Category: Flow Device Installed

BEAVERS NEED HEROES

heidi08 Beaver relocation, Flow Device Installed, Who's saving beavers now? August 31, 2020

Let’s spent the very last day of August visiting some old friends shall we? The official part of summer – the summer that never came – is over, And we are beginning to feel the first stirrings of fall in the air. Lets have some nostalgia for people and places past, shall we?

Monkton finds a humane beaver solution: Deception

MONKTON — On a warm sunny Friday afternoon last month, Theresa Payea, dressed in waders, stood atop a well-established beaver dam in Monkton Pond (also known as Cedar Lake). Payea was there, along with a few other members of the newly re-established Cedar Lake Association, to help bring a decades-long battle with beavers to a peaceful, humane conclusion.

“I’ve lived here 28 years, but I’ve never seen the dam so close up,” she said. “You don’t realize how much trouble beavers are capable of.”

Payea and her neighbors got an up-close and personal view of that trouble last fall, after the beavers in Monkton Pond had outwitted an old baffle cage installed by the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife to maintain water levels. Beavers clogged up the hole and the water began to rise.

Hmm Monkton is about 2 hours away from Grafton in Vermont. I bet I can guess who they got to help them. Can you?

Down in the water, a few yards away, beaver expert Skip Lisle of Grafton was busy assembling a custom-made system that he invented to keep the water flowing, regardless of damming activity.

He calls it the “Beaver Deceiver.”

Over the past 25 years Skip Lisle has installed more than a thousand Beaver Deceivers all over the country, and around the world.

“Beavers do very little deductive reasoning,” Lisle told the Independent in a phone interview. “That’s the starting point. Most people assume animals think like people, but beavers are not capable of stepping back and taking a look at the big picture.”

A robust Beaver Deceiver system requires two things, Lisle said: a large, long pipe and a sophisticated filter.

Lucky for you Skip was on hand when the deceiver installed by Fish and Wildlife failed. I’m not at all surprised. They just refuse to learn from the source that’s right under their noses. Thank Goodness Skip was near by to correct their mistakes.

“We’re now experiencing the very real effects of climate change, and beavers do a wonderfulQ job of mitigating climate change, so it’s money well spent.”

Hurray for Skip! And hurray for solutions that keep the beavers around doing what they do next! Meanwhile in Colorado Sherri Tippie just got together a band of friends and relocated some beavers that were in harms way. So happy to hear she is recovered from her fall and doing what she does best!

I guess our friend Eric Robinson from San Diego and B.R.A.V.O. has been working with Sherri to get her back on the ground running. He sent these photos along with the summary “we have recently built a successful team around Tippie to support her efforts to rescue and restore beaver in the Denver area.”

You know those beavers are the luckiest this side of the Canadian border. Just listen to her croon to them.[wonderplugin_video videotype=”mp4″ mp4=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Video-Aug-2020-First-family.mov” webm=”” poster=”” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES BEAVERS

heidi08 Flow Device Installed, Who's saving beavers now? August 29, 2020

I just found out that our yearly trip to the ocean is cancelled this year thanks to Covid. That is pretty rotten and you may have to deal with a little more snark than usual for a long while. In the mean time I will comfort myself with the fine internship program offered in Montana.

Interning in Conflict Resolution: How do we co-exist with our wildlife neighbors

Beavers were once widespread in North America, with it estimated that 6 million thrived in our waterways before being trapped to near extinction in the 1800s. Unfortunately, removing beavers also removed their beneficial ecological impact, which includes cooler streams, greater habitat complexity, and increased biodiversity.

The same behaviors, such as felling trees and flooding sections of streams, that have huge ecological benefits can also conflict with the goals of landowners by threatening public safety and livelihoods. Without effective means of addressing these conflicts, landowners may perceive beaver presence as a threat and choose to lethally trap beavers to prevent future damage, even in cases where no current damage is occurring.

I like how the good things beavers do is so closely knitted to a description of the problems they cause. One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor, so to speak.

To gain the benefits of beaver activities throughout our watersheds, the National Wildlife Federation and the Clark Fork Coalition have partnered to support a pilot project focused on resolving these conflicts. As a Conflict Resolution Intern with the National Wildlife Federation, I was able to support the newly hired Conflict Resolution Beaver Tech, Elissa Chott, in a pilot project to build more acceptance for these crucial ecosystem engineers by effectively resolving the conflicts between their activities and the values of landowners.

Our main activities involved contacting landowners who have current conflicts, learning about their challenges, and installing a variety of technical solutions to address the threats posed by beaver activity. These solutions included tree fencing, pond levelers, beaver deceivers, and a variety of beaver fencing to prevent the damming of culverts or other pinch points along waterways. These technical solutions generally fall into two categories; preventing the felling of trees or preventing flooding.

Oh I wish there were beaver interns all across the land. This is the kind of pilot project that should be picked up by every governor and fire department across the nation.

These simple tools use our knowledge of beaver behavior to deter their activities in specific places where those activities are undesirable. Beaver deceivers, for example, enclose a drainage source for flooded ponds such that beavers cannot feel nor hear the running water. Without this sensory stimulus of a leak, the pond can be drained to a tolerable height without the beavers responding with additional damming activity.

