City Reports – Page 124

Heck of a job, Brownie.

heidi08 City Reports, Creative Solutions November 11, 2011

Last night we paid a visit to the dam and did a little New Year’s beaver watching. Three kits were milling about and feeding on some willow, and a fellow was there watching them with his son. He had the air of someone who had been watching them for a while and wanted to explain all about them. He liked to wait at the dam, he explained, to get his Blood Alcohol Level down so he could pass check point on the way out of town. Did I know that the lodge was under the dam? Did I know that the city had done a really great job handling this? Did I know a beaver expert had come out and installed that “culvert”? Did I know that the city had built the dam around the culvert? Did I know they had to install the sheet pile to keep the beavers from tunneling under the building? Did I know how great it was that the city had handled this so skillfully and taken such care to let the beavers stay?

Sigh.

Here’s the thing: for the benefit of the beavers it is wonderful that the city gets credit for doing humane and creative ecological work. Give Martinez accolades for trying something new and let them bask in the glow of responsible stewardship. Never mind that there are deep claw marks down the length of Castro Street where we had to drag them kicking and screaming and whining every beaver-dam inch of the way. Never mind that they lied and manipulated and distorted figures every opportunity they got. The truth is, we should be happy when the city gets to look good because its good for the beavers.

But (and this is my point) it sometimes bugs me.

Its not like I can’t acknowledge their accomplishments though. There are things the city has done exceptionally well. Their “Campaign to Convince” has been remarkably successful. They convinced Martinez and the media that they had to spend half a million dollars to stop rodents chewing through concrete. They convinced everyone that they spent 75,000 dollars already on the beavers, 6000 alone on elevated police presence for the November 7th meeting. Heck, they convinced Fox News that the body of water wasn’t a creek. They even managed to convince Martinez and the media that never voting on the issue was the same as letting them stay.

Now that’s one heck of a job!

I mention this last stroke of genius because it was the most common error on our First Night Quiz. Very compassionate, intelligent people who knew what beavers ate and how they lived misunderstood their fate and thought the city had decided to let them stay for good.

Sadly no. The pope may have decided to close down limbo, but our beavers still live there.

Beaver Firsts

heidi08 City Reports January 1, 2009

Highlights include: Very interested children. Patient parents. Friendly Teens. A dog with a beaver tail. A Duck hunter and scout leader who was very intrigued by the link between beavers and duck habitat. A high school student seeking volunteer work for a science project. A very popular art project. A beaver motorcycle key chain. Nice people. A visit from Mark Ross. A little girl thought the Lindsay Museum display beaver was a boy because it “didn’t have a notch in its tail”. Lots of quiz entries and three fine winners who will be contacted soon.

Thanks to participants and volunteers. Happy New Year to all!

Support your local beavers!

heidi08 City Reports December 31, 2008

Come tonight for First Night Celebrations and a grand re-introduction to our furry favorites. Family-friendly Beaver presentations will be offered at 7,8,9,and 10 and run about 20 minutes. We will be in the Telfer building upstairs in the community hall near the corner of Ferry and Escobar streets. Look for new video and never before seen photos, as well as a narration to explain all about them. An ongoing art project will feature glow in the dark beads and the first 50 participants will receive a beaver charm. Take our quiz and enter the raffle for one of the prizes offered. Meet fellow beaver fans and get your questions answered! Remember this is the first official, city-sponsored beaver event, so come show your support, make new friends and help tip the scales.

By all accounts expect a Dam good time!

Babes in Arms

heidi08 City Reports December 18, 2008

Or is that kits in arms? Looks like Worth A Dam has crawled slowly from bastard child status, past step-child status, to the once-envied status of intended offspring! (Can favored son be far behind?) Our First Night presence will now be indoors, probably at Telfer Hall. There will be a formal presentation with slides and video at 7, 8, 9 and 10, as well as an ongoing art project, beaver display and “virtual tour”. If all goes well we’ll get lights next year and actual touring conditions, and in the meantime we’ll stay warm and cozy.

The hard work is all done. Now we just got a show to put together.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=2uLarextbjo&feature=related]

In the mean time, stop by and give some thanks to longtime friend Gary Bogue, whose website displayed his Martinez Beavers Christmas card today.

God bless us every one!

First Things First

heidi08 City Reports December 16, 2008

Beaver tours officially added to first night schedule! Looks like we’ve arrived and we need helpers. The webpage stats tell me that there were 754 page views to this website in the last 24 hours. Maybe a couple of you loyal readers could help out for an hour? We’ll provide the background and coffee. You provide energy, warm clothes and your enthusiasm to teach others about the beavers.

Think it over.

The Martinez Beavers have made a local splash both in the community and the media. Currently a family of eight resides in two lodges near Bertola’s at the Escobar bridge. A year ago the city hired expert Skip Lisle from Vermont to build a flow device that would control the height of the dam. This allowed downtown merchants to feel more secure and averted the possibility it would trigger flooding.

The beavers responded to their smaller pond by building a series of “secondary dams” downstream towards the railroad tracks. This increased their foraging area and gave them access to other foods. The beavers are visible most nights, when they can be seen pursuing their regular diet of willows and tulles.

Worth A Dam is dedicated to maintaining the Martinez Beavers through responsible stewardship, creative problem-solving, community involvement and education. It is associated with the 501(c) 3 non-profit organization Land for Urban Wildlife. The tour will visit their dams and lodges, help explain any beaver behavior you might see, and introduce you to our cast of nocturnal characters in Alhambra Creek.

Tours begin at 6:30 in the parking lot behind the Bulldog BBQ run every half hour until 11.