Category: History

The hour but not the man has come!

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers elsewhere, Friends of Martinez Beavers, History May 20, 2013

Yesterday I noticed with alarm that this video is now six years old. It was the third video I ever attempted to make and you can see now that I was already deeply down the rabbit hole in wonders – both beaver and research oriented. I’ve always been fascinated by mythology, so it was an easy weekend to spend gathering stories of beavers in native lore, although a much, much harder task forcing the information into a film with my very new skills. At that time, we had only two beavers, so they were fairly easy to keep track of. No one knew about mom’s tail marking, and no kits had ever been born. I didn’t know about grey Owl when I made this, just found the photo on the web and thought it should be included. You’ll note that the video doesn’t say Worth A Dam at the end, because at the time I made this there WAS NO SUCH thing. In fact, the city hadn’t even committed itself to killing them yet, although it had tossed around the idea. Ahh memories.

Feeling nostalgic I posted this on our Scottish friend’s facebook page, asking about beavers in celtic mythology and Paul Scott (who is one of the Tay beaver champions), replied that he personally had always thought about the Kelpie or water-horse as a likely celtic or pictish representation of a beaver. This is the most depicted animal on scottish stones and no one knows what they might have referred to. Of course there are no more Kelpie’s in Scotland but until recently there were no more beavers either – coincidence? This was was so intriguing I had to start researching and reading all over again.

Stone carvings of this mysterious ‘pictish beast’ are seen all over Scotland. It has been described as like a seahorse, or a dinosaur. In most tales the Kelpie is noted to be very black, very at home in the water, but breathing air. Usually only its eyes are seen above the surface of the water, it’s very strong and its mane is constantly dripping. It’s fur is smooth like a seals but it is deathly cold to the touch. The mythical beast has both sinister and magical properties, In tales it lures children into the water to offer it rides on its back, sometimes even changing its length to hold as many as 20. Then it dives, drowning and devouring them. In many tales the Kelpie acts like fresh water mermaid to take the shape of beautiful woman to lure the men to their deaths beneath the water.

Here’s a famous tale of a Kelpie victim from an 1889 retelling. It’s beautifully archaic language, but give it a try.

A party o’ Highlanders were busily engaged, ae day in harvest, in cutting down the corn o’ that field; an’ just aboot noon, when the sun shone brightest an’ they were busiest in the work, they heard a voice frae the river exclaim, “The hour but not the man has come.”

Sure enough, on looking round, there was the kelpie stan’in’ in what they ca’ a fause ford, just foment the auld kirk (old church). There is a deep black pool baith aboon an’ below, but i’ the ford there ‘s a bonny ripple, that shows, as ane might think, but little depth o’ water; an’ just i’ the middle o’ that, in a place where a horse might swim, stood the kelpie. An’ it again repeated its words, “The hour but not the man has come,” an’ then flashing through the water like a drake, it disappeared in the lower pool.

Spooky huh? A man on horseback then comes crashing down the hill to try and get to the Kelpie, but his friends stop him and lock him up to protect him, whereupon he promptly drowns himself in a water trough, because some fates you can’t be protected from, I guess. Ain’t that the truth.

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Speaking of the hour coming…guess who graduated from high school this weekend? Our good friend Ian Timothy who will be off to CalArts in the fall for their experimental animation program. Here he is posing with his rightfully beaming parents. The ceremonial cords represent National Art Honor Society.

Can I say how much like yesterday it seems when I first saw Ian’s Beaver Creek animation? He was 13 when he made it. Ian has been part of the Martinez Beaver story since there was a story. He and his parents visited last year, and the entire beaver world wrote letters on his behalf when the beavers in draught park were threatened. Still not convinced his graduation is relevant news for a beaver website? He asked me to submit letters of recommendation to colleges (which I did) and when he was being wooed by two amazing art and design schools and not sure which to pick I asked the producer of the Beaver Whisperer’s documentary and she asked her animator who pitched in with excellent advice on where he should go! Small, small beaver world.

Ian has already gathered such an amazing wealth of awards and experiences he won’t need beaver contacts or praise from me anymore, but I’m so proud and grateful our paths crossed that I had to send him this photo I found on the web. Yes that’s a cake showing a beaver graduating. I don’t know why either.

