Category: In the News

Valley of the Moon

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, In the News, Uncategorized February 20, 2011

“What a coincidence!” Mrs. Hale exclaimed. “For this is the Valley of the Moon.” “I know it,” Saxon said with quiet confidence. “It has everything we wanted.” “But you don’t understand, my dear. This is the Valley of the Moon. This is Sonoma Valley. Sonoma is an Indian word, and means the Valley of the Moon. That was what the Indians called it for untold ages before the first white men came. We, who love it, still so call it.”

Jack Lonon: The Valley of the Moon

So I’m off to Jack London country this week, apparently the Miwok and Pomo thought the moon (or moons) rose from this region. Makes sense to me. I spent yesterday coaxing my Martinez Beaver presentation from its whittled 40 minutes-slot in Oregon into the 90 minutes I’ll have in Sonoma. I hope to spread the beaver gospel to the curious and disbelieving in attendance. I hear it will be a challenge. A few years back some very California beavers ate the grapevines in the area and caused quite a stir among the community. The reporter from the tribune and Tom Rusert my host asked me specifically to address issue this so I spent some time on the conundrum and did some investigations while I had the chance!

At the conference Leonard Houston and the Oregon folk said exclusion fencing > Mike Callahan offered the idea of electric fencing installed at a 6 inch height> Skip Lisle by email suggested maybe having it on a solar panel>and Brock Dolman said that solar paneled livestock fencing was used all the time. He pointed out that electric wire comes in different thicknesses for the different livestock you’re trying to control, and recommended poultry wire for beavers. Everyone liked this idea provided that care was taken to watch that beavers, who do not climb, don’t dig under the fence!

So there you have it. The benefit of many experts in one room. Hopefully we can persuade a few brave and humane souls to try it out.

Speaking of experts at the conference, Dr. Ursula Bechert, DVM, Ph.D. from Oregon State University asked me to post the description of her upcoming study using beavers as an indicator species to measure Persistent Organic Pollutants at higher elevations, where they are observed to accumulate. Beavers are studied because they are exposed twice (land and water) and provide a useful read of the data available. Hmmm I knew beavers had a harder job than humans! On a related note I heard from Dr. Glynnis Hood yesterday that she was pleased with the article in the Globe and Mail but disappointed that the temperature in Alberta that day was -36C degrees. (!!!) I think I will stop complaining right away. Still I’m thinking she may have to add some seasonal soap-bubble experiments to her extensive beaver research.

Loose Ends

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers elsewhere, In the News, kits, Who's Killing Beavers Now? February 13, 2011

Damlet 2/12/11: Cheryl Reynolds Cheryl stopped by to take some pictures before the flyway festival so you could see the work in progress. Isn’t it a beauty? You can see it’s mostly made of reeds and mud, which is a great way to start a dam! Our wikipedia friend has just posted this update on the Owen’s Beavers bruhaha in LA. As usual, its some nicely referenced writing. Hopefully it will get the attention of some one in the media! Ecology The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) haOurs recently decided to trap beaver (Castor canadensis) out of the Owens Valley, claiming that beaver are damming flows into their diversions of water to Los Angeles.¹This decision runs counter to an independent assessment commissioned by LADWP and the Inyo County Water Department in 1997, where it was recommended that beaver be maintained in reasonable populations and their dams left in place because “Although beaver activity has resulted in the removal of much willow and other shrub and woody vegetation and the dams create favorable tule conditions and reduce fish spawning habitat, they also provide important fish rearing habitat, mesic meadows, and promote the growth of other riparian species. It is most likely that the physical removal of beaver dams will result in more adverse environmental impacts than environmental benefits.”²Beaver were re-introduced to the Owens Valley by the California Department of Fish and Game in 1948 in Baker Creek, and have since spread throughout the Owens Valley.³ Although it is controversial whether beaver were once native to the Owens Valley, there is growing evidence that they were native to the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. In particular, the northern Paiuteof Walker Lake, Honey Lake and Pyramid Lake have a word for beaver su-i’-tu-ti-kut’-teh ⁴. When Stephen Powers visited the northern Paiute to collect Indian materials for the Smithsonian Institution in preparation for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, he reported that the northern Paiute wrapped their hair in strips of beaver fur, made medicine from parts of beaver and that their creation legend included beaver.⁵ In addition, fur trapper Stephen Hall Meek “set his traps on the Truckee River in 1833”, which strongly suggests that he saw beaver or beaver sign.6 Supporting this line of evidence, Tappe records in 1941 an eyewitness who said beaver were plentiful on the upper part of the Carson River and its tributaries in Alpine County until 1892 when they fell victim to heavy trapping.⁷ ^ “LA to hire beaver trappers for Owens Valley”. 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2011-02-12. ^ (1997) Technical Memorandum #3 Distribution and Abundance of Beaver in the Lower Owens River. Ecosystem Sciences. (Report). Retrieved 2011-02-12. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Baker Creek ^ Richard E. Warner, Kathleen M. Hendrix (1984). California riparian systems: ecology, conservation, and productive management. University of California Press. p. 80.ISBN 9780520050358. Retrieved 2011-02-12. ^ ^a ^b Don D. Fowler, Catherine S. Fowler, Stephen Powers (Summer-Autumn, 1970).“Stephen Powers’ “The Life and Culture of the Washo and Paiutes””. Ethnohistory, Vol. 17, No. 3/4: 117–149. Retrieved 2011-02-12. ^ Jesse D. Mason (1881). History of Amador County. Oakland, California: Thompson & West. Retrieved 2011-02-12. ^ Tappe, Donald T. (1942). “The Status of Beavers in California”. Game Bulletin No. 3(California Department of Fish & Game): 14. Retrieved 2011-02-12. Gosh wikipedia beaver editor. You’re the BEST! A final note, just got word from Stan (The president of SURCP) that he received the copy of my presentation and his VERY OWN KEYSTONE SPECIES charm bracelet! He says thank you very much!

