Making a beaver army

heidi08 Earth Day, Educational, Environmental April 27, 2014

It turns out that convincing people to think new ways about beavers doesn’t take prestigiously published papers, tables of data, award winning researchers, or successful salmon. It doesn’t mean lectures or slides or documentaries. I hate to break it to the universities and fellowships but people aren’t persuaded by science. Just look at climate change or evolution. It doesn’t matter how much you prove it or disprove it. People are persuaded by engagement. A personal experience that touches them and takes their own energy and thought.

And yesterday at John Muir’s Earth Day these children (and their parents) were engaged.

Yesterday 5 lbs of buttons for eyes, 400 forks, 250 kit tails and nearly 300 adult tails were turned into a paper bag beaver army, carefully designed to halt the enemy with a round of “AWWW” so that the subtle weapon of CARING could be neatly slipped in between the steel ribs of indifference.

We were so busy all day that we were grateful for the few momentary lulls in traffic. We saw children and parents talking about beavers, learning about beavers, understanding why adults have orange teeth, and making beavers with their own unique flair. One little girl made a pirate beaver. One boy made a cyclops. And one delightful beaver was lovingly crafted with a belly button.

Beavers were celebrated, clarified, and personalized. Adults who thought they ate fish were righteously corrected by their children who explained that they ate willow. One little girl crisply clarified that they ate “CAMBIUM”. Martinez residents wondered how its beavers were doing, where dad had found a new wife, where the young beavers dispersed to, and why other cities didn’t have beavers.

Jon and Jean were consumed most of the day, passing out bags, selecting ears and letting the spirit of the beaver take over the hardworking craftschildren at the table. Since our artist FRO couldn’t be with us this year, it was left to Jon and Jean to supervise the masses. Jon said he surprised himself by how much fun he had. Cheryl as usual was busy behind the camera taking these wonderful photos. And I was schmoozing about beavers at the booth.

Several times during the day, someone walked up to the booth to thank me for the festivals and the beavers. Sincere moms and Dads described how their children kept their necklaces from the beaver festival and looked forward to it year after year. One mom said that her daughter had never gotten the idea of ecosystems and species interaction until she made the keystone species necklace and now she completely understood.

Lots of families had seen the beavers in person, and lots more had plans to come back and look for them. John Muir stopped by and decried that horrible Hetch Hetchy dam they had built and reminded that the only dams needed in the Sierras were beaver dams. Some thanked us for saving the beavers, and gladly asked for their photo to be taken with their creation.

Highlights of the day were the young woman who said her friend was working on a proposed beaver management plan for the entire country at Oregon State University and would I like to connect with him? Council woman Delaney saying how much she appreciated all the work I had done for the beavers. Congressman Miller’s aide stopping by to talk beavers and ask about the next festival. Councilman Mark Ross coming by later to appreciate my “How to live with beavers” poster. He smiled sheepishly and said that I should have included a photo of the retaining wall.

To which I laughed back honestly and said “You probably wouldn’t want to see the poster I would make about the sheet pile”.

An excellent day all in all with remarkable children, patient parents, curious teens, 10 trekking scarves sold, inspiring conservation award winners, no rain and very little warmth and even a special visual event in the sky.

Muir’s Birthday Miracle ~ 2014 from Alhambra Hills on Vimeo.

In case I haven’t given a good enough description here’s a taste of the day:

I could write on and on. But it looks like I’ve come to The End.

Beavers on the San Pedro River

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental April 26, 2014

This film from our friend Michael Foster is as good of a reminder of why we need beavers in the west as I’ve seen. I can’t remember how we met years ago, but I’ve always been awed with his amazing footage and eye for detail. Michael actually asked me to proof read this script months ago and I was happy to introduce him to Mike Callahan so he could get images of beaver dams causing problems. It’s nice to help the beaver story get told.

Great work Michael! I still want Koatis in Martinez.

Come visit us at the John Muir Earthday and make a beaver bag puppet! Oh, and bring a jacket.

Remembering an Important birthday on Earth day

heidi08 Earth Day, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers April 22, 2014

1970367_4028951219430_482136484_n — John Muir at his desk as imagined by Ian Timothy

John Muir was born in Dunbar Scotland 176 years ago yesterday. He was the third of eight children born to strict Presbyterian parents who felt that time spent outdoors in nature was a distraction from time learning the bible. In fact, by the time Muir was a young man he could recite most of the old and and all of the new testaments by heart. When he was 11 the family immigrated to Wisconsin, and Scotland’s native son became America’s treasure. After adventures from Canada to Florida, Muir at 40 fell in love with Louisa Strenzel in Martinez in 1880 and settled into a partnership with her physician father managing their 2600 acre fruit ranch, some of which is still producing today. It was in this house that Muir had his office (“scribble den”) and wrote his seminal works. It was in this house that Muir received countless dignitaries and inspired guests, including the author of the most important beaver book ever written, Enos Mills.