Techniques to prevent tree felling and flooding were implemented at a variety of highly visible public and private locations and coupled with informational materials to build understanding in our communities around the ways we can co-exist with beaver. Through this pilot project, it has been a privilege to not only put these techniques into action, but to demonstrate the potential benefits of this program as it continues to refine and expand this approach to human-wildlife conflict.

Great work Elissa! And all her helpers! Take of the beavers and the beavers will take care of you. Just in case that isn’t motivation enough, here is some footage from our new friend at Suisun Wildlife.

[wonderplugin_video videotype=”mp4″ mp4=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Suisun.mp4″ webm=”” poster=”” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM

heidi08 Flow Device Installed, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? August 25, 2020

Well, we survived yesterday’s smoke bomb and thunder threat. The inside of my house doesn’t smell quite as bad this morning. That’s a kind of progress, right? And I learned how to backup my ipad. That’s something. And this happened at the Winnepeg humane society:

Your Phone Call Can Help Save Winnipeg’s Beavers

Can you help us save beavers from being cruelly killed within our city?

Beavers are an integral part of Canada’s waterways, and are commonly associated with our country. However, when beavers choose to reside in populated areas, they can damage property, or pose a risk for flooding to occur. Currently, the City of Winnipeg is using lethal methods as a form of urban beaver management. Problem beavers are killed with firearms, or through trapping via conibear trap systems. The Winnipeg Humane Society opposes this type of wildlife animal management and we need YOU to help us get the City to use alternative approaches for this issue.

Well you got my attention, yes. Why is killing beavers a problem?

Though relocation is not a viable solution, research shows that lethal methods only make way for neighbouring beavers to move into the killed animal’s territory. In fact, removing beavers increases population growth, by stimulating beavers to become sexually mature earlier in life. Beavers are not only a wilderness staple, they are also crucial for keeping ecosystems running smoothly. Beavers play a critical role in keeping wetland ecosystems symbiotic, by improving water quality and availability, ultimately resulting in large levels of local biodiversity.

Now that’s a new one. I never heard that. I don’t even think it can be true. It’s probably one of those facts that has been applied from other species, like rabbits, to beavers without thinking. Doesn’t that mean that every beaver in rehab raised alone would be ‘triggered’ to mature earlier? I really hate efforts to save beavers with the wrong science. Then when it fails we ALL pay the price. But that’s what happens when your whole point is not to kill things, you get a little careless with the facts.

For these reasons, the Winnipeg Humane Society is urging supporters to phone their city councilors, and ask that the City of Winnipeg stop killing beavers. And yes, we need you to CALL, not email or message on social media, because a phone call is the most powerful way to show our elected officials that this issue matters. Join the Winnipeg Humane Society in asking the City of Winnipeg to adopt a beaver management plan similar to countless other municipalities, where humane pond leveler systems, wire mesh, and culvert protectors are utilized, which allow for beavers and humans to co-exist peacefully. We are providing a list of phone numbers for you to call in support of our request to start using humane methods to manage beavers in Winnipeg.

Here’s the thing. If you don’t know what your talking about and you call the city who also doesn’t know what they’re talking about then they just make things up and hope you’ll go away. One of things I really respected about Martinez is that enough of the people really paid attention and did their homework. Not all, but enough.

If there are a handful of you the city just tells you to go away or waits it out. But if there are enough to scare them with volume they might give you something like this. A bizarre mechanical engineering that makes everyone feel better, is not based on any science, but just looks like effort. Then wait a while for it to fail and then kill the beavers anyway. Next time they can say “We tried your humane solution and it failed, now we need to do it our way.”

Believe us in Martinez when we say, saving beavers is really serious business. Pottery Barn “you break it you buy it” stuff. The rewards are enormous, but the costs are pretty enormous too. The mistakes you make will last decades. But the success can dissolve in a heartbeat and has to be carefully guarded every day.

Just remember what playwright Tom Stoppard said;

“There are no commitments, only bargains. And they have to be made again every day.

MAKING DEALS WITH BEAVERS

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver Rehabilitation, Flow Device Installed August 23, 2020

Just about 15 miles south of our friends in Port Moody, another flow device has been installed to keep the beavers and allow them to continue helping the salmon. frogs and wildlife. This one is is in the Delta Nature Reserve.

Beaver pond leveller to reduce Cougar Creek flooding in Delta Nature Reserve

Delta Nature Reserve walkers and cyclists may notice a strange new contraption in Lower Cougar Creek, alongside the trail between the second and third boardwalk entrances. It’s called a beaver pond leveller, and it’s a joint pilot project of Cougar Creek Streamkeepers, Burns Bog Conservation Society, City of Delta, EBB Consulting and Pacific Salmon Foundation.

Hopefully the beavers won’t notice the contraption, but will happily continue building their dam, unaware that the leveller limits their pond to a safe height that doesn’t flood the trail.