Tale-slap!

heidi08 Educational, History April 6, 2013

I. STORY OF BEAVER (Kaska tales).

A long time ago, when all the animals were people, Beaver was a great transformer. He travelled along a wide trail that was much used. Along the trail were many monsters that preyed on people. He came to a place where people always disappeared. Wolverene killed them. His house was at the foot of a glacier, between two rocky bluffs. The glacier was very slippery, and people crossing it slid down to the bottom, where they were transfixed on a spear placed there by Wolverene. As soon as something touched the spear, Wolverene knew it, and came out at once. If they were dead, he carried the bodies home; if they were only wounded, he killed them. His house was full of peoples’ bones.

Beaver went down this slide, and, cutting his lips with the spear so that they bled, pretended to be dead. Wolverene knew something had been caught, and came out smiling and very happy.When he saw Beaver, he said, “What a large beaver! ” Then he laughed, and said, ” I have caught this clever man.” He carried the body home and put it down in his house.

He had four flensing-knives. He used one after another, but they would not cut Beaver’s skin. Then he searched for the fourth knife. Beaver knew that this knife would cut him, so he opened his eyes to see where he might find a stick.

One of Wolverene’s children noticed him, and called out, “Father, the Beaver has opened his eyes!” Wolverene answered, “You are mistaken. How can a dead man open his eyes?” Beaver jumped up and seized a stick, with which he broke Wolverene’s arms and legs. He killed him, and put his body before the fire to roast. He also killed all Wolverene’s children, and treated their bodies likewise.”

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Wow. Beaver-wolverine conflict prequel! I guess we know a little more about how the feud starts! Hmm…I wish the reporter who was photographed nailing the beaver to the tree to attract wolverines could read this! There are about 40 more such adventures all printed here, where beaver is a smart, savvy, problem-solver that knows when to run and when to be strong. But most importantly a TRANSFORMER, (not the plastic kind) which is the part of the tale that rings absolutely true.Oh, and for all those folks who wished beavers harm in Martinez lo, those many years ago, it may interest you all to know that it turns out that despite his amiable good nature, the animal is fairly unencumbered by an impulse to forgive, as his later run-in with the Ravens finally reveals:

“They begged to be let off. Beaver, however, had no mercy on them, and burned them alive in the camp-fire, saying, “What about the people you have killed? Why should I spare you?”

(Now if you’re wondering where the word KASKA comes from and where the people who spun these tales lived, look north, because come to think of it there’s even a state name that almost steals the label completely.)

Reprinted from THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN FOLK-LORE, Vol. XXX., No. CXVIII., OCTOBER-DECEMBER, 1917 BY JAMES A. TEIT.

Beavers: French Historical Edition

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, History March 16, 2013

Comte De Buffon

Georges-Louis Leclerc,

Buffon (1707-1788) was a Jesuit educated man who, in addition to his ‘Lord’ status and role in parliament, was a dedicated scientist,naturalist and author. He was so bright he was said to have ‘discovered’ Newton’s binomial theorem by himself when he was only 20 years old. His interest in math, became an interest in science, and he wrote about Man, Animals and the history of the earth – among other subjects! Encyclopedia.com describes his enormous contribution thusly

Buffon’s work is of exceptional importance because of its diversity, richness, originality, and influence. Buffon was among the first to create an autonomous science, free of any theological influence. He emphasized the importance of natural history and the great length of geological time. He envisioned the nature of science and understood the roles of paleontology, zoological geography, and animal psychology. He realized both the necessity of transformism and its difficulties. Although his cosmogony was inadequate and his theory of animal reproduction was weak, and although he did not understand the problem of classification, he did establish the intellectual framework within which most naturalists up to Darwin worked.

Ambitious no?

As it happened, he was particularly interested in the social/communal aspects of the beaver. And in addition to some laughingly incorrect things, wrote charmingly about how well they seemed to get along and work for the common good. In fact, it would be fair to say, that as much as beavers and their pelts may have ultimately fueled American capitalism, the beavers he wrote about were definitely French socialists.