Some 169 years later.Ian Timothy, of the most famous beaver animation series “Beaver Creek” ever crafted also made a pilgrimage to Martinez with his parents. He squeezed Muir’s hometown in right between his homage to Pixar and his appearance at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City.

A life long admirer of Muir’s message and work, so it’s hardly surprising that his Freshman year film project at Cal Arts’ is a piece about Muir.

Looking at the stills, I for one can’t wait to see it.

Oh, and if you want to celebrate Muir’s birthday and legacy in person, you should join the party on Saturday.

Trapped beaver(s) finally rescued! er, trapped?

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Educational, Environmental April 21, 2014

A beaver ostensibly trapped in a lock chamber of the Rideau Canal at Merrickville had locals fretting about its fate over the Easter weekend. It was finally rescued by local volunteer firefighters.

Trapped beaver tale has a happy ending

On a weekend better known for bunnies, this beaver tale had a happy ending.

After hearing reports from customers that a beaver was trapped in a nearby Rideau Canal lock early Saturday, Deanna Whaley went to investigate.

To her dismay, Whaley, who runs Gad’s Hill Place Eating House in Merrickville, found the furry creature padding back and forth in shallow water at the bottom of the lock, trying to find a way out.

“I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “This poor animal is languishing. He’s going back and forth but he can’t get out.”

Whaley kept checking on the animal all day. Finally, out of concern for its welfare — “I know he’s just a beaver but I feel sorry for him” — she phoned for help, calling everyone from the Ontario Provincial Police and the Smiths Falls Humane Society to the National Capital Commission, Parks Canada and the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ack! I’m glad she was worried about that beaver, who knows how long he might have been trapped in there without a meal? The historic Merrimack locks were designed after the Middelsex Canal opened route to Boston in 1803. From Merrimack to the canal were several waterfalls and obstructions that the locks circumvented. By 1817 the work was done and the long series of locks provided an efficient passage.

But not for beavers.

Turns out that no one wants to be bothered with a beaver rescue on a holiday weekend, and Whaley kept getting the run around when she tried to call the authorities. She finally reached a responsible soul at Rideau Canal National Historic Site’s answering service and “half an hour later, Scott Tweedie, the northern sector manager for the agency, called the Citizen and promised action”.

Tweedie delivered. Four volunteers from the Merrickville Fire Department showed up with cages, climbed down into the lock and, to everyone’s surprise, found three of the creatures. Two were soon caged, though one remained — well, cagey.

At 6:30 Sunday, Whaley called the Citizen: “Mission accomplished,” she said. “Beavers rescued.”

The article ends without telling us where those beavers were released, so I’m not ready to celebrate just yet. Still, I’m very happy that Whaley cared enough to keep calling, and that the firemen came through.

I can’t help but wonder what they were all doing together. And looking at that long series of locks I hope they weren’t dispersing and managed all that way- like a kind of watery mario brothers – only to be returned back to the start again!

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Our own beavers put on a nice show last night, with two yearlings demonstrating that beavers don’t always share.

Bill Gates Gives Money for Beavers?

heidi08 Beavers, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental April 17, 2014

Well, probably not for the beavers themselves, but for the students who are studying them. Program manager Erin Sams has just asked that I clarify and say:

“We did not receive money from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Family Foundation is a Denver-based foundation that solely supports Colorado programs. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

Close enough, I’m still impressed. And you will be too when you read about this awesome project.

Beaver Habitat and River Ecology Monitoring

We are teaming up with Chatfield State Park, the Audubon Society of Greater Denver, Colorado Gulf and Turf, University of Colorado Professor Dr. John Basey, View Into The Blue, and Ocean Classrooms to monitor beaver activity along the South Platte River in Chatfield State Park. The project would not be possible without generous funding provided by The Gates Frontier Fund and Ocean Classrooms.

Beginning in December 2012, scientists and students surveyed the area to determine where the webcams would be installed and to begin preliminary observation of the beaver activity. Now, we are ready to begin work on the project! In late March 2013, we will begin installing an aboveground camera that will monitor several dams along a portion of the river to help us learn more about activity within this beaver community. We will also be installing a science node to collect data on water quality parameters, wireless radio and a solar powering system. We’re looking for lots of help from the Denver T4O community to make this project finally become a reality!

The installation is going to be accompanied by a workshop to teach students and the public about the American beaver’s influence on riparian ecosystems, macroinvertebrate biodiversity, impacts on water quality, and important resource management practices that can benefit both the environment as well as people’s livelihoods.

Colorado has so much to teach about beavers! I’m thinking these teens need to sponsor a beaver festival to really show off their work! And I know just who to invite to come lead the parade. Sherri Tippie is just down the road. I expect this to be a very exciting product that changes how we see beavers for years to come!

* I’m not going to mention that certain regular people can observe beavers without expensive grants or fancy camera installations and said people have been doing so for seven years running – because that would just be….unnecessary.