GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN!

It’s Christmas eve and another no burn day here in the Bay Area as unauthorized fires continue to rage in Southern California. The Thomas fire has now become the largest fire in California history, giving the wine country a run for it’s money. At least it is now 78% contained, which is something to be grateful for. Maybe a few lucky firefighters will even get part of Christmas morning off.

Meanwhile there’s plenty of good beaver news to deck the halls with. I believe that in it’s history the huge Canadian paper The Globe and Mail has run two glowing articles on the benefits of beavers. I am going to say the first was when Glynnis Hood book first came out in 2011. Get ready for the second.

Pilot projects are already transforming local landscapes and water flows, cutting down on flooding and creating habitats for an array of plants, insects and birds, Paul Waldie writes

The humble beaver has been part of the Canadian landscape for centuries and the quest for beaver pelts shaped the nation’s history. But now these industrious rodents are making a comeback in Britain where their engineering prowess is being used to help stop flooding and regenerate wetlands.

Beavers hadn’t been seen in Britain for around 400 years after they were wiped out by hunters who prized the animals for fur, meat and glandular oil, which was used as a treatment for headaches. Now they are returning, thanks to a handful of pilot projects in England and Scotland that have reintroduced colonies into the countryside. Scientists say the small number of beavers has already transformed the local landscapes and changed the flow of water, which has cut down on flooding and created new habitats for a wide array of plants, insects and birds.

But not everyone is happy about their return. Farmers and sheep ranchers worry that beavers will become pests by blocking waterways and spreading diseases that can be harmful to humans and animals. A recent Scottish study found that 21 beavers in the controlled areas had been shot in the past four years and the National Farmers’ Union has insisted that there must be appropriate precautions in place for farmers before any widespread release of beavers.

Those who have worked on beaver programs say the benefits of the creatures far outweigh any problems for farmers.

“We’re a small island and we’re slightly small-minded often when it comes to sharing our island with species that we’ve gotten rid of in previous centuries,” said Stephen Hussey of the Devon Wildlife Trust,which has run a beaver project along the River Otter near Exeter since 2015. “They are a species that could come back very rapidly into our landscape and, we think, do a really good job for human beings as well.”

Now that’s a great quote. Small island and small-minded. Excellent and memorable language Mr. Hussey.

Today, there are about 26 beavers in the colony and their presence has led to the creation of a marsh area filled with wild flowers, water beetles, frogs, herons, kingfishers, grass snakes, bats and a host of insects. The dozen or so beaver dams have also controlled the water flow and helped filter out phosphates and excessive fertilizer.

“Beavers are ecosystem creators,” said Mr. Hussey. “They are what we call keystone species. And that’s why we are so interested in them.”

“What we’ve seen in Britain is a landscape that’s essentially been drained of life over the course of the last 200 years,” he said. “I wanted to bring back beavers because at the end of the day, with a degree of compromise, they are not a big problem to live with. And beavers bring back life.”

Yes they do. I’m excited to see it repeated over and over. Nice work Mr, Hussey and Mr, Gow and well written Mr. Waldie. I’m saying again how sorry I will be to see this finally settled in the UK, because I’m loving the persuasions its using now. This constant ‘wooing’ is something a girl could get used to. Someday of course, the right people will all be convinced of the right things and beavers will happily swim about the UK facing the same burdened reactions they face all over Europe and North America.

Carpe Diem, I say.

Yesterday It occurred to me that the holiday season was just the right way to send this message, so I celebrated by working on this. Ho ho ho!