It isn’t just any day that you wake up to find whopping beaver mistake coming out of Portland of all places, but this is a doozy. You see Westmoreland is one of the most desirable sections of Portland. It’s victorians and craftsman homes are some of the wealthiest places to live in the region. So they of COURSE have enough money to know better or at least hire someone to correct their mistakes.
Crystal Springs Creek becomes an urban salmon sanctuary; city council proclaims Sunday ‘Salmon in Our City Day’
What happens when humans build and develop without much consideration for other species. Well, sometimes it means using millions of dollars to go back and correct mistakes.
In Portland’s case, it meant spending $16 million to backtrack and widen culverts — the circular or square piping that sometimes runs through streams —at Crystal Springs Creek so that salmon could adequately pass through them.
The nine manmade culverts that support roadways and pass through the sparkling, 2.5-mile long creek, which snakes through Southeast Portland’s Westmoreland Park, until last year were too small, impacting salmon’s ability to spawn and swim through them and ultimately migrate to the ocean.
So far so good. A wealthy community spending money to fix its culverts and protect salmon. Having a festival to create awareness. That”s a good thing, right? Ahh but its when they talk about WHY salmon matter that we get interested.
But why are the salmon important at all? Turns out, for a lot of different reasons. It’s not going to be a food source for people from that creek, but it will be for other animals, including beavers and other critters. Additionally, according to Karl Lee, co-chair of the Crystal Springs Partnership and retired hydrologist for the U.S. Geological survey, they’re a “giant package of nutrients.”
The Crystal Springs Partnership is a lush coalition of agencies and advocacy groups working to protect the waterways in the fanciest way possible. (Did I mention that Portland is the city in the US with the highest density of nonprofits per square foot?) Well you’d think that ONE of them would explain that beaversdon’teatfish, wouldn’t you?
There’s nothing I like better than a good beaver mystery. I’m never happier than I am when I finally puzzle out the nutria living in the woman’s swimming pool, the groundhog in Wilbur’s backyard, or the Capybara visiting the water treatment plant.
But this surprised me. A sea-lion/beaver between the Mohave desert and San Bernadine in a salt water lake.
A 50-pound mystery surfaced in March 1987 after a resident spotted a sea lion swimming in Spring Valley Lake’s shallow depths.
Gossip filled the community as word of the unlikely guest spread, eventually resulting in 15 eyewitness accounts that made a concerned believer out of Karin Wyman.
Wyman was curator of the Laguna Beach-based nonprofit Friends of the Sea Lion (now the Pacific Marine Mammal Center), and interviews with residents convinced her of three things: the sea lion was a 10- to 11-month-old pup. It had been illegally captured and dumped in the 200-acre lake. And it was sick.
“Whoever caught it and brought it here couldn’t have approached it unless it was sick or injured,” Wyman said, adding that sea lions tout a bite four times stronger than any dog.
Equipped with nets and a fishing boat, Wyman and colleague Don Burns embarked on a weeks-long search for the mammal. Meanwhile, if caught, the culprit faced jail time and a $20,000 fine per the Marine Mammal Protection Act signed by President Nixon in 1972.
But there was a problem. Amid the search, willow and cottonwood trees began falling around the lake, their trunks gnawed nearly in half.
Joel M. Shows, a trapper for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, surveyed the damage and reviewed footage of the purported sea lion swimming. His conclusion was the saltwater mammal was, in fact, a rather large beaver that had wandered over to the man-made lake from nearby Mojave Narrows.
If there existed talk of a beaver being less likely than a sea lion, it was quelled by State Department of Fish and Game warden Dick Phillips, who said beavers weren’t so unusual in the arid High Desert.
Whoa. It’s either a very confused sea lion OR a beaver. And hey why are they calling an elevation of 2700 feet “High Desert“. Does that mean the top of Mt. Diablo is high desert? Hmm, maybe they’re referring to the population, not the landscape. Well a nonprofit in Laguna Beach got involved and did some sleuthing of their own. But fish and game said it wasn’t any marine mammal.
