Category: Uncategorized

Off to the Conference…

heidi08 Uncategorized November 6, 2010

Substitute the word Penguin with the word Beaver...

Ahh the subtle reference to the beaver reproduction menance! I’m pretty sure that what Mr. Trush meant to say wasn’t “If you have two beavers they’ll start damming your stream, trapping silt, improving water quality, and raising families that help them improve habitat for wildlife, coppice trees to bring in homes for new migratory birds and the next thing you know you have a sediment-rich meadow that takes care of native plants for years to come”. Hmm. Our wikipedia friend Rick who will be presenting at the conference this weekend has been exchanging emails about whether beavers were ever native in the area of Mono basin. (Of course they couldn’t live in Mono Lake as it is too salty even for them!) I thought I’d give you a glimpse of his efforts.

Non-native beaver arrives at Lee Vining Creek

Greg, Information Specialist

Beavers were introduced into Lundy Canyon long ago, and in recent years have been spreading to other nearby creeks such as Wilson Creek and DeChambeau Creek. Dead beavers have been seen more than once in the last several years along Mono Lake between Old Marina and Lee Vining Creek. About three weeks ago we were informed by Dr. Roland Knapp of beaver sign along Lee Vining Creek below the diversion dam.

So Rick wrote his usual thoughtful letter to Greg and introduced the research that suggests that the ‘introduction’ was actually a ‘re-introduction”. The mono lake specialist was very interested and eager to talk about these thoughts but noted that there was no documented visitation of Mono basin by Americans until 1852, and if there were trappers in the area earlier wouldn’t they have written about it? There was some fascinating back and forth, but I thought I’d give you Rick’s most recent letter as its a great summary of trapping activity in the region.

Peter Skene Ogden was complaining about Americans on the lower Humboldt in 1829 – 80 Americans to his 28 man fur brigade. Those early American trappers were likely not literature diary-keepers, instead they were lugging around beaver traps, pelts and guns. I think Americans were tramping all about the eastern Sierra and not writing any notes or records. Stephen Meek was on the Truckee, Carson and Walker Rivers in 1833 and setting traps. He does not tell his story until he is an old man. His brother Joe Meek gave his story to a newspaper in 1837, corroborating his brother’s later story. Ogden with the HBC regarded the Humboldt as the richest beaver river ANYWHERE. From these locations, the Mono Basin is a hop-skip and a jump for beaver who can travel dozens of miles overland in a day.

Beaver were ubiquitous from the arctic to northern Mexico, from Atlantic to Pacific, in every mountain range. Until Grinnell wrote in 1937 that there never were beaver in the Sierra Nevada, no other mountain range in the US or Canada had proved to be impassable to beaver. Grinnell relied on contemporary trappers’ accounts, despite him being an esteemed naturalist. His argument has never made sense, why would an animal as ubiquitous as the beaver find the Sierra so impenetrable? Versus the Rockies? Versus the Santa Catalina Mountains in southern Arizona (the San Pedro River used to be called the Beaver River)? So my simplest argument is, what kind of fiendish natural barrier would have kept them out of the Mono Basin? It makes sense they would not have lived in Mono Lake as they do not build lodges in saltwater (although they do in brackish Puget Sound in the Skagit River Delta).

With beaver so nearby historically in the Carson (which of course connects to the Humboldt River in wet years) as supported by trapper oral histories, Powers account of beaver fur strips in the hair of the Paiute, and a pre-European word for beaver in Washo, it is difficult to believe that an animal that can move dozens of miles in a day overland would not have found Lee Vining Creek. The beavers arriving there now likely found it the same way the historic beavers did, moving in from watersheds north or west in the Sierra, into the Mono Basin. Unless we think someone recently plopped them into Lee Vining Creek, isn’t the most parsimonious explanation simply that beaver have naturally RETURNED to their historic territory, as no real physical barrier was ever there to stop them?

Suitable habitat, ethnographic records, oral histories, trapper records, and the known ability of beaver to move from one watershed to the next, in my mind shifts the burden of proof to those that argue that beaver were never there. The argument that a lack of archaeological or historical records proves that beaver were not there historically is not a proof, it is just conjecture. For example, a look at FaunMap would lead you to conclude that there were never sea otter in Central Coastal California.

The presence of flat meadows with deeply incised, eroded channels suggests that some agent constructed the meadows. Repairing these with earth moving equipment doing pond and plug or major road building in meadows has lead to the recent discoveries of remnant beaver dam wood in the high Sierra. If similar efforts dig up some wood in the Mono Basin then, I agree, let’s get it to UN-Reno’s dendrochronology lab or radiocarbon date it!

