On Bridge Creek, a tributary to the John Day River in eastern Oregon, scientists with NOAA Fisheries’ National Marine Fisheries Service are installing a series of structures as part of a unique, low-cost approach to stream restoration.
The simple structures provide footholds in the degraded stream channel where beaver can build stable dams and establish colonies. By partnering with the beaver, the scientists hope to accelerate stream recovery and improve production of the creek’s wild steelhead population, which is part of a larger steelhead population listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The simple, cost-effective treatment being applied on Bridge Creek could have far-reaching applications in the Columbia River Basin.
“Bridge Creek is typical of many degraded streams in the western United States,” says Michael Pollock, biologist with NMFS’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The creek has been confined to a narrow, incised trench, and high flows rarely reach its former floodplain. One of the main ways to improve habitat conditions in this situation is to reconnect the stream with its former floodplain. This helps restore basic geomorphic, hydrologic and ecological functions, and, in turn, create better habitat for steelhead.”
Make sure you go read the whole thing! Be kind to the earth today, and for the second anniversary of the gulf oil spill, and the soul crushing burden of how depressing it is that we now have shrimp born without eyes, let’s watch this again. When I couldn’t sleep last night I was trying to imagine how columns of this elixir under the ocean could help pick up all that missing oil two years later.
Tomorrow is Earth day, and we’re getting ready for a very busy day at the John Muir Historic Site. We’ll be joined by several supporters and by the stalwart artist FROgard Butler who will be helping children illustrate beaver tails! FRO recently opened her own art studio in Concord and has been busy making it a welcoming space for creative and appreciative minds. She also just found out she won the volunteer award we nominated her for from theArts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County. Here is my nominating letter:
FROgard Butler has played a unique and significant role for the arts in Contra Costa County. An instructor, colleague and friend to new artists, for the past 5 years she has played an irreplaceable role by coordinating and implementing the art program for the beaver advocacy group Worth A Dam. At least four times a year FRO uses her creative, engaging talents to encourage children to look more closely at their watershed and represent what they see with clay, watercolors, acrylic paint and more. In small classrooms and vast open-spaces, intimate groups and fast-moving crowds, I have watched her work closely with her young artists and I never fail to marvel at her patience, encouragement and non-judgmental respect for the creative process that allows children to represent the world as they see it, not as adults might prefer it to be shown. FRO’s artwork and teaching is on permanent display on the tiles of Escobar bridge and the creek mural at the Martinez Early Childhood Center. The colorful banner she helped children draw is one of the most creative and attractive mobile works of art that I have ever seen, and never fails to melt hearts wherever we share it.
With her uniquely engaging style, FROgard has helped thousands of children experience their creativity though art – and in doing so has fostered future artists throughout Contra Costa County. Very often I have seen FRO coax amazing creations out of the most art-averse subject and I have endless respect for her capacity to teach children to value the creative process over the finished product. FROgard has been an irreplaceable asset to the Martinez Beavers Advocacy group, allowing us to impact the community and teach watershed science in a real and tangible way to children of all ages. As a child psychologist who regularly employs art in my practice, I have learned a great deal from watching her work. Although her significant contributions and events around the bay area are numerous and well known, my personal understanding of FRO’s art is the magic by which she encourages the child to create their own. I can’t think of anything more impactful for the future of art in Contra Costa County than this gift.
Please feel free to contact me regarding any questions or clarifications. In our work we have seen literally hundreds of outreach efforts and without exception every nonprofit we encounter is envious of FRO’s help and wishes she worked for them. I’m just glad we found her first!
Congratulations FRO! We couldn’t be prouder or happier for you! One of her recent accomplishments was designing a flag which she helped children illustrate at our Roots and Shoots Event at the Oakland Zoo last year, and which we finished at the Flyway Festival. We liked it so much we’re doing a second one at the Girl Scout Event at the Fairgrounds. Jon spent some time yesterday figuring how to hang a flagpole from our awning, and if you stop by the booth tomorrow I think you will be very impressed!
More accolades go to our long-time beaver friend from Massachusetts who has been steadily impressing folk with his expertise and willingness to help. Yesterday a disciple had this to say about Mike Callahan on his blog “My Sherwood Glen“
Those of you who are aware of our efforts to co-exist with our beaver neighbors, know that we have had the help of Mike Callahan of BeaverSolutions.com. I can’t say enough about Mike’s willingness to help and his dedication to beaver conservation.
I was considered a technology expert back in the 1980’s when the definition of an expert was anyone who was online two weeks longer than you. As I moved around the country, I found that there were two kinds of experts. First there were those who had the magic skills, but kept the skills to themselves for personal gain. Then there were those who were excited about the potential of technology, wanted to spread the word and would share freely and promote the cause for the betterment of all. I was extremely fortunate to have hooked up with a group of national technology experts who shared freely and mentored me.
