Category: Who’s saving beavers now?

BEAVERS IN NATIONAL FOREST PLANS

There are a few different ways to try to save beavers. Dam by dam at the local level, which we have in Martinez. County by county like we have by reviewing the depredation permits and shaming the offenders.. State by state like we did the summit.

Or larger scale still, like trying to keep beavers in National Forests all across the country.

A Guide to Advocating for Beaver Restoration in National Forest Plans

A Guide to Advocating for Beaver Restoration in National Forest Plans offers guidance for public engagement in the national forest planning process to ensure that newly revised plans include affirmative and proactive language around beavers and beaver habitat restoration.

National forest plans set the overall management direction for a given forest and provide guidance for the design and execution of specific management actions. As the pace, scale, and magnitude of climate change has become increasingly evident, there is an urgent need for these plans to explicitly address the impacts and implications of a rapidly changing climate, and offer solutions to build resilience and ecological integrity.

WOW! Describing this as a ambitious undertaking undercuts it. This is an lofty mic drop of a move by our friends at the National Wildlife Federation. The main report is 21 pages long and the appendix contains specific resources like how to structure comments about including beavers in National forests.It comes out of Montana and credits these authors mainly

Contributors: Sarah Bates (National Wildlife Federation), Taylor Simpson and Taylor Heggen (University of
Montana Alexander Blewitt III College of Law), and Lowell Chandler (University of Montana W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation)

Citing forest service policy and specific language about climate change it is meant to be a useful tool in beaver advocacy. It talks about forest policy and how to best engage the public, Go Download the whole fascinating report by clicking here:

Thanks Montana! Now if you need good beaver news from another state check out this guide from Hermit’s Peak Watershed Alliance in New Mexico. We are building up our tool kit, one beaver at a time.

THIS IS HOW YOU SAVE BEAVERS

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Educational, Urban beavers, Who's saving beavers now? August 16, 2021

Well. just because our Martinez beavers have left the stage, doesn’t mean there isn’t fine urban beaver work afoot. Check out this FANTASTIC story from Fairfield about the Laurel creek beavers, and their champion, Virgina Holsworth.

Scouts clean stretch of Laurel Creek, learn about beaver habitat

*Virginia Holsworth leads Boy Scouts Troop 482 on a tour of beaver habitats along Laurel Creek in Fairfield, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic)*

FAIRFIELD — Dusk had settled onto Laurel Creek when the excitement level rose among the nine members of Scouts BSA Troop 482 who on Wednesday had walked and cleaned up a mile or so of the stream’s banks.

Popping a head out of the dark, breeze-rippled water, not far from its lodge, a beaver could be seen.

Moments earlier, a pair of whiskered river otters were spotted in the creek as well.

The appearance of the two aquatic mammals was the climax to the tour the scouts were guided on by Virginia Holsworth, who has made protecting the beavers and their self-constructed habitat on the creek one of her life’s missions.

Her Facebook page has more than 200 followers, and she maintains a website to provide information about Laurel Creek and other waterways in which beavers make their homes in the Fairfield area.

“It’s amazing. I really like beavers and otters,” said Taran Flowers, 11, the newest member of the troop, which is trying to rebuild after the Covid-19 pandemic prevented them from meeting in person and participating in their usual group activities.

Flowers sketched many of the dam sites along the creek. Art is just one of his many interests. Ultimately, he would like to be a baker.

I love every single thing about this story. Every photo, every adjective. As a woman who spent a decade wishing our story would replicate itself like an unfurling strand of bDNA this makes me as happy as I can remember being vicariously.

Virginia Holsworth, far left, leads Boy Scouts Troop 482 on a tour of beaver habitats along Laurel Creek in Fairfield, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic)

“My mom was looking through stuff on the internet and she thought it might be a good thing to do,” the younger deRosier said.

He said he enjoys the outdoor activities that have been lost to scouting during the pandemic, and particularly camping, his favorite activity.

“And we are absolutely worried about the beavers,” he said.

While Holsworth spent most of the tour teaching about the beavers and the creek environment, she also told the troop members about how the city comes in each year and tears down the largest of the dams.

The city contends that the dams contribute to flooding issues, and materials from the structures, when they break up, have contributed to millions of dollars in damages to city infrastructure.

Holsworth said the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed her campaign for the city to use other alternatives than simply tearing down the dams, but she said she has stayed in touch with city officials, and specifically Councilman Chuck Timm.

Go Virginia GO. Tell those children AND THAT REPORTER all about how the city cuts down the dam year. And one of the kids was sketching the dams? Jesus get that drawing, scan it, send it to the mayor and make sure it airs on the evening news. This is all falling into place. Well done!

Trevor deRosier, left, and Logan Brooks, center, of Boy Scouts Troop 482 check a map for locations of beaver dams along Laurel Creek in Fairfield, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (Aaron Rosenblatt/Daily Republic)

“I’ll just say I haven’t received a response in my favor; I’ll just say that,” Holsworth said.

