You probably know the talented wildlife artist John Muir Laws whose many books highlight the wonders of nature journaling and stewardship. His wonderful notes and sketches have graced the last page of Bay Nature for decades. Well this is him sketching the Martinez Beavers long ago at the dam site.

Naturalist’s Notebook: Go See the Beavers in Martinez

Well teaches a free online workshop once a month and has a conservationist from the community come talk about the focal species. And guess what it is this month?

Thursday May 15th I’ll be joining him and his many students to talk about the most famous beavers in history and why great engineers deserve great artists. Hopefully we will encourage many new creators of beaver wonders.

Learn why to love beavers and how to draw them with John Muir Laws and special guest Heidi Perryman.

Join John Muir Laws and Heidi Perryman as we explore beaver conservation, why beavers are important parts of ecosystems and how to draw these amazing creatures.

Heidi Perryman, Ph.D., is a child psychologist who became an accidental beaver advocate when beavers moved into her hometown in 2006. She served on the beaver subcommittee to help the city decide how to respond, Then started the organization “Worth A Dam” to coordinate solutions and educate others about their value in the watershed. She has been particularly interested in the way that the beavers’ struggle has connected residents more closely to their environment, to their city government and to each other.

This year, Wolrth A Dam will hold its sixteenth beaver festival – an annual event that has grown to be one of the largest celebrations of urban wildlife in the state. California has come a long way in learning why beavers matter and how to live with them. Heidi is happy that Martinez could be an important part of that process.

All ages and experience levels are welcome. No registration is necessary.

Suggested donation: $20. Your donation helps support me and my family. Your generosity is deeply appreciated and it makes an immediate difference in my ability to continue to offer these programs. Your donation is tax-deductible. Click here to donate. If you are not able to donate at this time, no problem–please continue to enjoy the classes and find another way to pay it forward in your community with acts of kindness and service. Thank you!

If you are new to Zoom or are having trouble with the meeting controls, please see these notes and suggestions on Zoom Tips for Online Classes with John Muir Laws to help you get more out of the online workshop. When possible I will also make a recording of the workshop and post it on my blog. I look forward to seeing you there!

He is a wonderful teacher and nature is lucky to have him. I can’t wait to see what beaver wonders will trickle down from this class. He has already said he is interested in doing a new Nature Notes for the magazine.

Bring

• • Your Journal and favorite drawing materials. Taking notes while you watch and participate will help you remember the new techniques and incorporate them into your journaling.
  • Your sense of humor!

Go hear to join the class next Thursday from 10-11:30, no need to register.

 

 

 

Meanwhile I’m pulling together some notes of my own:

 

Who would have guessed? With everything going on in the world and Trump saying he doesn’t know if he has to follow the constitution and wanting to reopen Alcatraz, Doonesbury has decided that beavers are our biggest threat.

I got totally intrigued by this enticing article about a beaver lodge on display in the Meeker Colorado library but I was I was confused enough by the article that I wasn’t sure they were talking about dams or lodges, or even knew the difference?

I wonder which one is on display?

I have been told its a lodge the director of Yamptika wrote back to tell me that they definitely knew the difference and educate children about the way beaver dams store water and create ecosystems.

“Nowhere in the article did we assert that beaver lodges are the driving forces of ecological change, but that beavers, through their activity in an area, can create wetland sponges and benefit other wildlife. Our staff member noted the benefit of lodges to birds, since a local species, the Greater Sandhill crane, is of conservation concern in our area and commonly nests directly on top of beaver lodges because they provide a safe area, away from predators, to lay their eggs. Due to the connectivity to the surrounding land, dams do not provide the same sanctuary for the nesting cranes, and they nest there less frequently. This is a familiar issue to our community, which was the intended audience of our programming.”

“We now ask that you edit your post to reflect that there was a clear understanding of lodges vs. dams, and that the programming was more broadly focused on beaver ecology, benefits, and coexistence strategies”

Okay.

Beaver lodge display draws interest at Meeker Public Library

MEEKER |  In the community room of the Meeker Public Library — where crafts, meetings and book clubs usually gather — a new guest has moved in: a full-sized beaver lodge.

Built entirely from a wire understructure, chicken wire and woven willow sticks of different sizes, the lodge features a carefully crafted dome effect that has captured the attention of wide-eyed visitors. The structure has sparked conversations about wetlands, wildlife and the wonders of nature.

Librarian Ann Franklin said the idea to bring the beaver lodge to the library came about after Yampatika, a Steamboat Springs-based organization focused on inspiring environmental stewardship through education, approached the library following a recommendation from the White River Alliance.

Isn’t that cool? I was totally enchanted to think of a beaver lodge in a library. And then I thought whoa how did they even get it in the door? Maybe in two pieces and wove it together inside? Or maybe its half a lodge so you could see the interior? That would be cool too.

“We’re always open to new programming, and beavers are a big deal around here — both beneficial and detrimental,” Franklin said. “They help with wetlands, but they can also cause problems with irrigation ditches and slow-moving water that we want to keep running. Having that education about beavers, both their positives and negatives, is really great for young people.”\

We have quite a few nonfiction books for kids about beavers, and some adult nonfiction books as well about their ecosystems,” Franklin said.

Michelle Mahosky, water education coordinator for Yampatika, said herself and the rest of the team at Yampatika are excited to show the community how important beavers are to the wild.

“It’s definitely an awesome feature that we have — to actually show people what beavers are doing and, most recently, what we’ve learned about how beneficial they are to ecosystems and restoring the ecological sponge,” Mahosky said.

A lodge of this size would typically house one beaver family, ranging from four to eight beavers spanning different generations. Other species also benefit from the shelter provided by beaver lodges.

“Beavers are a keystone species and environmental habitat helpers,” Mahosky said. “They come in, restore habitat and invite other animals into that healthy environment. A variety of birds, muskrats and smaller species all benefit from beaver lodges.”

Wait what? Beaver lodges make  a sponge? And benefit birds and muskrats? You know that lodges and dams are different things right? As we can see above, the non profit clearly knows bu the reporter probably did not.

Got to watch out for that issue!

Beavers are most active around their lodges during the spring, summer and fall.

“During the winter, they cozy up and stay in their lodges for the most part,” Mahosky said. “Occasionally, we’ll see them come out into the snow to forage and grab more branches and logs if needed, but spring is a good time to see them.”

Maintaining the lodges takes constant work throughout the year.

“They’re really the only other species besides humans that can manipulate their environment and change it for the better,” Mahosky said. “It’s constant upkeep — especially after winter. As soon as there’s a leak of any sort, they are out fixing it.”

Fixing a leak in the dam. I mean I’m sure they would fix a leak in their lodge too, but its not like they’re worried about water damage.