Hmmm….the story just keeps unfolding, but as always Rick, we are grateful for your cheerful approach to history. If you would like to meet the historian in person you should come this weekend to the Santa Clara Creeks Conference in San Jose. “Dams: Beaver fever and Concrete Regrets”. I suppose you can guess which part we’ll be talking about!

Don’t forget to vote!

So Close and Yet So Far…

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Uncategorized, Who's Killing Beavers Now? October 24, 2010

A beaver dam at the Carriagetown Marketplace in Amesbury.Jim Vaiknoras/Staff

Hotel plan faces unusual foe in beavers

by: Lynne Hendricks

It’s a rainy sunday so lets go to Amesbury, Massachusetts where a fine developer known as the “True Homestead Partnership” wants to build a Hampton Inn near a shopping mall. Sounds delightful. Problem is there are some beavers living in a drainage ditch near the mall and the owners of the complex have not thought them to be a problem. They’re making one of those dastardly ponds and the water is interfearing with their building plans.

Their trouble is not from the Planning Board or Conservation Commission, which are currently reviewing the plan. It’s not from angry neighbors — at least not the kind that walk on two legs. It’s coming from a family of beavers living next door. The beavers live on land owned by Carriagetown Marketplace LLC, 15 acres that encompasses Stop and Shop and a number of retailers. It’s the plan of developers True Homestead Partners to use the parcel of land east of the marketplace for the hotel, a 10,000-square-foot retail complex and parking. But working within the confines of their 2.5 acre site, the beaver-made swamp may make it difficult to accomplish that. Mayor Thatcher Kezer said the town’s hands are tied when it comes to the nesting family. “Unless we determine it’s a public health hazard, it has to be the landowners who bring it forward,” Kezer said.

Well now that’s the start of exciting and unfolding drama. Lets get the popcorn. You’ll want to replay this every Christmas. Remember that Massachusetts is a state where body crushing traps are outlawed unless certain conditions are met. The trappers association is constantly whining about how hard it is to kill beavers now and twisting arms in the statehouse to get the law overturned. The argument in this article seems to be that the city can’t do anything unless public safety is at risk. That isn’t true. They could hire a trapper to use the woefully inconvenient and body-pampering traps if they wanted to. The beavers would be just as dead at the end of it. So what gives?

Does Kezer want to foce a big favor from Homestead before he’s willing to kill some beavers? Did someone from Carriagetown have a bad breakup with someone from Homestead? Does everybody in Amesbury love beavers? Or is there nobody willing to go in the water this time of year? I wrote the Mayor, the spokeswoman from Audubon and the paper that Beaver Solutions are waiting just two hours away. I guess I’m not complaining that everyones throwing up their hands and saying we can’t trap. It’s just confusing. Trust me it gets worse

It is illegal to tear open or disturb an active beaver dam unless one obtains a permit, which isn’t easy to obtain. But while the beaver’s mass of bundled sticks and mud can’t be destroyed, the law allows landowners some options. Unfortunately for the animals, those options for the most part involve killing them. There’s only one method that provides a win-win for the beaver and developer. Water-level control devices, for instance, make the beaver habitat less desirable, as long as one has a permit. The theory behind the measures is to alter the dam in a way that can’t be fixed by the animals, and hence ultimately persuades the critters to move on. But this option can be tricky since beavers are attuned to the sounds of water escaping their dam and by instinct will move quickly to shore up any weaknesses in their home. Other than that, the law does not provide any other means of relocating the animals.

Did you get that? This article begins with a flourish worthy of the 1812 overature. There’s only one method that provides a win-win for the beaver and the developer. WATER CONTROL DEvICES!!!!!!!!!Wow I got all excited and for a minute there thought I was in love. The next sentence changed everthing, as we dropped from 1812 overture to ‘theme from Hee-Haw“. Flow devices”Make the beaver habitat less desirable. and ultimately persuade the critters to move on”. Is there a mark on my forehead? I keep slapping it when I read STUPID articles. Ahhh Lynne, you were this close.

I’m not sure where you got that misinformation from. Did Mr. Kezer tell you that water control devices make beavers go away? Did Ms. Rines from Audubon? Did you read it on a cereal box? Just so you know. If flow devices made beavers move on, they would be a complete waste of time and a wasted investment. Because new beavers would just move in. Just like when you trap. The point of flow devices is to preserve the conditions that the humans need (lower dam, unblocked culvert) in such a way that the beavers can tolerate it. Then they stay in the area and mark the territory and keep any other beavers from moving in.