Of course the beavers will notice. They’re water accountants that spend every day re-enumerating their essentials. The question of course is whether they can live with the fact that their pond has a hole in it that can never be fixed. Is the water level still deep enough or should they start over some where else? That’s what the beavers are deciding now in their little beaver meetings. Is it livable or Not livable. And that depends on you.

Though beavers are a nuisance, with their tree-cutting and dam-building, they are also a keystone species for healthy wetlands and salmon streams. A pond leveller is not maintenance-free, but it’s hoped this one will reduce the amount of effort the City of Delta has to spend on dismantling beaver dams to prevent flooding.

Hmm. Don’t sugar coat it was flattery. I think someone didn’t educate the press enough, or the participants. I’m reminded of that memorable scene in Alice through the Looking Glass.

“I don’t like the look of it at all,” said the King: “however, it may kiss my hand if it likes.”

Not only is the natural floodplain a safety-valve for protecting built areas from floodwaters, it’s also a vibrant and healthy wetland habitat that nurtures fish, amphibians, birds and – yes — those industrious beavers.

Well yes. Beavers will make your wetlands beautiful. And you have given yourself a chance of improving them. I’m not exactly sure how hopeful to be about the effort, but it looks like you gave it a good try anyway.

Our little beaver patient at Suisun Wildlife was on their Facebook page yesterday, along with a nice shoutout to us for consulting. They are working on a funding campaign for him and need your help. Go here to donate and make sure you mention we sent you!

Last week we received this baby Beaver, estimated at 1-2 weeks old, for care. An attempt was made to reunite it with the parents, but they could not be found. We reached out to our friends the beaver specialists at Worth A Dam in Martinez, who assisted us with their years of experience with beavers – we thank them. They put us in touch with an expert on beaver care in New York state, who advised against another attempt to reunite.

Our wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Jackie Gai, is checking the beaver’s condition and performing tests to determine its health. Of course, it is unusual for one so young to be out of the den and away from the parents, so we are concerned about how this may have happened.

The baby is eating, eliminating, and swimming well. We are having special beaver formula overnighted to feed it, and if you would like to donate toward the testing and formula, we would greatly appreciate your help! We will keep you posted on the progress of this adorable and special animal – wish us well!

Donate to Suisun Marsh Natural History Assoction

US 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
Thanks for helping this little beaver along the way. Stay safe out there if you’re near fires or anywhere below the sky today.

SKIP LISLE WORKS HIS MAGIC IN MAINE

heidi08 Flow Device Installed, Who's saving beavers now? August 8, 2020

Apparently Skip Lisle isn’t retiring quietly onto the deck with a scotch and soda sipped from the arm of his adirondack chair. He’s continuing to travel to other states and save beavers, this time in a Peat bog in Maine.

Beaver Deceiver: Device aims to mitigate Rail Trail’s dam problem

SPRINGVALE, Maine – For years, beaver dams have caused flooding after high watershed events along the Rail Trail abutting the wetlands of Deering Pond, but the installation of a new device on site is expected to help resolve the issue for decades to come.

Skip Lyle, the founder and owner of Beaver Deceiver International, traveled to the community on July 30 and worked with Kevin McKeon and Steve Mallon, both of the Sanford-Springvale Trails Committee, to install one of Lyle’s custom-designed flow-control devices at Deering Pond’s culverts within the Hall Environmental Reserve. Lyle, of Grafton, Vermont, is a conservationist, builder, biologist, inventor and entrepreneur.

“My goal is to protect any threatened property while at the same time maximizing ecological and hydrological value,” Lyle said.

No word yet on why a reporter who looked up Skip’s website still failed to get the correct spelling of his name. It’s L-i-s-l-e. We learned to spell in Martinez. Why couldn’t you in Maine?

“If they hear it, if they see it, if they feel it, they will try to stop it,” he said. “They can’t help themselves. It’s a natural thing that they do.”

Lyle said his devices are effective anywhere between 30 and 40 years and are a more practical, long-term and humane alternative to trapping and killing beavers. Trapping in the area also is risky for the trappers themselves, McKeon noted.

“This is a peat bog,” he said. “Unless you know the area pretty well, you could be walking along the shore of Deering Pond and all of a sudden you could find yourself chest-deep in muck. It’s a pretty dangerous area for trappers to be trapping.”

The entire installation of the Beaver Deceiver cost about $2,900, according to Trails Committee Chair Lee Burnett. The committee will cover the expenses, with hopes of being reimbursed through the state’s Municipal ATV Grant program, Burnett said.

Mousam Way Land Trust funded a video production of the installation as part of the organization’s goal of increasing the awareness of how people exist within their environment, McKeon said. WSSRTV, the broadcast station out of Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center, produced the video and is currently editing it for availability soon.

Good for Maine and hurray for Skip! I went searching for the video of this installation but it hasn’t been released yet, but while I was hunting I found this video of Skip’s presentation at BeaverCon in Maryland this year was just uploaded. I didn’t know this happened. How smart. What a fantastic look at the history and evolution of the beaver Deceiver. Don’t miss it.

[wonderplugin_video iframe=”https://youtu.be/1rw903l5jyU” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]