It’s an ongoing problem around here, especially in Spring Valley Lake, Oro Grande and (Lake) Arrowhead,” Phillips said. “Beavers are not native to the area. They were introduced.”
By Phillips estimation, beavers were imported to the region in the 1940s, and — as an example of their prevalence — he noted that six had recently been “taken,” including a 110-pounder in Oro Grande.
The solution was permits Phillips issued to Shows — who had experience trapping bears and mountain lions — and Spring Valley Lake officials that allowed for the beaver to be shot on sight.
Death was preferable to a tranquilizer because, according to Shows, “If you dart him, he’ll go under and drown before you can get to him.”
And so the beaver’s fate was presumably sealed. But there was another problem. No one — not even Phillips — had actually seen the beaver on land. And glimpses of it swimming in the lake didn’t exactly dispel the sea lion theory.
Never mind that beaver were historically prevalent and 30 years later a brilliantly researched paper would prove that fact, but why would they expect to see the beaver on land anyway? In 10 year’s of watching it was a fairly uncommon occurrence. And why WOULDN’T they expect to see a sea lion on land? My clearest sea lion memories were when they were sunning themselves on a dock some where….
Complicating matters was the discovery of 30-pound catfish in the lake that had been bitten in two; Daily Press writer Bruce Snyder noted in his reportage, “Sea lions dine on fish, while beavers are vegetarians.”
“Normally, I’d say that it (the sea lion) is probably a beaver,” Phillips said after the gruesome find. “But around here, anything can happen.”
Wyman and Burns stuck to their belief that the animal was a displaced sea lion and then Spring Valley Lake administrator Bernie Wagner agreed.
Anyway, near the end of the month, Wyman and Burn’s diligence finally paid off. It also proved them wrong, though. Hours before dawn one day, they stumbled on something swimming near the boat. They gave chase until the sun rose and revealed they had tailed a beaver for four hours.
Wyman called off the search, saying she wouldn’t come back unless there was solid proof of the sea lion’s existence. Still, even with the beaver identified, a creeping doubt nagged her.
“The only thing that makes me wonder is that we talked to people who say they saw a (sea lion) and say they saw the front flippers and things,” Wyman told the Sun. “Beavers don’t eat fish.”
Be that as it may, the sighting allowed the hunt to commence via Phillips’ permits. But a hunt never occurred because Spring Valley Lake officials declined to use them.
The stated reason: the beaver had disappeared.
Ooooh, tell me another one grandpa! That made me shiver in the nicest way. The actually funny thing about this is the story happened in 1989, just around the time beavers were trapped out of Lake Skinner 90 miles away in Riverside County. This of course led to the Friend’s of Lake Skinner case and the lawsuit that was won at the appellate level for trapping out beaver without a CEQA analysis. Now I can’t exactly see how a beaver would get from point A to point B, but it sounds from this article like they were doing a fair amount of trapping at the time, which is pretty interesting because it explains where those beavers might have come from.
Time for some UK praise of beaver gifts. I’ll be so wistful when they finally make the right decision. It’s wonderful to see articles like this in the Guardian.
Beavers could be put to work building dams to stop a village from flooding in the Forest of Dean, in what would be the first such scheme on government land.
The Forestry Commission has been an enthusiastic advocate for the release of a family of beavers into a large fenced area surrounding Greathough brook above the village of Lydbrook, on land owned by the commission.
Villagers are mostly supportive, hoping the scheme will not only protect the village but boost local wildlife and tourism. “It’s a brilliant idea,” said Stuart Aken. “There were about 100 people in the village hall when they made the announcement and there wasn’t a single dissenting voice. People are in favour because of the potential to help against flooding and most are interested in the increase in wildlife that it will bring to the area.”
Everyone seems excited about the day, what’s the hold up?
