Saturday June 24th is the date of the 14th beaver festival in down Martinez, celebrating the arrival of some uninvited engineers that turned out to be good news for the city ecologically and socially. When the beavers came to Alhambra creek their dam-building produced a cleaner stream, more invertebrates, more fish, more frogs and more birds. Visits from river otter, muskrat and mink became commonplace, and the stream that once dried up every summer became a year round oasis for wildlife. The beavers have since moved on but Martinez remains proud of its role in showing that coexistence is not only possible, but mutually beneficial.
Just this February a study published in Poland found beaver dams not only increase the number of birds over-wintering along the riparian corridor, but in fact boost bird species density and diversity in forests as far as 80 meters away! ”The greater species richness and abundance of both the entire assemblage and certain ecological groups of species in areas modified by beavers suggest that the presence of these animals rearranges the winter distribution of birds at the local scale.”
Join the beaver festival for is a day long celebration of these animals and their dramatic effects on ecosystems and stream health. There is live music, wildlife exhibits, a silent auction and children’s activities. A talented chalk artist highlights the day with a dramatic wildlife mural in the plaza. This year’s festival will focus on beaver role in helping us mitigate the effects of climate change showcasing how their dams reduce fire, combat drought, slow flooding and cool stream temperatures. You might have seen some of the many articles this year describing beavers as climate change superheroes. This is your chance to learn all about why that’s true.
The free festival is in Susana Park in downtown Martinez at the corner of Susana and Estudillo streets from 10:00-3:00. Join us for a dam good time!
