BEAVER “STING” OPERATIONS!

heidi08 Beavers May 19, 2020

Score one for the good guys! Well two actually.

Marsh Creek runs down the East side of Mt. Diablo into Oakley and out to the San Joaquin Delta. Yesterday I got an email from someone who attended the Marsh Creek Watershed meeting last week. He used to live in Martinez and was alarmed to hear that 5 beavers were going to be shot in Oakley. He was horrified and wanted to make sure that nonlethal measures were being used to solve problems.

So this is when you get out your wildlife rolodex. Or the slightly smaller but very essential beaver rolodex. Diane Burgis is now county Supervisor and used to be the head of “Friends of Marsh Creek”. We actually went to high school together and she invited me to come talk about our beavers at one of their meetings many years ago. So I figured she’d be a good person to try. I contacted Diane and she called the city manager to ask about it.

I am sure that is not a conversation he ever expected to have.

He told her that flood control had told him they had ‘moved’ the beavers. I told her that beaver relocation in California was not legal so either they were lying or had ‘moved’ the beavers in the sense that they had sent them to ‘live on the farm‘ so to speak, (Along with that puppy your parents didn’t let you keep). She was horrified and said beavers in Oakley are never shot!

(Ahh spoken like a true politician!)

Anyway she’s going to ask the CDFW officer out there and talk to some other nonprofits, and I will try and follow up with the source. Now do I think flood control workers might come back one night to shoot beavers and save themselves an hour of work? Yes, I do, but probably not in the city, and not on a weeknight. I know for a fact that there have been depredation permits given for beavers in Discovery Bay and just up the road at the Los Vaqueros reservoir beavers were shot years ago under the pretense that they were ‘ruining the habitat for red-legged frogs’, So its possible.

It’s all possible.

But sometimes a little daylight can do wonders to halt a bad plan. I’ll keep you posted. Let’s just see what happens. It was nice to have that adventure and wake up to this headline.

DNR officer hides in swamp to bust men who tore apart beaver dam, shot at beavers

MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI – A DNR conservation officer spent several hours hiding in a swamp to catch a group of men who tore apart a beaver dam before shooting at the animals.

According to an official report, CO Josh Boudreaux decided to investigate the matter in early May after receiving a complaint about individuals removing a beaver dam on public property without a permit in Marquette County.

After being alerted, Boudreaux walked through a swamp to find a good vantage point tucked in the brush approximately 25 yards from the group.

For a few hours CO Boudreaux sat in the swamp watching them tear apart the dam and talk about how they were going to “come back and sit in the truck with a silenced .223, a case of beer, and shoot any beaver that tried to plug the holes.”

Oh goodness this is like the BEST netlix series I could ever hope to watch. Tell me that there’s video of him laying in wait! I love how he waits for a shot to be fired so that the culprit can’t lie and say he wasn’t going to shoot anything. I sense a new Matlock series coming up soon! An undercover wildlife officer who saves beavers! I could help with the script. Call me!

The driver stuck a gun and flashlight out the driver side window and fired a shot into the pond. As the driver exited the vehicle, CO Boudreaux turned on his flashlight and announced his presence.

The subject was caught totally off guard, according to the report. He later admitted he knew he made a huge mistake the moment he pulled the trigger. The individual’s firearm was seized, and a citation was issued for possessing/using a loaded firearm from a motor vehicle.

Numerous other charges are under review and include shining with weapon in possession, taking a beaver without license and taking a beaver with a firearm.

Whoooeee man that’s a good story. They should put it on the teevee and show it every christmas. It’s perfect, it has a message of hope. Of redemption. And teaches people to do the right thing. Hey, maybe I’ll just send that story to the good folks at Oakley Flood Control. I’m sure they’d get a kick out of it.

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NEW FRIENDS HELPING BEAVERS SKATE THROUGH

heidi08 Who's defending beavers now? May 18, 2020

Sometimes I fall behind in the news. I admit. Either because I’m giving a zoom talk the next day or because I forgot to pay attention and started to work on something else, like the exciting new project I’ll be showing you later. This had all the elements of a good story too. But as its in Oregon I’m going to assume it found its way without us.

Beaver battle

There is a beaver stirring up trouble in Ochoco Creek.

At one end of town, near the local skate park, a flat-tailed critter has chewed up several trees, causing some to come down. Closer to Main Street, a tree with incriminating chew marks lays across the creek next to a jagged, pointy stump.

Prineville Police Officer James Young is aware that beavers have settled into Ochoco Creek at different times through the years. They seems to prefer the skate park area.

“If you go through that area, there is actually years of different beaver chew through there,” he said. “There is old stuff that is grayed over.”

But since about January, the problem has worsened and created a safety hazard.

Ochoco creek is in the middle of the state and the fact that this problem existed for 5 months means the skate park isn’t really located anywhere important. In fact if you tried to evaluate which species most Americans hate more, beavers or skateboarders you’d have to really think about it, And use charts and nano-scales. It’s that close.

But city officials usually like the parents of skaters more than beavers. So they are unlikely to let trees fall on their head.

Something had to be done, Young decided, so he did some research and learned about a Bend-based organization called Beaver Works Oregon, which provides mitigation services for people dealing with beaver problems.

But before contacting the organization, Young decided to reach out to local stakeholders like Ochoco Irrigation District, City of Prineville Public Works and Crook County Parks and Recreation District to find out how they would like to handle the situation. They all encouraged him to contact Beaver Works.