But despite the beaver scheme not costing the taxpayer a penny – it would be funded by landfill taxes – it was abruptly postponed last month. A source close to the project said it had been blocked by a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – and the Forestry Commission was “hopping mad”.
A spokesperson for Defra denied that the scheme had been blocked by a government minister and said that the Forestry Commission would announce the next steps in the coming weeks.
Derek Gow, a beaver expert who has worked on reintroductions in Scotland and England, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity. The science suggests these animals will hold back 6,000 cubic metres of water.
“This has the potential to prevent a once-in-30-years flood event. These animals will also open the forest canopy to light and create a biodiversity jewel in this forest.”
This “natural” flood defence works only in small streams in upland areas. In deeper rivers, beavers do not need to rapidly create dams. In lowland areas, beaver activity can also cause flooding.
But those in favour of their reintroduction to England and Wales say beavers can be returned to western river systems and will not spread to low-lying eastern areas, such as the Fens, where their activity could cause valuable agricultural land to flood.
Ahhh what a fine article! Where to begin? You have such great beaver advocates in the UK. But did someone really say that beavers would not spread and populate themselves into low-lying areas? I hate to break it to you but (ahem) beavers are very good at finding their way into new territory. It’s what they do. Their raison d’être , so to speak. I just don’t think it’s a great idea to tuck in the unsuspecting British population with cozy dreams of beavers who always stay where you put them. I agree about flooding. And I agree 100% with the lovely statement that “they’ll make a biodiversity jewel in the forest”.
But I wouldn’t say they won’t relocate. Never make promises beavers can’t keep.
I’m sure whoever said that it wasn’t Derek Gow, who is as fine an advocate as beavers could ever hope for. Looks like he’s giving a talk soon to spread the beaver gospel even farther.
National beaver expert Derek Gow will be in Cheshire to give a talk on the how the animal’s re-introduction could impact the countryside. Cheshire Wildlife Trust is hosting the one-off talk at its headquarters at Bickley Hall Farm, between Malpas and Nantwich.
Several reintroductions of beavers are now either underway or being researched across the UK including in Scotland, Dorset and Wales.
A growing body of evidence suggests beavers have a key role to play in restoring nature in our countryside. They are a native species, which was hunted to extinction in the UK 400 years ago. They are a keystone wetland species, known for their dam building and tree-felling activity. This not only creates their home, but also provides the ideal habitat for many other plant and animal species and can play a role in flood prevention.
Derek Gow is at the forefront of beaver re-introduction and will be joining us to tell the story of the beaver comeback in the UK, sharing his experiences of the projects he has worked on along the way. His talk ‘The Return of the Beaver to the UK’ will be held at 7.30pm on Thursday September 28 at Bickley Hall Farm, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8EF.
Don’t you wish you could be there? I sure do! Derek is as fine a spokesmen as beavers could ask for and I know they have ever confidence in his work. Why just yesterday I found an awesome wetland illustration and was confused by one creature in the bottom right hand corner. He clarified helpfully that it was a water vole, and very common in England. Oh, and of course you know he came to Martinez after the beaver conference right? Because it turns out we are a kind of beaver Mecca too.
I thought I’d share a little about the odds and ends that followed my last few postings. One was about the water week events in Whatcom WA. You might remember that the paper said there’d be a showing of the film “Beavers in the Ecosystem” which I wanted to find out about. Turns out the paper got it wrong, it wasn’t actually a film but an event lead by the North Sound Baykeeper for Clean Water Services, Lee First. I got in touch with Lee through our friend Ben Dittbrenner of Beavers NorthWest. Seems Lee contacted Ben looking for properties with beavers on them that might allow a tour for his guided event and talk.
Lee impressed me right away with this response to my letter:
Hi Heidi, it’s not a film, it’s a site tour. I’ll take photos during the tour, and I’ll probably write a little story about the tour. I love beavers!
As far as I know there are two people in all the world who collect a city salary and love beavers. And now I know both of them! There surely aren’t any such people in Martinez.