But that has not stopped her from trying to keep the public educated, including conducting tours to anyone who wants to come out and learn about the beavers.

“We did a creek cleanup; that was in June. And I have adopted the area of Laurel Creek where they (razed) the dam,” she said.

The creek adoption actually took place through the city’s road adoption program, and includes a signed two-year commitment to keep the creek clean and to “represent the creek well.”

Prior to the tour beginning, Holsworth had “salted” the area with four stuffed beaver toys for the scouts to find, which they did with little difficulty, once they realized what they were looking for among the natural sites.

So so smart. So so smart. Sniff, they grow up so young.

Holsworth has gone so far as to name each of the dams along that stretch of creek, such as the skunk dam due to the unexpected visitor arriving while they were there. In some cases, a cluster of dams fall under a single moniker, such as the Dickson Hill Complex – named for the nearby street.

“They build so many dams close together to slow the water down,” Holsworth said.

But she also told them that she knew very little about beavers and their environment until she took up the cause to try to preserve their habitat on Laurel Creek.

Some dams, as she pointed out, are made of tree material and mud, but in areas where trees are not abundant, they are built with cattails and fennels. She was able to show the scouts where the beavers had gnawed on trees, and an area referred to as an “otter latrine,” on one of the banks.

She also told the scouts that some beavers live in burrows built into the creek banks, while others live in open water lodges. The news that the city tears down the dams each fall did not sit all that well with the scouts.

Siddharth Kishan, 12, also described the tour as “amazing.”

Ohhhh you clever girl. Nicely done Ms. Virginia. Get them to care and them tell them why the dams are in danger. Now it’s up to the troop leader to hand them some paper and ask them to write the mayor.

As others walking along the creek came across the scouts, several noted they, too, had been in scouts in their younger days, recalling their exciting adventures.

“This is really fun,” said Logan Brooks, 13. “You can really see all of nature.”

Yes it is. And yes you do. Now go track down Taran Flowers and send him this. picture of the famous Jack laws sketching at the Martinez beaver dam. for Bay Nature in 2010.

ILLINOIS MARCHES FOR BEAVERS

heidi08 Who's saving beavers now? July 27, 2021

Mystery surrounds the deaths of 3 beavers on Northwestern University campus

When the beavers were found dead recently, their bodies were too decomposed for veterinarians to test for a cause of death, Northwestern University spokesman Jon Yates said in an emailed statement.
It’s unclear if there were any surviving beavers. They reportedly began living on campus in 2018. “We plan to work with the county in the future should this unfortunate situation occur again,” Yates said.

The beavers had likely migrated from the Chicago River and settled around the Lakefill on campus, according to Frisbie. She said beavers are making a comeback in the Chicago area.

“There’s some real enthusiasm about beavers. Beavers can have real impact on their environments, particularly in rivers,” she said.

Beavers can help shore up water levels in drought-prone areas out west. And wetlands created by beavers can help fight wildfires. In the Midwest, beavers can be most helpful by creating wetlands to combat flooding.

“They’re extraordinary. And there’s good reason to leave beavers alone,” she said.

But despite their importance in the ecosystem, beavers are considered a nuisance by some because they chew on trees and dam up running water, Frisbie said.

In nearby Glenview, one of the community’s beavers was recently found dead – and some feared it was been killed.

“There was speculation they were poisoned,” Rachel Siegel, a founder of Glenview Beavers Fan Club and the president of the Illinois Beaver Alliance.

The beavers had made enemies with a nearby homeowner association after chewing on the local vegetation, Siegel said. Someone had even made a group on social media calling for the killing of the beavers, she said.

“They are controversial and the homeowner association wished they would go away. But if they had just wrapped their trees, the beavers would be harmless,” Siegel said.

Beavers are an “urban success story” and a key to combating the effects of climate change, Siegel said.

“Pre-settlement, North America was teeming with beavers – with ten times what he have today. Because of that, rivers were different then, a complex river wetland corridor. But we’ve lost 80% or 90% of our wetlands since then,” she said. And then hunters nearly trapped beavers out of existence, followed by farmers who pumped away water from the wetlands, she said.

“And here we are in Illinois, we want everything to be predictable so we don’t tolerate the ecosystem engineers [i.e. beavers]. But with climate change we’re getting more rainwater in shorter and more intense bursts. And our water infrastructure isn’t made for it,” she said.

Although beaver dams create a level of uncertainty in our water infrastructure, they slow the flow of water and lessen the risk of flooding, she said.

“Our river system is designed to remove water from the area as fast as possible, but a slower system (created with the help of beavers) with many channels and wetlands would be healthier,” she said.

Providing spaces for beavers to thrive would go a long way toward restoring that ecosystem, Siegel said. “If humans learned to live with beavers, we’d solve our problems.”

Go Rachel. Illinois is changing because of you.

I’d write lots more but I’m listening to testimony. And you should be too.

