
“I would suggest that defensive behaviours, such as posturing and vocalizing, has been mislabelled as aggression, which can be very misleading as it relates to public safety.”
She suggested preventative measures as a solution. Those included a proposal to paint tree bases in sand mixures, and a practice called ‘diversionary planting,’ which equates to placing specific plants near beaver colonies to attract them so they don’t turn to other publicly or privately-owned trees and shrubs.
Another proposal was to explore pond levellers to manage water levels and mitigate beaver activity in certain areas.
Kowalzik’s presentation cited a study conducted by Stella Thompson published in the January 2021 edition of the Mammal Review, which estimated that environmental services provided by beavers can amount to $179,000 USD per square mile annually.
The big guns. Cities waste money by trapping beavers. Everything else falls on deaf ears. Keep going Barbara,
She said that could be taken into consideration when looking at the 2018 Nose Creek Watershed Water Management Plan, which highlighted the unhealthy ecosystem of the watershed.
“It’s polluted with phosphorus, nitrogen, and fecal coliform. Not only do beavers on the landscape help increase water quality, but they also help enhance biodiversity,” she said.
“It has a ripple effect, and I think the riparian habitat in Waterstone is a great example of this. There’s mink, muskrat, neotropical songbirds, numerous invertebrates, and numerous species of wild plants.”
She said the challenges presented could potentially be leveraged into new opportunities for innovation.
“Mutiple beavers in my community have been trapped and killed over the last month, but beavers still remain in the lodge and trees still remain accessible,” said Kowalzik.
Ohh hoo hoo Barbara. You got ’em on the ropes now! Don’t let up. Keep wielding that sword until they say uncle.
“I think we have the opportunity to spin this from a situation of public scrutiny to one where our municipality can be a leader in terms of living with urban wildlife,” she said. She suggested partnering with local and national organizations such as Cows and Fish and the Beaver Institute to explore more conservation-friendly management options for Airdrie beaver populations.
“I’m hoping we can leverage some of the resources available to us in order to make some well-informed decisions moving forward.”
Councillor Ron Chapman said he was somewhat divided on the issue because of the costs and liabilities they were presenting within the City.
“In the wild they are great, but the City of Airdrie is not a wild environment for them. In a municipal setting, I don’t see it different than having a mouse in your kitchen,” said Chapman.
Hmm does the mouse save money on your water bill and fight fires? Asking for a friend.
“If you have a mouse in your kitchen, you have to get rid of it because it’s doing damage. It’s going to continue to do damage while it’s there,” he said.
“I’m not convinced that we’re going to be able to… co-exist with them.”
The City of Airdrie is looking to do some additional research with the insight of other wildlife experts on how to best approach the beaver problem.
Councillor Candice Koleson said she looks forward to seeing what comes from those discussions, but added that she recognized that there’s a very apparent problem for the municipality.
“They are incredibly destructive. Big trees have been taken down overnight, and it’s very difficult for us to be able to justify that destruction,” she said.
The week prior to the meeting saw beavers take down a tree along Main Street, which has only raised safety and liability concerns around the critters remaining in an urban environment.
Well yes it’s easier to Kill a problem than to solve it. I agree. But is it better for the community? Is it better for the green spaces in your community? Better for your water quality? Better for the mental health of your residents? I’m going to guess the answer to that is “NO”.
Barbara we need to talk.
12th Martinez Beaver Festival 2019. Photo by Cheryl Reynolds 6/29/19.
Many moons ago when I was in graduate school I arranged my classes on monday and tuesday and my internship for Thursday and Friday so I had wednesdays off for writing papers. Once a month Jon’s rotating Powerplant shift matched mine and we were both off on wednesday. So this wonder became known as “Special Wednesdays” when we would go hiking to Point Reyes or Canoe up Russian River or drive up the coast to picnic on the beach or hike through douglas Iris.
Special Wednedays were magical and necessary.
Well today might be a pretty special wednsday because it’s your last chance to sign up for this.
On May 11 at 7pm ET, join Cary Institute for a virtual exploration of beaver ecology and management in Hudson Valley, NY
Join us on May 11 at 7pm ET for a virtual exploration of beaver ecology and management in the Hudson Valley. Presented by Mike Fargione, Cary wildlife biologist and Manager of Field Research & Outdoor Programs, and Dan Aitchison, Senior Curator of Wildlife for the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation.
Topics to be covered include:
Beaver as ecosystem engineers and keystone species
101 on how beaver alter watersheds
A historical perspective on beaver in New York State
Beaver recolonization of Cary Institute: A case study
How to coexist with beaver and mitigate conflicts
Does that sound pretty fantastic? You bet it does! Just the kind of story a girl from Martinez likes to hear from New York. So you can bet I’ll be tuning in. I hesitated when the link said ‘buy tickets’ but I finally clicked through and realized it was a free event. So Sign up and have a cocktail while you listen to the fantastic news of our New York cousins.
Dan Aitchison has worked in the wildlife field since 2009, as the Senior Curator of Wildlife for the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. His work has focused on the study of target wildlife species and monitoring their impacts, creating and implementing adaptive management programs and strategies to mitigate human/wildlife conflicts, public education, developing working relationships with local research organizations, and acting as a liaison between the county, state and federal wildlife agencies.
Mike Fargione manages Cary Institute’s natural areas and coordinates property access and outdoor public programs. Research interests include: local predator-prey relationships, interactions between human actions and wildlife populations, and finding ways to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. Among his active projects are managing deer impacts on forests using habitat management and controlled hunting, using trail cameras to understand wildlife distribution and abundance, and investigating the ecological role of man-made nest boxes as wildlife resources.
Click here to read more and register for the event.