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“Happy within themselves”. What a nice description. Indeed, if you go read some more of his account, especially the part where their homes on the pond are described as having two entrances ‘one for land and one for water’ with a nice window facing the land that also serves as a balcony – you will be hard pressed to differentiate between beavers and hobbits. Which probably isn’t a bad thing either.

Now if this Saturday adventure hasn’t sated your appetite for all things beavers, watch this smart, eco savvy video from Cows and Fish in Alberta which will make their past, present and future importance clear.

Highland Heroes

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, History January 27, 2013

The ‘science’ at a beaver conference can get a little heavy. Lots of figures and graphs, from folks who are mostly interested in justifying beavers as a ‘means to an end‘. That’s very useful for creating persuasive arguments, but not great for telling stories. Even though the science is essential, to my mind what a conference also needs is ‘heart’.

Meet team heart.

Louise and Paul Ramsay were an epiphenomena at the conference. They flew in from Scotland specifically for the event, and dazzled us all with their tales of the highlands. In her presentation Louise showed an image of their house, and pointed out that when the left section was built in the 16th century, there had probably been beavers in the surrounding waterways, but by the time the larger right portion had been added in the 1700’s, beavers were long gone. Whether it was Paul’s forlorn admission that he had actually been arrested for ‘introducing an inappropriate animal’ (charges were eventually dropped), or Louise’s fearless and deftly delivered Scots brogue reading of Robert Burns at the awards dinner, they dazzled everyone.

Cock up your beaver, and cock it fu’ sprush,

We’ll over the border, and gie them a brush;

There’s somebody there we’ll teach better behaviour,

Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!

Only a truly brave woman could read that aloud to a roomful of 150 people, and then soberly explain that at the time this was written beaver had been extinct in Scotland for so long that the poem is referring to ‘fixing one’s hat’ and not the animal (or the anatomy). Honestly, they were both amazing, but Louise as ‘keystone’ speaker at the awards dinner was breath-taking.

What I never realized was that the original ‘escape’ of the free Tay beavers had happened years before the bruhaha, before the knapdale trial, and with no interest by the BBC. Beavers had been spotted around the Tay since the early 2000’s and certainly before the Ramsay’s ever got their own. Beavers that had made their own way in the world long before Knapdale ever got permission and funding to try an official go.

How proud was I to see that the graphics I had made for their facebook page had made it into Louise’s striking presentation! From Eric behind bars to Rob Roy and the ‘tomb of the unknown beaver’. It’s always nice to contribute.

Louise and Paul have spent years talking endlessly to the media, public figures, the community, organizing meetings, children’s groups, an official charity, a website, reviewing international law, knowing when to push and when to demur, I can honestly say that their job was much, much harder than ours. (And I don’t say that very often.) It made it all the more moving to see how cordial and sanguine they both still are.

Louise ended her wonderful presentation with a passage from the 19th century poet Gerald Manly Hopkins from his work ‘Inversnaid‘. It could not have been better chosen or better delivered.

What would the world be, once bereft

Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,

O let them be left, wildness and wet;

Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

With ecology and beavers for all!

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver News, Beavers, History, In the News, kits October 16, 2012

Last night’s evening at Madrone Audubon in Santa Rosa was a dynamic reminder that people who take their birds seriously are ready to talk about beavers. We were warmly welcomed and Brock started with a perfect overview of the beaverdom in California situation. My very favorite part was where he was talking about a friend’s plan on the Klamath to install a dam in one stretch of land to make some wetlands and fish habitat, but the friend’s intention was daunted by permitting and funding.

Never mind. Some unfunded unpermitted hard working beavers moved in, made the dam in that exact spot (plus 19 others) made a luscious slow wetland out of the area that turned into pools and pools of coho salmon – the only salmonids on the river!

Then it was time for Heidi’s beaver story and footage. Goodness they were just the right crowd for a beaver tale! I started with Art’s fantastic footage of the woodpecker in the beaver chew because I thought it anchored the whole presentation for Audubon and then launched into the always compelling story of the Martinez beavers and the effect they have had on our creek here in town.