Oh and Lynne? beavers do walk on their hind legs.

That’s mom carrying mud and sticks onto the old lodge, BTW. This footage was shot by Moses Silva about two years ago Ahh mom, we miss you. Nice to see you again.

Some of our lucky viewers might notice a new image in your menu bar and bookmark. I figured out yesterday how to do the favicon we used to have on the old site, but I thought the logo was a little mishapen so I tried this instead. It may take a while to show on your site, but it should eventually. This is a silhouette designed by Libby Corliss based on a photo taken by Cheryl Reynold. Thanks ladies!

The Good Beaver News

heidi08 Uncategorized October 20, 2010

If you’re like me, you get tired of the same old beaver bad news stories out there – beaver trapping in New York, beaver flooding in Maine, beavers getting scraped out of the watershed in Chico – it’s all a little depressing. So this morning I have a special treat to take you solidly through the rest of your week. Let’s call it the Beaver Good News!

This morning I heard from our friends at Tahoe that they had a very productive meeting with public works and showed the beaver management DVD. I’ll let Denise explain for herself:

Just wanted to let you know the meeting with Cheryl and Peter from public works at King’s Beach went really well. He welcomed the opportunity to learn more about solutions and after viewing the video realized how simple it is to deal with beaver issues. I really believe this whole thing was borne out of ignorance and his willing to work with us is promising. They are setting up a community meeting in the next few weeks and will work on how to fix the problems together as a community. Gee-what a concept huh? Anyway he seems to want to set an example here in the Tahoe Basin-let’s hope that happens!

Wow! I’m so happy to read that Tahoe will consider being smarter than a beaver! It’s fantastic that people could look at actual explanations and feel new solutions are possible. Wouldn’t it be great if the place people go to see nature actually started working with nature?

Speaking of humane solutions, my letter to the Reporter was printed today, and beaver friend WHG writes that his letter will be printed in Scottish wildlife:

Why does the SNH report referred to in Wider News (issue 71) comment on a potential disturbance to trees by beavers? Of course they are going to be disturbed. They are going to be cut down and then they are going to coppice and grow again. These are willows, poplars, aspens and so forth. They grow like weeds. By cutting them down, the beavers let light into the bottom story of the surrounding forest, benefiting herbs shrubs and grasses, and creating meadows for grazing animals. In other words they are diversifying the terrestrial environment, not to mention, of course their huge beneficial effect on the water environment. William Hughes-Games, New Zealand

And finally, in response to this issue of “who’s killing beavers now” Sharon Brown of Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife is sending the following letter;

As a biologist who has focused on lasting solutions to beaver problems for twenty years, I’m writing about the Waddington Town Board’s plan to trap beavers (10/16/10 story). Studies show that removing beavers gives only an expensive, short-term solution as area survivors will migrate ten miles or more into the empty habitat.

Waddington’s Animal Control Officer initially had the right response when he advised landowners to protect their trees (our educational nonprofit has detailed information about this: see BeaversWW.org). Leave any trees already felled, so they won’t be stimulated to cut more. Being proactive once is much less costly than repeatedly hiring trappers.

Many people are unaware that beavers have natural population control because each family posts and protects a large territory from other paddle-tails, they reproduce only once a year and litter size relates to the food available. But when the resident beavers are killed, others in the area respond with larger litters.

Kits stay with their parents for two years and need to be cared for by a wildlife rehabber when the adults are killed. Liability is a growing concern as pet dogs and rare species have died in the Conibear traps set for beavers. This has led to hefty lawsuits.

Win-win solutions are available that benefit both nature and taxpayers.

Now, if your heads aren’t too full of good beaver news from sea to shining sea, go read this article about beaver relocation by our friends at the Lands Council. Joe Cannon says the article is riddled with colorful misunderstandings but the gist is clearly communicated.

The nine beavers were live-trapped by The Lands Council, a Spokane-based nonprofit. They’ll be released on private property near Priest River, where the landowner wants beaver dams and ponds for wildlife habitat and water storage.

The Lands Council has identified 10,000 miles of Eastern Washington’s creeks and streams where beaver could be re-established. Beaver dams connect streams to the flood plain, storing water and slowing a river or creek’s velocity. Their ponds also create rich habitat areas for other wildlife.

“We’re trying to monitor the ways that beavers change the ecosystem,” said Joe Cannon, beaver program assistant.

