Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

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“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
— J.R.R. Tolkien (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Yesterday was my official day off. For the past week I’ve been rushing around with Christmas chores, getting dinner for the parents or things ready for the new calendar year at the office. Soon there will be a Worth A Dam New Years dinner to get organized but yesterday was all my own. And I spent it languidly with my very favorite subject.

In the morning I got an email from a wildlife rehab woman in Illinois who had been contacted by another wildlife friend who had taken in an orphaned beaver at birth. She was looking for some help with socialization and long term placement and did I know anybody?

Gosh. Illinois. My only contacts there were the friends of the Lincoln Park beavers and one benevolent reporter, but I didn’t think they could help. I put out a general APB to all the beaver contacts in the country, and one to Canada for good luck. I figured someone might know someone that could help.

Leonard Houston (who has got to have plenty on his mind with the upcoming State of the beaver conference), nevertheless offered to ask a ‘friend’ in the Chicago area. I didn’t think much of it until last night, when I heard that his ‘friend’ was Donald Hey the keynote speaker of the conference and the co-founder of the Wetlands Initiative.

He also is executive director of Wetlands Research, Inc., which manages the Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project in Lake County, Illinois, one of the nation’s first large-scale wetland restoration projects. He formerly was president of Hey & Associates, an environmental services consulting firm.

So Dr. Hey wrote Len back and said, I be willing to offer that beaver plenty of wetlands and lots of friends if he’s in good health and the caregiver can take care of the paper work! I wrote back the woman excitedly and heard this morning that they are starting the process to get things moving. Imagine, what better life for a beloved beaver than a trip to the nation’s first large-scale wetlands restoration! It’s like sending your daughter to Stanford. I can imagine the tearful goodbye as the foster-mom camps out at the thawing pond to make sure the little orphan is accepted by a colony. Sniff.

They grow up so fast.

In a second burst of good news I heard from the Tri-State Bird Rescue and spoke to Rebecca Dunne Senior Coordinator of the Oiled Animal program. Remember the beaver dam that stopped the fuel-oil spill in South Carolina? She was concerned about the beavers based on what she read and had not been contacted by any local agencies. She said that number 2 fuel oil is so toxic that the fumes make the beavers ‘drunk’ before they even exit the lodge. They have an immediate reaction and are frequently observed acting erratically. (Which is logical, given what a huge neural load their  olefactory sense carries – the greatest proportion.) She said she would make a few phone calls to the wildlife agencies involved, but couldn’t jump in without being asked.  I said I understood and encouraged her to contact the city who may not have any idea of the risk to these beavers.

I’ll send the info to the reporter and city engineer and see what I can do. Then it’s off to make shortbread beaver cookies for dessert at the fourth annual Worth A Dam Ravioli feast.

One last thing, Eric the beaver is sitting in a Scottish prison with no family this New Years. Why don’t you send him some good cheer?

If your house is as windy as mine is this morning, you might enjoy this.


Breaking news!

Beaver Guru Mary O'Brien sent this this morning

Cheryl went looking for our ‘fancy ducks’ this morning and sends this photo of last nights beaver-chew party. She says everyone enjoyed the otter putting on a show at Starbucks and up and down the creek, catching big fish each time he dove. Photos to follow!

Fresh Chews at Ward St.







Hooded Merganser at beaver dam: Justin Watts 12/23/10




Check out our new Christmas visitors to the dam site! It’s a male (left) and female (right) pair of hooded mergansers. These are obligate nestors who may have come to inspect the wood duck boxes Mitchel installed. If we’re lucky they just might stick around. A trio of young birds came on valentine’s two years ago I’m guessing they were emissaries checking the place out. Apparently they liked what they saw.

Here’s hoping we see these someday….


My Dad was at the dam at dawn but saw no beaver ripples. I guess the family is busy inside the lodge opening their presents.  Just in case you don’t recognize the tree below, its willow frozen up!


Last night while we kept watch for beavers at the secondary dam where they’ve been recently spotted, they sneaked to the primary dam and gave a much awaited show to a young couple who had driven all the way from Modesto just to see them. They reported an adult and a kit but we don’t know if they saw Dad or GQ.

Meanwhile we were treated to a silent movie of the luckiest green heron ever who caught a MONSTROUS fish that was easily a third of his body length. He sat with it trapped in his beak for a long while, afraid to move it into swallowing position for fear it would get away. Then he embarked on the impossible task of turning it around working it into his throat, shaking the banana sized wriggling thing into his stomach. We saw the fish become a tail and then nothing at all.

For a moment after that the bird looked down at the water as if he still ought to find more fish. Then he seemed to feel the moving weight inside him and think better of it. With a repose worthy of an antacid commercial (“I can’t believe I at the whollllle thing”) he sat very still in the dark for the rest of the evening.

Have an excellent day what ever you do and here’s a little tradition I’ve grown very fond of.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Seven on committee
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eight eager muskrats
Seven on committee
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Nine children laughing
Eight eager muskrats
Seven on committee
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Ten news reporters
Nine children laughing
Eight eager muskrats
Seven on committee
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eleven cameras snapping
Ten news reporters
Nine children laughing
Eight eager muskrats
Seven on committee
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve hatching turtles
Eleven cameras snapping
Ten news reporters
Nine children laughing
Eight eager muskrats
Seven on committee
Six baby ducklings
Five City Council!
Four furry kits
Three watching women
Two adult beavers and
A Dam in Alhambra Creek

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