Thank you Heidi, that means a lot. I was so annoyed when I read the original article, beavers being blamed without any evidence! Someone has to stick up for them! I love the graphic!! That’s brilliant! Would it be OK for me to use that graphic in our talks or on our website? I also love the beaver cushion that has been sent to you from the Ukraine. I am going to have to buy one for myself!
I told her of course she could use it, and showed her the photo of our kit where it’s from. Graphic Designer Libby Corliss didn’t work with us long, but the silhouettes she made that summer from Cheryl’s photos have been a lasting treasure I rely on again and again.
Onto the treats of the day, this time Parks and Recreation Department of Calgary, which is about 400 miles north of Montana across the Canadian border. Seems they just updated their beaver webpage and WOW they did an amazing job. Even when I read it the third time this morning, I was still surprised and impressed.
Beavers have found an inviting home in Calgary, with its two rivers, abundant green space, and lack of predators. In recent years, their population has grown, with lodges in various locations along the Bow and Elbow rivers, in storm water ponds and wetlands.
Beavers are good for our environment
Beavers play an important ecological role in Calgary’s waterways. Their dams can create ponds that provide habitat for other wildlife and help surrounding vegetation to flourish. The ponds and wetlands are very good at storing water, and can help reduce the effects of smaller floods and hold water during droughts.
Water flowing through dammed areas is naturally purified, and after a dam has broken, fertilizer created from the decomposing material in the dam will spread downstream.
I promise I haven’t embellished this or edited to make it look better. This is the ACTUAL website for Calgary and it starts by describing how lucky we are to have them. Then it gets around to talking about problems, but in a pretty reasonable way.
Beavers also present some challenges
Because conditions are so good, Calgary’s beaver population has grown in recent years. This can cause problems for our forested areas, infrastructure and property, and the beavers themselves.
A single adult beaver can cut down about 200 trees in a year. With each lodge housing four to six beavers, wooded areas can be devastated in a short period of time. This is harmful to other wildlife that rely on the trees for habitat. Beaver dams can also cause flooding that affects property, and in some cases, can damage storm drains and weirs that can be very expensive to repair.
Okay, that’s most reasonable. People can legitimately have concerns about these animals. There’s only a single sentence I take issue with.
“Without natural predators, beaver populations can grow to be unsustainable.”
Ahh Calgary, you were doing so well up until them. Did you never read that beavers were territorial? Did you never think that when the streams were full of beavers the new ones would have to look elsewhere for a place to call their own? I would be disappointed in them, but they quickly redeemed themselves.
The City’s approach to beaver management
The City’s practice is to try and strike a balance between health of the surrounding areas and the wellbeing of the beavers.
When required, The City uses different measures to protect trees and property to make our river parks unappealing to beavers. Depending on the situation, we may use a combination of the following:
Placing metal wiring around tree trunks.
Planting varieties of trees along the shore that are less palatable.
Placing under-dam drains to control water levels.
We consider all other options before turning to trapping. However, in some cases it is required. When we do remove beavers, we use traps that are designed to kill instantly. The traps are placed under water for the protection of dogs, park users and other wildlife, and are checked daily.
There’s a final paragraph on why they can’t relocate beavers that are causing issues instead of trapping them, but honestly this is ALL I WISH from any city beaver management policy. Protect trees. Plant Willow. Install flow devices.
Consider it my version of “Eat. Pray. Love.”
If every city tried to do these things before trapping I would be over the moon with joy. Honestly, this is the best and most sensibly proactive policy I have ever read.
They even have a video teaching how to wrap trees. Be still my heart.
I expect a mass exodus of beaver supporters moving to Calgary right away. Honestly, my bags are nearly packed.
One more present for Heidi in the Odds and Ends category. This lovely website I came across in my travels is called beaverlikemammals.com, with the actual tagline “A friendly place to post sightings of beaver-like mammals” which she dubs BLM’s.
