Category: Festival

Pathways…

heidi08 Festival August 6, 2012

Do you ever get that feeling that some invisible accident of fate in your life caused you to turn left instead of right at an imperceptible junction and now you are in a beautifully wooded area that has nothing at all to do with the urban place you intended to be? I’ve been feeling that a lot lately. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore. The festival is safely over, everything is put away or returned and the still unnamed park that hosted the event has the look of an empty lot after the circus has just left town. But there are traces of tickertape at the edges and I know that something is different. Something important.

This year’s festival had a new character, more sophisticated and (despite the famed beaverettes) less local. It felt like we had floated down the narrow backwaters of Alhambra Creek into the wide Carquinez Strait, past the Napa and Sonoma Rivers , into the bay and right out under the Golden Gate. I’m not sure what triggered it. The otter people? The Coyote people? The Marine Mammal Center? I just knew that even though our feet were firmly anchored in good ol’ Martinez, and the giant inflatable beaver was a surprise from the first man who ever saw the beavers in 2006 – even though it was still OURS – by the end of the day our hair was curled with coastal fog and we were part of something larger. Something permanent.

I thought I’d share a few responses with you, so you could have some idea of how this felt, and if you haven’t watched the slideshow of the day, you should definitely do so. I’m never prepared for the comments I get face to face, people thanking me or saying what a big deal it all was. At the most basic level my impulse was entirely selfish – keeping what I valued. That’s never seemed very noble to me.

IT WAS THE BEST ONE EVER! Loved the inflatable beaver and the Beaverettes were hysterical! Always good to see old friends at this event! Thank you! – Ruth

Twas a lovely slice of life, just the right size, doable for all….. Reminded me of the first Kate Wolf Festival. Well done, ALL THANK YOU – Jill Harcke (John Muir Camp)

You make it happen!! Thanks so much for a well organized, well thought out, fun fun day – Jenny (Native Birds)

Enjoyed the Festival, which seemed bigger and better than ever I hope you give yourself a huge gold star for credit, you have done and incredible service to the beavers and to Martinez. Many comments from people exiting about how they enjoyed it, especially the kids just loved it! Congratulations and thanks for your wonderful efforts. forest

Thanks for posting that. I had a smile on my face watching the whole video. Wonderful job. It looks like it was a huge success and lots of fun. Congratulations to Heidi and everyone else involved- Michale Callahan (Beaver Solutions MA)

OMG what a blast- it gets greater every year. You have carved a place in local history. Love hugs and big smiles -Gail

A well done festival….great participants and good crowd of people….another plus for Nature and the environment. Looking forward to next year already. – Michael Marchiano

Before the weekend gets away from us. We wanted to say a big… thank you… for all your amazingly energy and gift of organizing and bringing all of us together. Great to also see several new participants. It was great to see everyone yesterday and share once again… in the Great Beaver Festival! For all you do……….Thank you! – Tom & Darren (Sonoma Birding)

Congratulations on your achievement and a fantastic Beaver Fest. You have made history in Martinez, and the beavers owe you! Lynn Q

It was such a pleasure to be there today…I would like to do something about the watershed district. Next time teaching clean run off stuff… It was fun thanks!! Dorrie Langley (Martinez Arts Association)

And from Erika our stalwart volunteer who was helping make necklaces all day…

One dad told his daughter that the necklace may be a nice thing to give mom for her birthday and the girl looked at him like are you kidding me??? i answered all those questions myself and uh, no i will keep it! He commented how mellow you were and ‘so mellow when had to put up such a big fight.’ made me smile.

That’s me….mellow beaver defender extraordinaire….

Late-Breaking Beaver News….

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Educational, Environmental, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's Killing Beavers Now? July 26, 2012

Beavers saved by mayor now homeless thanks to city, says community

Neighbours Daniel Burns, Anita Utas and Anne Sturgeon spoke out for the mother beaver and her kits. They said the city needs to think up better ways to handle animals in a new Wildlife Strategy.

Lucky the beaver is missing and presumed dead by Stittsville residents who are looking to the city for a new Wildlife Strategy after workers destroyed a lodge he and his partner made for their two kits.

“I find it very odd that Lucky has disappeared,” said Anita Utas who lives near the storm water pond in a Stittsville suburb where the beavers make their home. “They are monogamous and the adults stay with the kits for two years.”

The beavers named Lucky and Lily have two five-week old kits and became a cause celebre in late 2011 when Mayor Jim Watson said the animals would not be trapped and killed as per city policy.

Well the media has finally come lumbering onto the scene, almost a week after the city ripped out the protection of 4 beavers who reportedly weren’t there at all. The Mayor keeps writing me back as if he were reasonable and interested in actual information, but I know he is making this decision with as much thought as you put into having your knee move when the Dr. taps it with that rubber mallet. Maybe less.

“You can’t come down this path with out finding someone who cares about the beaver,” said Anne Sturgeon, who lives near the site. “I don’t think it’s right they destroyed the home of a Canadian icon on Canada Day weekend.”

Nice! I’m glad to see Anita has some companions in this campaign, its hard work worrying about beavers when a city is determined to pretend they don’t matter. Anita is a beautiful artist who donated a lovely encaustic painting of a beaver to the silent auction, a painstaking process in which

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added.

See? Anita paints with hot wax. That must mean managing crazy lying city council members is child’s play to her. Keep up the good work Anita!

