Beavers or Social Ambasadors – Page 34

Beaver Detectives to the Rescue

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors July 27, 2008

The market today was a flurry of beaver friends and questions. Several important contacts were made or renewed, one of which was our two designers of the successful t shirt offered art in the park last year.

Remember? Well they raised 200 dollars from the sale of these shirts and donated the profits to Worth A Dam. They gave me the check the night of the April meeting. I thought I sent them a donation letter for their records, but they never received it. I was full of apologies and asked them to write it down again today, which they did on a very important card that I saved. Except I lost it.

Allow me to explain:

After they left we were visited by a member of the Martinez Arts Association and talked about Worth A Dam coming to the Art in the Park. She was a great fan of the beavers and felt they would find a space for us. She asked about the tshirt and wondered if it was still available. She wanted my contact information and I gave her the very important postcard to write hers on. Then a stroller of three lovely triplets appeared in front of the Farmer’s Market and she wandered off in search of a camera.

Sadly the addresses did not return.

I’m asking for the help of our readers to find or alert these two very remarkable beaver supporters and get them to contact me at mtzbeavers@gmail.com so I can make sure the IRS gives them credit for their generous donation.

Your help, as always, is appreciated.

First Annual Beaver Festival

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Educational August 24, 2008

Worth A Dam wishes to announce its First Annual Beaver Festival offered in conjuction with the Willows Theatre production of Sacajawea. The event is scheduled for August 2, 3:30-6:30, between the matinee and evening showtime hours, and will be held at the down town park next to the secondary dam. This square, at the corner of Marina Vista and Alhambra Ave, has no name (yet) but is the patch of land where Steve Weir got married. It could easily become known as “Beaver Corner” and I certainly think the area will soon make a name for itself.

The event will have ecological and wildlife displays and information, children’s art activities (including a design your own tail booth) and live music. We are also hoping to offer a “video letter to the mayor” opportunity to record your thoughts. Sacajawea tickets will be on sale there and questions about the production can be answered. There will be beaver docents on hand to answer questions and offer tours, and an hourly raffle. We expect the event to be, by all accounts, a dam good time.

What connection might there possibly be between Sacajawea and beavers, you ask? Well that’s an interesting story. One answer has to do with a very important landmark she recognized on the journey with Lewis and Clark. One of the many times her knowledge saved their necks. Click here to find out what it was. Come to the festival to learn more about the connection, more about our beavers, more about their habitat, and more about your neighbors!

Foot Traffic on the Fourth

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, kits, pictures July 7, 2008

Last night it seemed all of Martinez (and much of Concord, Antioch and beyond) came downtown for the fireworks. According to time-honored tradition they parked above Main street and walked in ice-chest-bearing droves down Castro across the footbridge to the Marina. Worth A Dam was there, with a little display and docents at each bridge to point out beaver activity and keep an eye on safety. There were lots of first timers to the dam and much to explain. Also old beaver friends happy to come back and follow up on the story.

The evening started quietly. I even photographed a green heron walking the pipe at the primary dam. A single kit made an appearance at the Escobar bridge before seven o’clock, and clusters of people were excited to mark his arrival. The famed family of the seven-sweetest-and-best-behaved-children-ever we met at the farmer’s market were there in their jammies, as were some first timers excited by the viewing. A little later mom started mudwork on the primary dam, and three kits scrambled about “helping”. One admirer caught a lovely photo of the moment, and hopefully that will make its way to the web page soon.

Closer to eight the traffic increased, and there were literally hundreds moving across the footbridge. Jon was there pointing out beaver behavior to a fascinated crowd that squeezed onto the bridge to have a better look. There had never been a larger group of first-timers, or a more generous beaver display. Babies on the bank, mom’s back, mom on the bank. It was well worth the look. Lots of “Oh I never knew they were so big!”,”Oh they’re so cute” and “Oh I heard they had been moved.” I would say our beavers visibility increased nicely last night.

By nine though, the beavers had hunkered down and out of sight. The vibrations, horns and explosions had driven them underground. One straggler kit was still swimming under the Marina Vista Bridge when the fireworks started, and I made sure to watch him head back up over the primary dam to safety. It’s a little harrowing to have that many patriotically intoxicated humans at close quarters with our beavers, especially when you throw fire danger into the mix. There were many comments that with the 1200 fires already burning in the state this early in the year, the County should have banned fireworks altogether. A Eucalyptus tree caught fire on the east hills of town, and the brush beneath it burning was visible from the street.

I personally think we need a more grandly structural solution, suggestible only by an enormously popular president. Celebrate fourth of July in the winter. You could switch festivities with some existing holiday so no one loses the day off, maybe Thanksgiving, (which is also kinda patriotic anyway). Then the fire danger would be very low and you could have all the fireworks you wanted. Businesses could still make money selling firecrackers and cherry bombs, and American families could still get together in midsummer and eat and drink themselves silly. The English celebrate Guy Fawkes day early in November with bonfires and explosions (Penny for the guy!). Fawkes was notoriously remembered for his attempted treason when barrels of gunpowder were discovered under parliament. His traitorous act is remembered for its failure and punishment, while (if you think about it in the abstract) ours is remembered for its success.