Everyone wants to make a contribution to society, to leave their own little mark on the world. This website is my mark. It provides a public space where people can post sightings of beaver-like mammals (BLMs). Did you spot a BLM at the corner of 10th Street and West Main? Does a BLM emerge from the bushes by your back porch every evening around 6pm? Did you catch a glimpse of a BLM out of your car window on the way home on Thursday night? Submit your sighting to beaverlikemammals.com!
There is a page for submitting a sighting and your observation will be listed by your state. Most of the entries she has look like woodchucks with the occasional squirrel. I don’t see any actual beavers since back in 2007. But she definitely gave me a gift.
From now on, the next photo of a nutria I see on a news article about beavers I’m calling it a BLM.
Here’s two very nice ways to get a jump start on the weekend. The first is news that our good friend Camilla Fox of Project Coyote is now working with the Center for Biological Diversity to sue Fish and Game. Here she is with a volunteer working at the beaver festival in 2012. We always like days that start out like this.
Two national nonprofit advocacy groups sued the California Fish and Game Commission and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife this week, claiming the two agencies have improperly managed and illegally subsidized the state’s commercial trapping program.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Project Coyote claim thousands of coyotes, foxes, badgers and other fur-bearing animals are trapped in California every year so their pelts can be sold overseas.
The advocate groups claim in their lawsuit that the California Fish and Game Commission and state Department of Fish and Wildlife have illegally diverted up to $500,000 since 2013 to subsidize commercial fur trapping in the Golden State.
The California Fish and Game Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are two separate entities. Established in 1870, the California Fish and Game Commission is billed as the first and oldest wildlife conservation agency in the United States, predating even the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries.
I didn’t even know that there was a State Fish and Game Commission. They are the folks at the county level that gave us our grant last year. In fact they’re hosting a bbq this weekend that Cheryl is attending to show off what we did with their money. I can’t tell from the article how they’re saying the agencies subsidized trapping but I’m very interested in this idea. Wait, there’s a clearer article in the LA Times yesterday. They say the taxpayers end up subsidizing because the fees for trapping licences are so low. They’re saying if they charged trappers what it actually cost the system, the fur trade would die in California. Hmmm that’s interesting.
“We hope the filing of this lawsuit will be remembered as the moment California said goodbye to the handful of people who still kill mammals so that their pelts can be auctioned off in foreign markets and then made into slippers and fur-trimmed coats,” she said.
It may be unpopular, but I’m not going to invest a lot of energy in fur trapping. That is not the cause of the overwhelming number of beaver deaths. Depredation is the BIG killer in California. I would spend money suing the the state over that.
(I’m having a fantasy right now about what it would be like to have enough money to sue CDFG in a drought year after counting all the beaver depredation permits and calculating how much water they would have saved if they had been allowed to live!)
Of course my favorite lawsuit against CDFG involved beavers, was won at the appellate level and happened 18 years ago with our friend Mitch Wagoner in Riverside county. Ahh Memories!
The second treat to start the weekend is this from the Wildlife Center of Texas, who has its share of rescues after hurricane Harvey. The article is definite eye candy and you should check it out, but I thought this was particularly wonderful.
The good volunteers at WCT are working hard at the moment so go here to donate.
Kits dislocated by Hurricane Harvey: Wildlife Center of Texas
A 50-pound mystery surfaced in March 1987 after a resident spotted a sea lion swimming in Spring Valley Lake’s shallow depths.
Equipped with nets and a fishing boat, Wyman and colleague Don Burns embarked on a weeks-long search for the mammal. Meanwhile, if caught, the culprit faced jail time and a $20,000 fine per the Marine Mammal Protection Act signed by President Nixon in 1972.
Beavers could be put to work building dams to stop a village from flooding in the 
National beaver expert Derek Gow will be in Cheshire to give a talk on the how the animal’s re-introduction could impact the countryside. Cheshire Wildlife Trust is hosting the one-off talk at its headquarters at Bickley Hall Farm, between Malpas and Nantwich.
BLM