Just so you know, I met Joe when he asked about beavers in captivity on Mike’s beaver management forum on facebook. He and Amanda are coming to present at the State of the beaver conference in Oregon. Is the beaver world small enough for you or what?

A Beaver in Every Creek

heidi08 Uncategorized October 18, 2010

House Keeping and Updates from the Beaver Wars:

The new look for the site is Scott’s own design. It’s a work in progress, so let me know if there’s anything that doesn’t work on your browser – (except for the slideshow, I know that doesn’t work but I can’t bear to part with it just yet. It is the artwork of the first children’s activity we ever did.) Thanks for the repeated rescues Scott and hopefully I’m having a learning curve in there somewhere. In the meantime look at that cute little beaver symbol beside my name. Isn’t that lovely?

LEWISTON I was contacted yesterday by some concerned folks in the Maine beaver story who say that the city has politely received all the information and contacts I sent and is still throwing up its collective hands helplessly, determined to trap because its the “ONLY SOLUTION”. I sent them proof of everything they had already been told and nudged Skip to give them a call today. Fingers Crossed.

KINGS BEACH I heard this morning from another Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care employee that Cheryl is meeting with public works and Caltrans to talk specifics for what the do the next time this happens. I had already asked Denise, (who wrote me after their protest), to guest blog about the event. I got her column yesterday and I thought I’d pass it along to you. See if it doesn’t bring back old memories for you...

The scene was like a 60’s peace rally re-created. Things were different though. It was 2010 and the ones holding the signs were children -little children! The signs read “Don’t Kill Our Beavers” and “Save the Beavers”.

The heartbreaking part was that the children didn’t realize their beloved Beavers were already dead. They had been trapped and killed just a day or so before. This took place in King’s Beach Ca. yesterday. The beavers had been killed just last year due to “possible” flooding issues from the pond they created next to Hwy 28. The Public Works Dept. sited damage to public property as the reason.

This year’s “fiasco” has been unfolding for a week or so. The Public Works Dept. started by destroying the beaver’s dam daily. Of course the poor beavers spent all night cutting down more and more trees to try to rebuild their home. Finally – everything was trucked away and the beavers sat in a mud hole-bewildered and confused. Parents of the local co-op school volunteered to keep watch but “sometime” between Tuesday and Friday the trapper came and killed the family of beavers.

The area “was” a lovely grassy area adjacent to the creek and beaver dam where people came to watch the happy family doing their daily “beaver chores”. Yesterday some of the parents swear they saw blood in the grass from the beaver’s death. So sad and unnecessary! The ironic part is that after the dam was removed we got heavy rains and sediment and material from the dam washed in to Lake Tahoe-something that would have been prevented “if” the dam was left in place-!!!

It’s all about “Keeping Tahoe Blue” here and this did not fit in well with this logo! The children adopted the Beaver as their mascot and watched them daily. What kind of a message did we send to these children?? We want to promote “eco-tourism” here. Again-what kind of a message did killing the local wildlife send? If they had just waited a few days more we could of helped them to find a way to save the family of beavers. I love the way the “responsible parties” say the beavers are “gone’ or “taken care of“, they themselves not wanting to tell the inquiring children they are already dead! Call it what it is-“they” obtained the permit to have them killed!

Moving forward-Cheryl Millham from Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care spoke with Peter Kraatz from Placer Public Works during the “rally” and he agreed to meet with her “one-on-one” and discuss alternatives such as beaver deceivers. I really believe this killing was born out of ignorance and “they” thought this was the only way! Thanks to Cheryl “they” will now be educated and hopefully set an example for other cities such as Martinez did. The sad part is that this happens all over the Lake Tahoe area. We received the video on beaver solutions from Mike Callahan at Beaver Solutions LLC today and plan to have Public Works at Kings Beach view and learn from it during the first meeting. Maybe “they” can set an example for other Public Works depts. I watched the informative video myself and was amazed at how simple and economical the solutions actually are. Some of the people at the public works dept. are engineers and if they can’t figure it out -we’re in trouble! A committee has been formed and I believe this CAN be resolved and “hopefully” not happen again-at least not in Kings Beach! Hopefully next year the children from the school who’s mascot is the Beaver will again have the privilege of studying them and watching them daily. Time will tell!

Thanks Denise for the heart-felt story telling. We wish you the best of luck. I’m going to suggest that you read The opposite of Camoflaug” over and over again for inspiration in the coming months. Beaver Festival Tahoe anyone?