Well finally thanks to Ann Cameron Siegal who alerted me to this video I can see what they’re taking about.VDFW often installs beaver ‘baffles’ and I guess they trying to use a term without getting sued by Skip. Interesting this appears to copy Skip’s castor Master design like we had in Martinez AND Mike’s rounded top filter AND use Canada;s term :Baffle which is something totally different that protects culverts,
Stealing from several souces at once makes it less obvious?
Oh and here’s a question for you. What do they call the device installed by the California Department of Fish and Game?
You’re right, Trick question.
They call it NOTHING.
Because that’s what they do to keep beavers on the landscape.
You’d think the king of all the states for beaver management would be puffed out and proud of itself and resting on its laurels, But you’d be wrong. Even in Washington friends are still working hard to do this better, It’s a journey.
Beavers Get a Bad Rap: Why the Large Rodents Are Critical to the Chehalis Watershed
A representative from Ducks Unlimited walk along a waterway running through a Rochester property.
The first breath of fall arrived Friday, and with it J.B. McCrummen’s Rochester property came alive.
Over a dozen raincoat-clad heads, a northern flicker let out a call, flashing its spotted belly against the foggy sky. Banana slugs made their way across the now-fragrant soil, and chunky black beetles descended from the trees.
But less visible to Friday’s hikers was what they considered the land’s keystone species — the one responsible for the ever-changing wetlands, the ponds, the visiting ducks and otters and the lush foliage: the North American beaver.
Of the 10 years McCrummen’s son, Chris, has been visiting his dad’s property — which has undergone over a decade of conservation efforts — he hasn’t seen a single beaver. Neighboring property owner Elvin Borg has, but it certainly took some work to spy on the rodents, who navigate underwater for as long as 15 minutes, aided by transparent eyelids and webbed feet.
“I used to sit and hide, and just wait for them to come out toward the evening,” Borg said.
He recalls moving onto the land about a decade ago and telling his sister about the resident beavers.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she replied, according to Borg.
The remark confused him. But it reflects the common and persistent distaste for the animals nationwide.
Not only is this article going to talk about how GOOD beavers are it’s going to talk intelligently about how badly people understand them; I can NOT wait! Proceed, governor.
J.B. McCrummen, a land owner, talks about a path he created to mitigate damage to the creek below in Rochester.
In 2017, trappers in Washington state alone killed at least 1,700 beavers deemed a nuisance — that’s 20 times more than were relocated alive, according to the Chehalis Lead Entity, which implements salmon recovery projects in the watershed.
But the “ecosystem engineers” are critical. And McCrummen’s property, including the 2-mile Beaver Creek, can be an example of landowners co-existing with beavers, ultimately helping the Chehalis Watershed.
Beavers’ structures create homes for muskrats, mink, otters and small fish and birds. And the wetlands they create are optimal habitats for young salmon.
In the face of climate change and increasing wildfire, those wetlands also act as natural fire breaks, recharging groundwater and raising the water table, ultimately making the land more fire-resistant.
And as major floods are projected to get more frequent and severe, beaver-engineered habitats can slow down water as it moves through the system, reducing erosion and overall impacts to humans.
“We spend tens of millions of dollars getting ecosystems to work, but these guys are like round-the-clock workers,” Lisa McCrummen said. “At the end of the day, beavers create and support wetland and riparian health. So ultimately, you create this ecosystem that’s just much more healthy and allows for a lot more creatures to come and survive.”
Following Lisa McCrummen’s Friday tour were landowners, a watershed coordinator and representatives from Ducks Unlimited and Beavers Northwest. What did the group have in common? If you ask Lisa McCrummen, they’re all “beaver believers” — those who know the power and importance of the species.
I know the power too! Count us as believers!
Elyssa Kerr, with Beavers Northwest, holds up a stick with the bark chewed off near a beaver dam location in Rochester.
Elyssa Kerr, executive director of Beavers Northwest, climbed out near one of them, picking up what she deemed a “very nice beaver stick” — a foot-long branch with teeth marks on either side, the tasty bark thoroughly chewed off.
Kerr has a collection of “beaver sticks,” taking the prizes home or shipping out mailbox-sized finds to beaver enthusiasts.
Much of her job revolves around beaver-human conflict mediation, helping frustrated landowners understand how to co-exist.
“I do sometimes feel like I’m a beaver therapist,” Kerr joked.
For landowners, there are real solutions when beavers are causing legitimate problems. Pond levelers, for example, sometimes called “beaver deceivers,” allow water to flow through dams.
Humans can also protect certain beloved trees from sharp teeth by painting trunks with a combination of sand and paint to deter gnawing. It’s also helpful to plant resprouting trees, like vine maples or willows, which can bounce back after being chewed down.
“God, what would happen if you harnessed the power of beavers? Right?” Lisa McCrummen said. “But you have to have examples for people to test out.”
Ahhh now that’s my kind of article. Apparently beavers of the south bay were on the news last night. Just right for Heidi’s bday. Which was lovely, just in case you were wondering,
This was an interesting interview. I’d be very surprised indeed to learn that beavers don’t build dams do so for any reason than they don’t need to because there’s enough water already or their aren’t materials available. Dams help kits stay safe, But they aren’t possible everywhere. Beavers work hard but they usually don’t waste effort uselessly.
When we think of beavers many of us think of the dams they build, but along the Oregon coast, some just aren’t doing that. Little research has been done to explain why, but it is a part of a larger story of relocation and reintroduction of Oregon’s state animal. Beavers have a long history within the United States, and over the years, the animals have been extensively relocated. They’ve been moved by bus, train and even parachuted out of planes from Wyoming to New York. Oregon State University’s Dr. Clint Epps and Vanessa Petro wanted to know what genetic effect all that relocation has had on these large rodents. They join us to share the results from their latest study on coastal beavers.
Thunder this morning. Did you year it? And a brief smattering of rain. Lets hope the lighting doesn’t start California’s next wave of fires, but it is wonderful to briefly smell the freshness. Auspicious because today is Friday the week-iversary. And time to reflect, which always works better with rain.
On November 18th about a million years ago I posted that Kenzie had come into our lives. I said
“Did you ever have one of these? I believe they are also called “time-eaters”, “furniture destroyers”and “finger-biters”. They have all the charm of a new born baby with agile long legs and very sharp teeth. We are in the early stages of acceptance a la Kubler-Ross. First there’s denial that your life has forever changed and nothing will be the same again. I briefly touched the Anger stage this morning when my foot stepped in something unmentionable on the carpet.”
Well a million years goes by faster than it used to and last friday morning Kenzie went on ahead without us. She was lying on her peacefully bed in the living room surrounded by her people who were stroking and praising her and it was mercifully without pain, but somehow still hurt us terribly.
There are now too many spaces in our homes without her now. We are surrounded by her absence.
“Did you ever have one of these? I believe they are also called “time-eaters”, “furniture destroyers”and “finger-biters”. They have all the charm of a new born baby with agile long legs and very sharp teeth. We are in the early stages of acceptance a la 