Paying Attention…

heidi08 Creative Solutions, Environmental, In the News January 4, 2011

Beaver dams a model for river restorers

River restorers who consider the role of beavers could save money and create a more natural environment. (CBC)

River restorers can learn a lesson from the beaver that will produce a more natural ecosystem and save money, U.S. researchers say. Taking out old man-made mill dams on rivers and streams is a popular practice in New England and certain other states, said Melinda Daniels, an associate professor of geography at the Kansas State University in Manhattan, Ka.

Let’s be honest, there is really only one part of this story that’s surprising. We all know that beaver dams have enormous restorative effects on streams, and we all know that they’re a model of environmental responsibility. The only part that comes as a shock is that there’s a place in Kansas called “Manhattan“. Who knew?

Denise Burchsted from the University of Connecticut was lead author — with two other researchers and Daniels — of The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications to Baseline Conditions for Restoration of Forested Headwaters. The article appeared in a recent issue of BioScience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Science

“The River Discontinuum” is the finest phrase I have ever encountered. Here’s a link to the paper. The title seems to wink from existence like something from a Wrinkle in time. I sense that Denise very much would like to find beaver friends across the country, and will write her immediately. In the meanwhile go read the comments on the CBC page. The mood about beavers is changing in Canada. If we aren’t very careful they’re going to get the answer long before we do.

Billions of dollars are being spent in the United States to restore rivers to a desired, yet often unknown, reference condition. In lieu of a known reference, practitioners typically assume the paradigm of a connected watercourse. Geological and ecological processes, however, create patchy and discontinuous fluvial systems. One of these processes, dam building by North American beavers (Castor canadensis), generated discontinuities throughout precolonial river systems of northern North America. Under modern conditions, beaver dams create dynamic sequences of ponds and wet meadows among free-flowing segments. One beaver impoundment alone can exceed 1000 meters along the river, flood the valley laterally, and fundamentally alter biogeochemical cycles and ecological structures. In this article, we use hierarchical patch dynamics to investigate beaver-mediated discontinuity across spatial and temporal scales. We then use this conceptual model to generate testable hypotheses addressing channel geomorphology, natural flow regime, water quality, and biota, given the importance of these factors in river restoration.

Abstract: The River Discontinuum:

Applying Beaver Modifications to Baseline Conditions for Restoration of Forested Headwaters

Denise Burchsted, Melinda Daniels, Robert Thorson and Jason Vokoun

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Environmental, In the News, Uncategorized, Why We Care September 24, 2010

See this pretty fish? Its called the watercress darter, which is a pretty delightful sounding name. It’s endangered in the only state where it occurs: Alabama. There is in fact only one parish where it occurs: Jefferson. Even in Jeffersen Fish & Game lists only four streams where it is known to survive! The largest of these is Roebuck Springs Basin. which is dubiously located between the Youth correctional facility and the municipal golf course.

They are found only at mid-depths in dense accumulations of aquatic vegetation including watercress, in springs and spring runs.

Guess what the city of Birmingham did? I’ll give you a hint. It’s what the City of Martinez tried to do. It’s what many many cities do routinely. Its what the left hand corner of this website outlines on a daily basis.

They killed some beavers! Destroyed some dams and got the creek flowing back to normal.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (CN) – The removal of a beaver dam from the Roebuck Springs Basin killed “thousands of endangered watercress darters and around two million snails,” and destroyed half their habitat, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources claims in Shelby County Court. The agency says Birmingham employees did not consult state or federal authorities about the “consequences or wisdom of removal of the dam.”

The city “knew or should have known that removing a beaver dam and surrounding natural structures would potentially disrupt the water level of the Basin and its inhabitants,” the agency claims.It says the destruction of the dam caused a “serious dewatering event” that not only killed fish and snails, but also drained 80 to 90 percent of their habitat.

Watercress darters are protected fish that live in only four springs, all in Jefferson County, Ala. About 11,760 darters were killed when workers for the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Department removed the beaver dam on Sept. 19. 2008, according to the lawsuit.