Mike is cut from that same cloth. He makes his living by designing, building and installing beaver fences and flow control devices, but he shares his knowledge freely with anyone who wants to help beavers co-exist with human neighbors. He gives more than he gets.
Go read the whole delightful thing, and if you haven’t joined the beaver management forum on facebook yet you really should. Mike’s certainly given us free help on more than one occasion, (although if you sit through the credits on his DVD you will see we have definitely returned the favor!) It’s always nice to see good friends get the recognition they deserve and to see the beaver gospel spread around the globe!
You will note if you read further down that Art brought Mike a 6 pack ofbeaver beer. (Which I alerted them too) And both men agreed it was delicious!
This would be an appropriate time to note I am still waiting for my Beaver Beer festival sponsorship letter?
UPDATE: Remember the Roseville article describing the need to remove beaver dams to protect Vernal Polls? They published my response.
UPDATE II Our young beaver champion from Kentucky just found out that Beaver Cree 7 won a Telly Award! TheThe Telly Awards is the premier award honoring the finest film and video productions. Beaver Creek won a bronze Telly(the 2nd highest honor) in the children’s programming category.
The last few days have produced such positive beaver news that readers would be forgiven for thinking that the battle is over and we won! After five years and copious confrontations, hasn’t the northern hemisphere finally come to terms with the value of the humble beaver? Don’t we all know better now than we did once?
Apparently not. Let’s start with this article from Toronto.
At first, he believed beavers were to blame, “but there is no beaver in that neighbourhood that I’m aware of.” Upon closer examination, he said it appeared that the trees had been chopped down. Wong suspects the damage may have been done by people walking through the bush to get to the pond to fish. “I assume if they clear the trees around them, their lines won’t get snagged,” he said.
Fallen trees with chew marks by a lake in Toronto are a mystery? Really? I wrote the paper that if they wanted a clue to the culprit they should look on the backs of their nickels. Honestly, why do people assume if they never saw a beaver in the day time they aren’t there? And why exactly would fishermen chop down trees at the same height and haul away all the branches?
It gets worse. Brace yourselves. This next contender is from North Carolina where Earth Dayactivities are being planned by the Ecological Organization in Hendersonville. They are asking for volunteers for multiple Earth-friendly projects, like planting trees, cleaning up creeks and weeding community gardens. Oh yes, and there’s this:
with projects ranging from stream bank enhancements to the removal of a beaver dam in a rare wetland.
Removal of a beaver dam on EARTH DAY? In a RARE WETLAND? On EARTH DAY? Sometimes when I encounter ire-inducing facts it is helpful to pause and consider history. It may interest readers to be reminded that the concept of Earth Day was first introduced by John McConnoll at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco in 1969. The following year the city became the first in the world to promote a special day for the earth. Get it? San Francisco is named after St. Francis and St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and as good a symbol of ecology as you are likely to find in the Catholic rolodex. He is remembered for saying famously;
If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
Which brings us back to an Ecological Organization calling for volunteers to help remove a beaver dam from a rare wetland on EARTH DAY. This makes about as much sense as handcuffing yourself to an englishman on the fourth of July. (If your idea of protecting wetlands is ripping out beaver dams no wonder they’re rare! Of course I wrote ECO.) Was there a typo? Did the paper misunderstand something? My email was passed up the chain of command to the Executive Director who swiftly wrote back.
He began his email with a reminder to breathe, and let’s just say he endeavored to be more condescending from there.
Obviously the beavers weren’t an endangered species. And the wetlands restoration cost a great deal of money and they were collaborating with very important groups that said the beavers couldn’t remain, and maybe I could afford to have a black and white view of the world but the complexity of his work required “shades of gray”.
(Oh and he addressed me as an “ecologist” in quotation marks, which I assume isn’t meant to communicate that he is quoting someone else who called me an ecologist but rather that my ecological comments were “PRETEND” where as his were sincere. That was charming too.)
So there is no hope for the beavers at Lewis creek and all the residents of Hendersonville will be taught by a large environmental organization that removing a beaver dam is a GREAT way to protect wetlands. Which alternately makes me laugh maniaclly or grind my teeth, (mostly the latter). When I went looking for information on Lewis Creek I found this lovely image and description:
A small beaver dam creates a crystalline pool that is home to frogs and salamanders.
Well not anymore it doesn’t. Those frogs and salamanders will just have to clear the heck out. People are widening a flood plain and protecting rare wetlands. In fact ECO & its partners are apparently helping protect wetlands so much the nature can barely stand it!
Their stroll, however, lasted about 100 yards or so before the tree-lined path turned to barren land along the banks of a stream. Grahl, president of the development’s homeowners association, paused to reflect on what the trail — where residents enjoyed walking their dogs each day — once looked like.
“They came in and bulldozed everything,” Grahl said about the ongoing Lewis Creek restoration project. “I don’t even come down here anymore — it’s too depressing to look at.”