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In other news, I did an interview with Glynnis Hood Sunday who resurfaced after her relaxing sebattical and it will air on Sunday. It’s a great story and a behind the scenes look at her new book which we’ll also be offering at the festival. We were approached by the National Humane Society of the US who said that Stephanie Boyles sent them our way and they wondered if they could use photos from the website! Janet Snyder wondered if all these images of beavers were from free, wild beavers since they were so close? Ha. Yes, indeed, I told her. I’ll let you know what they chose. And if you’re interested in browsing more about next weekend’s festival, check this out! Didn’t Amelia Hunter do an amazing job? Maybe you’ll consider hiring her for your next graphic job!

Oh and speaking of amazing artists have you seen this? By our own FROgard Butler, who, as usual, will be helping children do amazing art at the festival,? Guess what her middle name is?

Excitements

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Burrowing Owls, City Reports, Environmental, Festival, History July 24, 2012

Beaver concerns boil over in London at city hall meeting

By Angela Mullins Metro London

Call it a battle for the beavers.

Animal activists, including those on the city’s Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, want to see councillors pass new rules for how the woodland creatures — and their dams — are handled in the city.

“Typically in London, trapping is used. That’s the archaic method,” said Deb Harris, who until last month sat on the committee and is continuing to work on the issue. “Other municipalities have employed non-lethal alternatives successfully.”

No no no, you haven’t gone back in time 5 years and history is not repeating itself. This story is from Guelph Canada. (And I just met someone who explained that this doesn’t rhyme with ‘elf’ just so you know) Ahh it brings back memories though doesn’t it?

Tempers flared in the beaver debate Monday when city staff asked council’s planning and environment committee for permission to continue trapping the animals if they pose harm to infrastructure, like drains.

That, members of the animal welfare committee, flies in the face of a June council decision requiring that administrators trap no more beavers until a report on other means of warding off the creatures is heard.

Coun. Bud Polhill, chair of the planning committee, pulled administrators’ request off the consent agenda, asking that a report come back at a later date with more information.

Members of the animal welfare group, who said they didn’t know about the staff request until late Sunday, hope that means they’ll get a chance to state their case. They’re prepared to make a report, recommending the city consider using tools to ward off the wildlife instead of removing those that pose a threat.

Oh how exciting! Tempers flaring! City staff pontificating! Passionate pedestrians protesting! Are these meetings video taped? I’d love to watch with some popcorn and a nice bottle of this…

Need more good news? The proofs came this weekend for our historic beaver prevalence articles…we are really being published – which means a century of misunderstanding is really about to be overturned!

Surprises

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers July 12, 2012

Remember the washout tale from Spring Farm Cares a month ago? Well things are looking up and Matt Perry is continuing to carefully observe their robust recovery. Four kits were born in his very healthy colony this year, and he’s enjoying their nightly interactions. He hasn’t seen Dad since the washout and that’s very familiar since our patriarch left after the big washout too. Actually some biologists suggest that this wandering is looking around at p0ssible suitable territory in case the family needs to move. Anyway, he’s a lovely writer and watcher, so you’ll want to go read for yourself.

Great news from the beaver festival: we just found out director of the OAEC Water Institute and winner of this year’s ‘Golden Pipe Award‘ Brock Dolman will be joining Kate Lundquist to host their booth. Brock is a permaculture expert and educates landowners, laypeople, politicians, and anyone who will listen about the benefits of beavers and better water storage. He is a dynamic and coveted speaker all over the country where he uses his uniquely curly, rhyming, thesaurus-laden, language stream that you have to hear first hand to believe to change minds and waken sleepers. In fact he would never say ‘educate’. He’d say something like ‘watershED-ucate, faciLACTate, permaCOAXE the Re-inVENTture map-italism of land-escape artisTRY. Really. If you don’t believe me come be dazzled in conversation with him yourself. You’ll never look at storm drains, beavers, or salmon the same way again.

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And for your daily dose of snark I will just add that last night we heard a rumor that someone who should know better [meaning everyone should know better, but this person REALLY should] was talking to Moses at the dam and actually asked if “This was all the kits we were going to have” or if we thought “they’d LAY MORE”.

We’ve been giggling about it all night. Lay more? Since beavers are MAMMALS, born live, nurse on their mothers and don’t actually hatch from an egg, the kindest explanation I can possibly offer is that they mixed them up with these. I guess the bill looks kind of like a beaver tail.

Best Beaver Chew Ever

heidi08 Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers July 11, 2012

Dougald Scott posted this breathtaking beaver-chew on the beaver management forum to ask what the heck was going on? I agree with him that this is a ‘starter kit’ sample where young beavers can show off their new skills. We’ve used a few as displays over the years but they always break eventually. This one’s so lovely I wish my home was filled with them.

Last night we saw two beavers, no baby, and a woman from EBRP that stopped off after leading a birding tour at the Marina. She was very happy to see the beavers and meet us in person, and some folks who had been out later last night said that an adult was kind of twirling in the water with the kit and then nosed him up onto the secondary dam. Wish I had been there for that!

Today’s festival preview is an Introduction to Camila Fox and Project Coyote from Marin. We were recently introduced by Thomas Knudson the reporter that did the excellent USDA series in the Sacramento Bee. Beavers and Coyotes are the two most killed routinely animals by Wildlife Services so we have lots in common! Camilla is a powerhouse and connected to all the right places. I’m thinking this could be the start of a beautiful friendship…