The action charges them with five counts including negligence, wantonness, nuisance and tresspass to chattel. There aren’t very many of these fish left, and what remains of their numbers belong to the state. So doing something that destroys the largest population of them in the state is a big deal. The lawsuite demands that the court award damages equal to the cost of replacing every one of those 11,760 darters for starters. The action itself is a fun read, go here to see the complaint.

I’ll make sure I include this story in my next “it’s unwise to kill beavers because…” letter. Its been a while since we had a good beaver lawsuit. Whatever happens, lets hope the story makes the city of Birmingham a little cautious about removing a beaver dam next time and becomes a cautionary tale that makes every city think twice.

When I went to check out footage of the darters on youtube I found this, which brought me to the reporting of Glynn Wilson. Turns out Fish and Game has been trying to get some satisfaction and answers on this story for a long time before involving the courts. In fact, Fish & Game was so alarmed they asked the city to rebuild the dam out of sandbags!

It’s a fascinating tale that made the evening news many times. There were claims that the tennis courts were being flooded by the dams, and countering observations that the courts were the highest point on the property and never ever flooded. There are photos of the area before the beavers were killed and the area after the dams were taken out and concrete sink holes placed in. The whole story is such a hardy collection of lies and more lies that you can see how it got to the level of a lawsuit.

Remember this is Alabama, people. No offense, but these aren’t crazy liberals from Berkeley protesting damage of mottled newt habitat. These are hunters and fishers and people who know how to kill a beaver or two. That just makes the story much more fun, in my opinion. Sorry about your pretty fish. I hope you scare the wrasse outta the city and lots of cities near by.

Beaver Benefits

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, In the News, Why We Care September 18, 2010

There are a few things I set aside for reading later – you know truly remarkable affirming news that you can savor at leisure. I would include Summer’s issue of Defenders of Wildlife in that catagory. Particularly the article called “Eager for Beavers” by Heidi Ridgley. If you haven’t read it go do your self a favor and check it out.

“These dams act like speed bumps,” says O’Brien, a botanist and Utah forests program manager for the Arizona-based Grand Canyon Trust. “If water hits one, it wells up over the flood plain, slowing down the water. If that dam crashes and burns in the flood, the water will hit another one like stair steps. The rushing water gets slowed at every turn.”

The generous article stars two of my favorite heroes; Mary O’Brien who I first read about in the Greatest Beaver Story Ever Written, and Sherri Tippie who I talked in a panic to on November 6th, 2007 to see about getting our beavers safely relocated. It lovingly outlines the good that beavers do for the watershed, and talks about our foolish human habit of killing them. It even outlines specific tools to regulate problematic behavior, although I think she got the names reversed.

Solutions to the diverging needs of humans and beavers do abound, though—and they come with clever names: “beaver deceivers” and “castor masters” (Castor being the Latin genus for beaver). Deceivers work by allowing water from a beaver-dammed pond—water that is about to back up and flood over a road, for instance—to escape without the beaver ever hearing it trickle away. “The sound of water running drives beavers nuts,” says O’Brien. “They will try to plug up the leaks.” The pond is kept at the desired level by inserting a pipe in the dam that allows the water to release underwater—right under the beaver’s nose. Castor masters are wire fences with strong posts. They keep beavers from plugging up culverts, which divert water under roads to avoid wash-outs. In this case, beavers hear the water but they can’t get access to the culvert to plug it.

The beaver-savvy folk of Martinez know that what we have in Martinez is a Castor Master, and that culvert defenses are beaver deceivers. Oh well, I’m sure Heidi’s head was filled with lots of ideas and questions at once. She got the idea that beavers help the environment. She got the idea that there were ways to solve problems. And she got the idea that some kinds of rhyming words were involved, which is more than most. I wish she would would have included the generic term ‘flow devices’ so the options can be more generally discussed. If someone reads this article and puts a ‘beaver deceiver’ on a dam they’ll be very disappointed.

This is my favorite part of the article and why Mary is my personal beaver hero.

“People sometimes get excited to tell me they’ve seen a beaver dam,” says O’Brien. “They have no concept that there should be 15 in that one area. We don’t have the cultural memory of how many beaver dams used to fill a stream because the beavers were mostly gone before white people settled here.” Tasha Creek is an exception with its 17 active beaver dams.

Mary was very intrigued this year by the idea of our beaver festival. I got the feeling she might just make the trip and visit some day. In the mean time the author of the article was disappointed that she never got to see any beavers on their trek. Heidi? Do I have some good news for you! The article ends with this adorable acknowledgment.

As a little girl, Senior Editor Heidi Ridgley’s favorite stuffed animal was a beaver she named Thumper.

Because that was a great article and you had a stuffed beaver named Thumper Heidi, you get my thanks and a present. Let me know when you’re in the Bay Area and I’ll take you to see some beavers that will not disappoint.