Creative Solutions Part II: Protecting Trees

Whacha Doing Wednesday Night?

heidi08 City Reports, In the News, Uncategorized July 15, 2008

The Alhambra Creek scraping/dredging project is on the the Agenda for the City Council Meeting, so it would be good to have warm beaver-supporting bodies on hand. The project is slated for the area next to the secondary dam, and there has been some concern that it might lead to dam removal, water loss and food reduction for our beavers. Councilman Mark Ross and new city Manager Philip Vince say that the work can be done without damaging the structure and preserving a portion of the tulles for the beavers to feed. They need us on hand to remind them all why it SHOULD be done.

The beavers use the secondary dam as a terrace feeding area. They’re enjoying tulle, fennel and willow from the area. This is giving a chance for our upstream trees to recover and increasing their visibility as they go beyond the three bridge viewing area. There has been some speculation as to whether they’re building a third dam farther downstream, but this appears to be an ungrounded, floating raft of debris, and not a dam. Beavers build dams from the bottom up, and not the top down.

Come to the meeting and support this important section of our beavers’ habitat. The dredging project has been on the planning calendar for a long time and is good for the overall health of our creek. There is no reason we can’t take care of our creek AND our beavers.

The punchline? Guess what’s really good at stopping silt from going downstream and clogging up marinas in the first place? Yup. Beaver Dams.

Worth an Eyrie? (Updated below)

heidi08 In the News, New Species July 11, 2008

Yesterday’s Gazette pointed out the new addition to the football field: a large nest atop one of the light platforms. The headline is “Bald Eagle Sets up Nest Atop Knowles Field”, but the body of the article quotes Susan Heckly of the Linsay Museum saying it may also be an Osprey.

Ya think?

Smart money is betting on the Osprey, as we have at least one productive pair downtown that comes back every summer and makes their home on the west hills. Usually I can watch them from the backyard. The article also suggested it might be a “juvenile bald eagle” and its worth mentioning that even if this was the case, the odds of it being recognized are very small. Young bald eagles (like young people, when you think of it) aren’t “bald”. It takes about four years for them to get their classic white head. In the meantime they look very much like a golden eagle.

Here’s a photo of a immature bald eagle, taken last year in the high sierras:

Here’s a mature bald eagle, taken last year in Alaska where they are practically as common as crows:

Here’s an osprey for comparison. This photo was taken in the everglades where they don’t have many high trees to choose from and so the birds are much more visible.

Notice the white chest and eye stripe. They are also a good deal smaller than eagles, but still large enough to make you draw a breath when you see one. Many years ago Jon and I were driving down highway one at Jenner when we suddenly noticed a heavy opsrey presence. Nearly 50 were filling up the skies, diving into the ocean, and scooping out their unlucky prey. We pulled over to watch in awe as bird after bird displayed its fishing prowess. There must have been some kind of fish run, a sudden temporary increase in food that drew predators from miles around. It was amazing.

The osprey was deeply hurt by our use of pesticides in the 70’s, (DDT in particular, which weakened the eggshells and meant that many were crushed) but it has made a remarkable comeback. Every fall we canoe the ocean rivers in Mendocino and we count a nesting pair every half mile or so. Walk the abandoned snake road trail and you will see several, on their way to and from the water, their fish tucked like torpedos under their feet. Ospreys usually nest on the tops of headless trees or on high flat platforms given to them by man (like the top of a football field light fixture) and you can often see these on powerpoles and the like.

Our crack wildlife team is on the mystery of this football-loving bird. We’ll get you photos soon…

UPDATE:

Okay, the droppings and discarded sticks under the nest definately give it that lived in appearance. For the final eagle/osprey answer we need an actual bird sighting. However, if you happen to stop by, check for pellets. Most birds of prey drop balls of undigested material (fur and bones) on the ground beneath their nest. Ospreys are fairly unique in that they usually don’t. If you see a pellet…we have eagles. In that unlikely event our poor bulldogs might have to sit this season out…

Meet the Beaver-Defenders of the North

heidi08 Beaver News, City Reports, In the News June 24, 2008

Fur-Bearer Defenders is a non-profit society dedicated to the prevention of cruel trapping. They are located in Vancouver, Canada, and were involved in the Surrey Beaver situation. They have been around for several decades, worked on a couple continents and know all the excuses humans give for harming wildlife. We swaped stories and invited the program coordinator, Fannya Eden, to guest blog.

From Fur-Bearer Defenders: There are many alternatives, such as pond leveler and other various types of water-flow devices that would allow us to live in harmony with our wildlife beavers. Among these alternatives, relocation is the last resort and should be done with the up most care. Trapping is cruel, and it is NOT a solution. Killing and removing the beavers from what is naturally their habitat will simply vacate the area for other beavers to move in. This only further perpetuates the cycle of cruelty and killing.

From The Province newspaper, June 7th, 2008:

… The killing hasn’t solved the flood-risk problem, a wildlife advocacy group said. “If one beaver is killed and removed, another beaver will actually move in,” said Fannya Eden, a project co-ordinator for the Fur-Bearer Defenders office in Vancouver. “That will just start the cycle of killing and cruelty.” “When they have family, what do you do? Trap the whole family? Do you take the parents and let the babies die?” Eden said there are various structures made of fencing, posts and tubes that can eliminate flood risk while allowing beavers to remain in their habitat.“It takes a bit of tweaking and care and maintenance to have the structures work,” Eden said. “There are ways we can coexist with beavers. It’s nice to have wildlife in our area and be able to observe them and take joy in watching them.” And beavers, she said, produce ecological benefits.

“Beavers are very important natural engineers,” she said. “They preserve the wetlands.”

We couldn’t agree more, Fannya! Thanks for all you do. It sounds there’s a little more work ahead in Surrey, where they’re now suggesting residents can “adopt” troublesome beavers. This is a cozier idea but still ignores the fact that if the habitat supports beavers, more will come. Let us know if there is anything Worth A Dam can do to help out!

The Beaver Days of Summer

admin Beaver News, In the News May 20, 2008

There has been a steady stream of water related news stories over the past month and just last week East Bay MUD was the first to impose water rationing in sixteen years. Once again I am reminded of what it is that beavers bring to the discussion; water.

Water rationing, I can somewhat remember the seventies with the bumper stickers that read, ‘save water – shower with a friend’; I remember being introduced to low flow shower heads and toilets in the nineties. Here we are in the 21^st century and in Martinez it seems some have forgotten the lessons of the past while ignoring today’s concerns and would eagerly let fresh water run through the town’s grasp, straight out to the straights (Carquinez that is) without a care or concern.

In addition to all of the other noteworthy changes beavers bring, they also help combat climate change; one dam at a time. One beaver supporter forwarded this link beavers offer solutions about a town in Utah that is reintroducing beavers in order to slow down and conserve snow melt so streams don’t see a boom/bust water cycle between spring and summer.

“In the Southwest U.S., biologists are talking about returning beavers to rivers they once inhabited in order to fight droughts – which are expected to get worse as the globe warms.”

The report cites concerns from local residents that closely echo concerns here. But the concerns for Martinez have been addressed in bold, workable, systematic solutions. It’s time for the city fathers to step up and look at this situation as a worthy opportunity to not only reinvent our town but fully embrace its commitment to doing our part in staving off the effects of climate change.

After this recent heat wave, I’d prefer the beaver to the dog days of summer.

Linda Meza

For further reading on beavers and climate change see Beavers are drought insurance printed in Conservation Magazine and the letter to the City of Martinez from Sharon Brown posted in our Featured Articles section.