BEAVER MURAL FOR SLO

heidi08 BDA's, Beaver Art, Who's saving beavers now? July 19, 2021

There’s a new beaver mural in San Luis Obisbo thanks to the hardworking beaver brigade and inspiring artist Victoria Carranza. Victoria uses community engagement to bring murals to life. She is especially interested in highlighting local nature, so you know this beaver wetland was a natural choice. Members of the brigade and their children and families came and did the painting, prepping the surface priming and working at night when it got too hot.

I’m not sure the beaver is CENTRAL enough for my tastes but it’s a beautiful tribute nonetheless. Audrey Taub has done a fantastic job of engaging her community and really getting beavers the attention they deserve. Cooper Lienhart explains things very welll in this is a nice film made by an appreciative pilgrim to the site. He does a good job profiling the word the Beaver Brigade is d[wonderplugin_video iframe=”https://vimeo.com/575017115″ lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]oing and why it matters.

BEAVERS IN THE BBC

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers and climate change, Who's saving beavers now? July 14, 2021

Beavers Used To Restore Wildlife Habitat In Lincoln

Who would believe over the last ten years Lincoln has been issued the single most depredation permits for beavers? Well this story couldn’t happen to a nicer town. Great work Damion Ciotti who talked them into it and all the people who are taking credit for the idea they resisted on camera.

Another great news story from Lucy Sherriff in the BBC today. You’ll remember she’s the one that wrote the fantastic piece recently in the Smithsonian and that great one in the Sierra Club. I knew she was working on something about beavers and deserts and connected her with Carol Evans of Nevada, but this is wayy better than I expected.

One small, plucky animal has an outsized ability to transform its environment, helping to replenish river ecosystems even in the desert.

Getting these beaver populations to thrive in Utah’s desert landscape has been a challenging task for Emma Doden, a masters student in translocated beaver ecology at Utah State University. Doden and several other researchers set out to reintroduce beavers to the drought and fire-stricken land. Water shortages are severe here, and much of the river ecosystem is degraded. Doden’s primary goal is to restore the quantity and quality of water in eastern Utah, whose waterways sustain an array of wildlife, riverbank vegetation and endangered fish species.

“In desert environments, water can be very limiting, but it serves as the lifeline to so many species that live out there, including livestock,” she says.

Ahh Emma Doden is getting plenty of mileage out of her beaver thesis. Let’s hope it leaves a mark.

The animals are best known for their skill at building dams in rivers, which create wetlands and standing ponds. These changes in the watershed contribute to a number of improvements in the environment, including better stream quality, leading to healthier fish populations; carbon capture via the shallow ponds which hold back silt and sequester the gas; increasing resistance against wildfires; and providing a habitat for other animals. All this contributes to their status as a “keystone” species, essentially defined as an animal that multiple other species rely on within an ecosystem.

As the world heats up and extreme weather becomes more frequent, scientists have been rushing to reintegrate beavers into struggling ecosystems and dry landscapes.

Emma’s finishing her master’s and handing the work to another beaver disciple. Good Lets keep the good news coming. All the way to California. Cue Emily Fairfax,

If beavers can be persuaded to stay put, their impacts can be wide-reaching. Just one beaver dam can improve water quality, as well as acting as a firebreaker for the surrounding land.

North America is facing an intense battle against wildfires, which raged across the American West in 2020 – including in Utah – burning 8.8 million acres (3.6 million hectares) of land, and could be even worse this year.

Beavers, some scientists believe, could provide the key to reviving watersheds and mitigating wildfire risks. In a paper published last year, Emily Fairfax found that areas where beaver dams were present were better at surviving wildfires than regions without beavers.

“I thought that beaver dams would work sometimes,” Fairfax says of the creatures’ impact on wildfire-ravaged regions. “But in every one of the sites I studied, if there was a dam, the land was protected from fire.”

Nice. Can someone please shout this from the mountain top? Now let’s hear it for Castor Fiber too.

“We do have farmers – and fishermen – who are very keen to see beavers coming back, who recognise they are great for fish and the livestock and irrigation,” Brazier says. “But there is a group who doesn’t want to see beavers back in the landscape, and one of the key things has been knowing where farmers are coming from, knowing what their concerns are, and engaging with them. It’s an ongoing process and we’re working with them to manage any negative impacts.

“It’s about learning to live with these animals again in a renewed co-existence.”

Beavers might well incur costs to landowners, but Brazier believes they can be addressed by providing adequate compensation for any flooded fields higher in the watershed. He believes it’s a small cost in comparison to that of other flooding prevention, or the value of the other benefits that beavers bring such as water quality improvement, carbon storage and enhanced biodiversity.

That’s the way with spreading the beaver gospel. First your the only one. Then there are two lone voices in the wilderness. And suddenly you can barely pick up a copy of Teen Monthly without reading another great story about how much they matter. Good.

With beaver releases happening in South Downs, Wales, Cornwall and Cheshire, across the pond in Utah, Idaho and on Indian Reservations in California, Washington and Oregon, and even more on the horizon, many more of us could soon be feeling the effects of beavers flourishing in the wild.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd scene. Who will be writing about the good things beavers do tomorrow? I can’t wait to read all about it.