That they weren’t originally told full-grown trees would be permanently removed and that wildlife would be killed. They are upset that beavers might be trapped, and they think the traps would be a safety hazard.
Apparently the project caused enough of a stir that it merited a six page article last fall. The man who reminded me to breathe pointed out that the beavers were ‘relocated – not trapped’ and the flood plane needed to be widened. Obviously residents of the area didn’t understand that in order to protect some wetlands you need to bulldoze them, while in order to make room for saplings you need to rip out existing trees. “Ecology” is so complex!
You know, the article mentions that one of the major problems the homeowers had with the project boiled down to poor communication skills.
Communication lacking: One thing both sides agree on is that a communication breakdown occurred throughout the process.
Given our tender exchanges yesterday, I’m shocked.
This weekend’sflyway festival saw a couple thousand birders exploring Mare Island’s hidden treasures and rows of environmental displays from wildlife groups around Northern California. There was deliciously expensive optic equipment for sale, mountains of federal employees charged with protecting wild spaces, every conceivable Audubon incarnation and, oh yes, the good folks from the Martinez Beavers!
What surprised me wasn’t that all these many birders were so primed to hear the message that beavers improve birding habitat, or that very few people strolling by hadn’t heard the story of the famous beavers, or how many people crowded together for my talk on Saturday, or that lots of folks were still giggling about the chronicle story of the disappearing beaver in the city mural – what surprised me was how many USFS employees stopped by to thank us for our work, express a real interest in restoring beavers, and scoff at the idea that they didn’t belong in every single waterway in the state.
There were lots and lots of these who came by to draw residents of the beaver neighborhood on our new flag. It was designed by our resident artist FROgard Butlerwho ended up being too sick to come help this weekend. Lory and Jon bravely filled in for her and we ended up with many young artists engaged in the task while I was busily making friends for the beavers, chatting about beaver benefits, explaining how to wrap trees or install a flow device, and plugging this years festival which will (unbelievably) be our FIFTH.
You can see we found many young artists to volunteer! Once it is finished being readied for hanging by FRO we will think about its display. Maybe we can get NPS to fly it at Earthday? Or Public Works to fly it at the beaver festival!
Hopefully lots of good stories will follow this weekends contacts. I’ll be sure to keep you posted! In the meantime, I would just say that the author from the book featured Thursday has arranged for me to receive three copies of ‘the three little beavers’ as a donation for the silent auction of this years festival! Our senior author and wikipedia friend sent off the historic prevalence paper this weekend for eventual publication, Brian Murphy sends this STUNNING photo from his wooduck box project in downtown walnut creek and San Ramon Creek,
and our European beaver friends tipped me off to this bit of beaver delight from Belgium.
Check out the new poster for Utah’s Beaver Festival! Mary O’brien came this last year to observe ours first hand and has been hard at work implementing her own. Okay, its slightly bigger than ours. Two days instead of one. A life sized lodge and bigger donors. In a State Park and not a featureless city square that Martinez won’t even honor with a name. BUT it’s our idea that set it off and it will teach folks across Utah about beavers and I couldn’t be happier.
Mary O'brien photographs bridge tiles
Here’s a nice photo of the close attention Mary paid to our efforts last year. She flew out to visit her son in Berkeley and then took the train to the festival. After seeing everything we put together she trotted off to the John Muir House before jogging back and joining us for dinner. If it hasn’t occurred to you already, Mary is no slacker.
Okay team, beaver festivals in California and Utah! Only 48 more states to go!
Other good news of the day includes this compromise from Estes Park in Colorado where Sherri Tippie worked hard to slow down the whirring wheels of back room deals and save some beavers.
Colorado Division of Wildlife officer Rick Spowart explains the compromise that kept the beaver dam and lodge intact. The roadside trail will be narrower, but the beavers won’t be pushed out.
And this article from Maryland where some beavers have made their presence known in a city park but they aren’t on the hit list yet. Yesterday I wrote the major players and heard back that they will be looking into sand-painting trees as a less obtrusive way to handle the problem.
Beavers are chopping down trees along the shoreline in Salisbury City Park near Picnic Island. / TODD DUDEK/THE DAILY TIMES
SALISBURY — A beaver that has taken up residence in the City Park is there to stay, according to officials.
Public Works Director Teresa Gardner said the city is not considering removing the beaver, as the state Department of Natural Resources has recommended the animal remain in place for now.
Which, from my point of view, is a pretty good news for beavers in three states. Not too shabby!
Oh and we’ve had confirmation from all the biggest fish names in the state that the little morsel being nibbled in Cheryl’s excellent photo is a Sacramento Splittail which happens to be a species of special concern. Another reason to have beaver dams in your creeks I guess!
And if you can’t get there in person, get there in spirit by reading this:
