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

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A raw deal for our nocturnal friends, but lucky for us!

National Geographic: Ker Than

The summer solstice is recognized and often celebrated in many cultures around the world, in both the past and present. The ancient Egyptians, for example, built the Great Pyramids so that the solstice sunset, when viewed from the Sphinx, sets precisely between two of the Pyramids.

The Inca of South America celebrated the summer solstice with a ceremony called Inti Raymi, which included food offerings and sacrifices of animals and maybe even people. And perhaps most famously, Stonehenge in the United Kingdom has been associated with the winter and summer solstices for about 5,000 years. Observers in the center of the standing stones can watch the summer solstice sun rise over the Heel Stone, which stands just outside Stonehenge’s stone circles.

For many of the ancients, though, the summer solstice wasn’t just an excuse to party or pray—it was essential to their well-being. Associated with agriculture, the summer solstice was a reminder that a turning point in the growing season had been reached.

“The calendar was very important—much more important than it is now,” said Ricky Patterson, an astronomer at the University of Virginia. “People wanted to know what was going to happen so that they could be ready.”

Do you know what else is really good to do on the day with the most daylight hours of 2010? Watch the Martinez Beavers of course. Since they have the shortest night in which to feed they are likely to risk coming out in the twilight hours and stick around for the morning. Sunset is 8:34. Twilight is civil 9:06. Nautical twilight 9:45. Astronomical twilight 10:30. You can bet worth a dam will be there to keep track of their pagan festivities.

There are actually three types of twilight during this time of year: civil, nautical and astronomical. Civil twilight occurs in the first half hour before sunrise or after sunset, when the sun is less than six degrees below the horizon. Nautical twilight is so named because the horizon is still visible enough for navigation (even though the sun is six to 12 degrees below the horizon.) Astronomical twilight occurs when the sun is 12 to 18 degrees below the horizon. It’s only when the sun is a full 18 degrees below the horizon that the stars become visible.

Darragh Worland

And then of course there’s beaver twilight, when its utterly too dark to see anything and you know full well you should go home and put out the recycling but you stay out anyway because now there’s three.

If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

Lewis Carrol

And in case you need a comforting glimpse of the human response to the oil apocalypse in the gulf, check out these images from the Annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.  Some people get it.



This was my introduction to the “Close to Home” speech last week. I thought it would be good to mention because now that there are two kits visible we are hearing the whining sound again. Apparently, its persuasive effect hasn’t diminished.


The Accidental Advocate

If I had a plan for my life saving beavers surely wasn’t in it. I got involved in the beginning just because I was curious. Someone I don’t know and never saw again said ‘have you seen the beavers’ and I never had. I had never made a movie, never written an article, never spoken at up a meeting. The night the city announced the beavers would be killed I stopped by starbucks on the way home and saw two kits feeding on the bank. They make noise, did you know that? They kind of whine uh uh uh to eachother it happens when one has something the other wants, or whenever mom’s anywhere near. I heard that noise and my heart just clutched. When would I ever hear that sound again? Did the people who decided these beavers must die even now it existed? I know that was the moment I decided to become a beaver defender. I didn’t think about duration –maybe I’d give it a weekend, maybe a week. I figured the whole thing would blow over in a matter of months. Boy was I wrong.


Photo: Cheryl Reynolds

Ahhh the new baby always brings out the best in family and friends. Today this photo ran in the San Francisco Chronicle with a very glowing article by longtime beaver-beat reporter Carolyn Jones. The article has an “alls well that ends well” feeling, and quotes from Skip Lisle and Dave Scola as well.  I, of course, wish she had mentioned Worth A Dam or the beaver festival in the article (an article entirely structured around my press release and our half hour interview, including the latin for beaver!) but at least she got the story straight and the details of our very special family in print for all to see. And, most important, it was the first beaver article in history without a single “pun” in the title to indicate that this wasn’t “important news” and the story shouldn’t be taken seriously. You can help us out by “voting” for my comment so that the important things Carolyn forgot to mention get mentioned!

As if that wasn’t enough good news for one morning, my post yesterday about the contest in Lithuania prompted this heroic response from Alex Hiller, our foreign correspondent in Frankfurt Germany.

Thank you for your information about Riga beavers at risk. As a participant of the 5th International Beaver Symposium in Vilnius, Lithuania, the previous year I decided instantly to go to Riga, Latvia, checking on the beaver site and considering proper solutions to keep the beavers. I just got a Lufthansa flight ticket to Riga, Latvia, departing in Frankfurt, Germany on July 21 for a week to be spent over there. Expect online reports and photos as your approved foreign correspondent.
Best Alex

Skip Lisle & Alex Hiller at 5th annual Beaver Symposium in Lithuania

Alex tells me that he’s already hard at work, translating articles and looking up photos. I can’t tell you how pleased and proud we are of your committment Alex! On behalf of the beavers of baltic countries everywhere, THANK YOU!!!

One more act of kindness worth mentioning comes from our good web designer friend Jean Matuska of JM Design. I was beginning to receive ominous error messages when I posted new articles on the website, something dire about a “Fatal error” which terrified me. Jean went searching through her tool kit and  figured out the solution, redesigning our memory limits and voila! No more fatalities! Thanks so much Jean! We will leave a smaller data footprint in the future!

If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

Lewis Carrol


Remember the Lithuanian city of Riga whose beavers were elegantly removing trees from the Opera house?

Baltic Beavers!

Beavers have felled several trees in the heart of the capital of Latvia, by the Canal, Riga City Council’s Riga Gardens and Parks Director Agnis Kalnkazins (People’s Party) informed LETA.

Is this a “dog bites man story” or what? “Beavers fell trees! News at 11″. Soon to be followed by: “Enthusiastic Dog returns stick again and again!” “Rare pirate squirrel buries nut treasure in yard” and “Feline windpipe obstruction revealed to be hair cluster!”

LETA observed today that beavers have torn down one tree in front of the Latvian National Opera, by the Alfreds Kalnins Monument; another nearby tree has been seriously damaged.

A bystander tree was wounded in the crossfire, but escaped with minor injuries.

Kalnkazins points out that battling beavers is difficult due to the fact that hunting them is prohibited and there are no resources for wrapping wire gauze around the trees to protect them.

Did that just say there are no resources for wire? Just how poor is this country? We are talking about a memorial and an Opera House. How can there be a country in which people have enough money erect a memorial and see opera but not enough to buy wire? Maybe we should start a collection? Invite Bono? Live-Wire Aid?

Well apparently they didn’t read the website because the city needs some answers, STAT! They are patiently delaying beaver killing by three months to give the townsfolk time to suggest solutions to the vaguely described intolerable problems. If a remedy can be found, their beaverish lives will be saved. If not, no one will then blame them for using the final solution. Remember this is the country that was host to the 5th International Beaver Symposium this year. I cannot imagine that ample solutions have not been offered.

But because some members of the committee did not want to be associated with killing the animals, the panel decided to launch a competition for ideas on how to deal with the beavers.“If by the autumn a better way is found to deal with the situation than catching these beavers and putting them down, then that could be done,” Diena quoted Riga city official Askolds Klavins as telling the committee.

I don’t mean to startle you, but brace yourselves. Sadly, this is obviously a pretend competition. Riga already knew the solutions  earlier when they were quoted as saying they didn’t have money for wire. The beaver symposium was held at Vytuatas Manus University a short three hour drive from Riga. I have personally written the city about painting with sand (less costly than wire!) and they know very well what to do. The public-opinion-phobic committee is simply waiting until autumn to give them cover for the beaver killing they originally decided to do back in January.

Nice wrapping, Riga. Too bad you can’t invest as much attention in your watershed.

If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

Lewis Carrol

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