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot…

Okay, its just a thought. Anyway Worth A Dam did good work last night, teaching visitors about beavers. And turtles. And otters. And muskrats. And herons. And….well you get the idea.

Beaver Fan Lory Bruno sends the following photos from last night’s patriotic floor show:

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Beaver Bountiful

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Educational, Friends of Martinez Beavers July 3, 2008

Last night’s trip to the dam was worthy of a David Attenborough documentary. There were three kits in prominent display, swimming, feeding, climbing, exploring. An older sibling whom everyone wanted to ride, and Mom hard at work on the dam with a tiny kit following her every mud-lifting move. His dialogue bubble could only have said “Whacha doin’?” as he followed her to the bank, down to get mud, and back to the secondary dam over and over again.

There were two unbelieveable moments. The first when our kit three caballeros climbed onto the bank and headed through the grasses towards the burned area next to the footbridge. Apparently there was a willow stump there that needed trimming. They stood on their back legs and reached up to strip the shoots. It was a lovely thing to see (and hear) at such close range.

The second breath-stealer came when mom and the kit who had followed her onto the dam climbed out to the same area, side by side. Their huge size difference had never been more visible. You could see her tail quite clearly and be sure it was mom, although there was absolutely no question when she headed straight for the fennel. The little one wasn’t sure how it all worked and still kept trying to climb on mom’s tail. Despite his interference, Mom got her fennel favorite, and a huge chunk of willow and carried them back to the water with little one scrambling behind.

Then she headed straight upstream, drawing the attention of all the kits who tried to follow and beg a ride or a bite. There was a 2nd of July beaver parade as she headed straight over the primary dam, with her trailing bounty, some greedy kits, and back into the lodge. (There are those of us who have theories about why she would head back into the lodge with food instead of just eating it herself, but we will keep them to ourselves for now.)

Visitors last night gathered around to watch, especially on their way to MuirFest 2008. (Last performance tonight! Don’t miss it!) The beaver ballet made for a nice opening act. One family of visitors were from Germany, staying with relatives, and had asked to see the “Bibers”. They had an opportunity for some fantastic pictures, and hopefully they’ll show up on the website soon. The European Beaver had to be reintroduced in Germany, but there are still only a handful. One of our strongest supporters reads the web page from Germany, and he made a pilgramage to America to meet Hope Ryden (author of the famous Lily Pond) and work a summer relocating beavers with Sherri Tippie. Through him we found out about the 2005 European Beaver Conference and this list of Beaver experts from around the world: its a fairly impressive who’s who.

All in an evening. The beaver chamber of commerce and conservation worked its magic and we got to watch. What could be better than that?

ADA Beavers

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Creative Solutions July 2, 2008

“individuals with disabilities continually encounter various forms of discrimination, including outright intentional exclusion, the discriminatory effects of architectural, transportation, and communication barriers, overprotective rules and policies, failure to make modifications to existing facilities and practices, exclusionary qualification standards and criteria, segregation, and relegation to lesser services, programs, activities, benefits, jobs, or other opportunities”

Americans with Disabilities Act 1990

Signed into law by the first president Bush, the ADA prohibited discrimination of persons with disabilities by employers, public service and telecommunications. I’ve often thought that our beavers (with their friendly triple bridge access) may be the only ADA beavers in the state.

Whether a visitor comes with a wheelchair, walker or cane, our beavers can be easily seen and enjoyed. This fact has already caught the attention of many who would otherwise miss the chance to see such wildlife at close range. It could easily be a central attraction and compelling reason for visiting. Several groups routinely review accessible sites for disabled outdoor enthusiasts. Ignoring the unique access opportunities of these beavers is foolish in the extreme.

Even without a disability, the opportunity to observe beavers at close range is rare. How many miles might we have to hike or canoe to get close enough to actually hear a kit mewing to its parent? I can honestly say that hearing that sound last year was like a summons to protect these beavers. I knew in my heart at the time that if they were taken away I would never hear it again. The sound is like the plaintive whine of a child, and indeed there are lots of references in older writing of pioneers being confused into searching for the lost orphan. I am still waiting to hear it from our 2008 kits, but in case you want to know what to listen for, National Geographic caught a little on audio.

Accessibility is key to equality and community. The fact that we had in our midst a blind beaver kit who had fully adapted to his habitat should not go unmentioned. That little fellow knew his environment and feeding options as well as his brothers, and not until his final hours did any one of the dozens of people who saw him every day notice anything different about him. Let our beavers be an “Equal Opportunity Attraction”, teaching everyone about stewardship and habitat.