Afterwards there was a lot of energy and enthusiasm, a couple of folk asked for directions so they could come see the beavers themselves, and a man who asked me if I’d be willing to present to his city council so that they’d be ready when beavers came to their town. Of course I said yes! Why just look how popular Worth A Dam is with our city council?

This just came from Brock

That was so much fun! So many people commented that the combo of both our presentations was great!

I loved all of your stories and the video of the beavers is so deeply heartwarming and connecting. Love watching mom on her hind legs carrying material! Susan said he thought it was the best evening set of presentations for Audubon ever!

Saturday I just did a TEDx talk in the mission in SF. I think that you should be invited to do a TEDx talk with your show – although it is a tight 18 minutes – it would be so great to have you telling that story on the TED format! Just a thought…

Go Beavers Go Brock

Not quite sure TED is ready for beavers, but when they are they know how to find me! Now some broader beaver news to get you started on your Tuesday. First this fine report of manmade wetlands installed to cover up some monster pollution in Toronto.

Hamilton builds man-made wetland

“It’s not every day that someone builds Great Lake coastal wetland,” engineer and project manager John Helka told the amassed crowd. “It should be a beautiful area in the next five to ten years.”

He says this with some optimism, as the area hasn’t been beautiful in decades. It had been abused by chemicals, sewage overflows, landfill leaks and eroded sediment for years. The harbour became so busy in the ’50s that the basin was converted into a sediment trap to protect it. It was all downhill from there. “It has taken decades to screw up the harbour as bad as it is,” said Bay Area Restoration Council Executive Director Chris McLaughlin. “Steel Mills didn’t happen overnight.” He’s not kidding. Hamilton Harbour is also home to the turgid Randle Reef, the worst coal tar contaminated site in Canada.

So folks have polluted the watershed for years and now they’re spending a ton of money to cover it up. Pile dirt on poison and pour water over it and that’s a lake right? “As one would expect, this isn’t a cheap project. Costs run in the $20 million range, with $13.8 million of that coming from the federal and provincial government. The city is kicking in the rest.” The mind reels. The jaw drops. They’re keeping those pesky migratory birds away so that its easier to work, but this is the part that made me chuckle:

Then there are the beaver fences. Seems that once beavers end up in the wetland, they’ll try to dam up the water spouts for the pumps — so fences had to be constructed to keep the little buggers out.

Yes, you better keep those hardworking buggers out, because otherwise they’ll sneak in and build all those wetlands for free! Then you’d be stuck with that 20 million dollars burning holes in your pocket! You wouldn’t want that to happen would you?

Not when its turning out so nice!

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Need to rinse that bad taste out of your mouth? How about taking a sip of this lovely article on fly-fishing beaver ponds from author and journalist Steve Raymond.

Those wary, demanding trout are one reason I still enjoy fishing beaver ponds. But there are plenty of other reasons. In my backyard, on the wet side of the Pacific Northwest, beaver ponds have their own peculiar haunting beauty. Under dark, rain-swollen skies, they glisten like obsidian; during rare moments of sunlight, their acid-stained waters light up with the color of strong, bitter ale. They exude a scent of mustiness and decay that’s perfectly in character with their gloomy aspect.

Nice writing Steve! What a lovely description of the beaver pond that is practically a portal to another world where nature thrives and changes, and fish have choices so they might not be as desperate as one is used to!

Of course the Pacific Northwest has no monopoly on beaver ponds. They can be found wherever there is cold, running water, lots of trees, and a population of eager beaver. I imagine they all offer similar fishing. But beaver ponds have not fared well in the face of metastasizing suburbs; many have been drained, bulldozed, filled in, or artificially landscaped to provide centerpieces for tasteless “developments.” Others, yet beyond the reach of subdivisions, have been spoiled by logging. So there aren’t as many beaver ponds as there used to be.

But there still are some good ones left—dark little jewels of water hidden back in the woods, filled with dark little jewels of trout. If you make the effort to find them and fish them, I promise you won’t be disappointed. Well, not all the time, anyway.

You know what would be a really effective way to get more beaver ponds? Go ahead, I’ll give you a minute.