Young connected with Program Director Reese Mercer.

“We did a walk of the path and I showed her the areas that were of concern,” he said. “I ended up having a couple of conferences with them. Then COVID-19 hit and that pushed things back.”

He has continued to communicate with the organization by phone and the group is not putting together a proposal with different options, which could include anything from tree protection or fencing to beaver relocation.

Wha-a-a-a-?

A beaver group I do not know about? Do such things exist in the world? Have I lost my cutting edge?

Yes, I have. And that’s a good thing. It’s like having too many chickens to know each ones name. That’s a good place to be. We are HAPPY when we learn of new beaver efforts in the world. Not far away. We celebrate the good news even i we weren’t including on the mailing list.

Beaver Works Oregon is the growing vision of dedicated volunteers working to build this effort and activities as a program under Think Wild (Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center), in Bend.

Here is their website: Beaverworks.org

There’s lots to explore on the website AND they’re doing a showing of the beaver believers on May 28 that you can sign UP for! Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other soon. Click on the image if you’d like to register.

BOBCATS AND BEAVERS

heidi08 Beavers and Bobcats May 17, 2020

Time for another episode of that loved Sunday morning show “Beavers and any other species. Ever” This morning we’re featuring the bobcat, which enjoys visiting beaver ponds to hunt. Of course there’s lots to eat around a beaver pond – or in it. Enos Mills wrote about a fight between a bobcat and a beaver where the beaver actually WON. So its good not to set your sights too high.

The beaver is peaceful. Although the males occasionally fight among themselves, the beaver avoids fighting, and plans his life so as to escape without it. Now and then in the water one closes with an otter in a desperate struggle, and when cornered on land one will sometimes turn upon a preying foe with such ferocity and skill that his assailant is glad to retreat. On two occasions I have known a beaver to kill a bobcat.

Well Bobcats may need beavers, but the feeling isn’t mutual. Here’s a nice look at how beavers matter to their short tailed neighbors from camera trap expert and FB friend Janet Pesaturo.

Bobcats and Beaver Ponds

The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is the most successful of North America’s wild felines, and one reason for its success is its diet. Like its cousin the Canada lynx, the bobcat relishes a meal of rabbit or hare, but takes a wide variety of prey and can even thrive where rabbits and hares are scarce. In New England, bobcats seem especially common at beaver ponds.

That’s no surprise, given that beaver wetlands are hot spots for a wide variety of animals, including ducks, geese, frogs, snakes, fish, muskrats, voles, raccoons, mink, otter, deer, moose, and bears. Bobcats hunt the adults, young, and/or eggs of many of these species, and the vegetation around beaver ponds facilitates the feline hunting style. When beavers cut trees around the pond, more sunlight reaches the forest floor. This stimulates growth of stump sprouts, saplings and shrubs, which create the low cover that bobcats need for stalk and ambush hunting.

Color me not at all surprised! The beaver pond is the grocery story where other animals go to shop. Or be shopped. And you don’t need to wear a mask either. (Although the raccoon does).

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Bobcats may hunt anywhere around the pond, so there’s a good chance of getting one with a trail camera facing down the pond edge. However, to significantly increase the likelihood, target the beaver dam, for bobcats (like many other animals) regularly use them as bridges to cross the water. To further increase the odds, find a beaver dam near the type of cover bobcats prefer for resting and denning. Dense thickets or cliff refugia fit the bill.

One of the many benefits to the landscape of having beavers. Truly beavers are the job creators of the animal kingdom. Watching a beaver pond means never knowing what you’ll see next. Bobcats are wild neighbors, even in Martinez. Keeping an eye out for them is well worth your time. Although it’s not every day you’ll see something like his:

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ENDLESS SCIENCE, ENDLESSLY APPLIED

heidi08 Beavers and trout May 16, 2020

Sure beavers are good for trout.
But are they good for ALL TROUT? In Every state? And in streams with left-handed fisherman? Well, science demands an answer. You know just because things are proven true over and over doesn’t mean they’ll be proven true again. Right?

Beavers, Trout, and a Changing Climate

Driving through the lush forests of America’s Pacific Northwest, you might spot this bumper sticker: “Beaver taught salmon how to jump.”

Instead, the bumper sticker refers to the fact that North American fish species co-evolved with the continent’s largest rodent. Salmon and trout have adapted to jump over or swim around beaver dams. In return for the extra effort navigating upstream past dammed waterways, native fish benefited from the bountiful food and shelter created by beaver ponds.

Today, though, both furry and finned creatures are facing a new “normal.” Populations of native salmonids and beavers have declined drastically due to human influence. In addition, climate change has further reduced the water quality and flows in headwaters streams where native trout reproduce. As their habitat dwindles, it may mean that fish are in trouble if certain tributaries are blocked by a natural barrier. This has sparked concerns about whether beaver dams are always in the best interest of wild trout.

See climate change might mean we need to kill more beavers! I knew there was a reason for it!

Natural and simulated beaver ponds help slow down the flow of water, providing natural water storage and flood control. The ponds recharge groundwater, which keeps streams running when rain and snowmelt are scarce. It also spreads water across the floodplain so it can grow more green plants that feed terrestrial wildlife and livestock.

Fish get to join the feast, too, since beaver ponds diversify stream habitat and produce more aquatic plants and insects. Plus, the side channels, sloughs, and meanders created by dams add complexity to stream habitats, giving fish more places to hide, rest, or spawn.

Because of these promising ecological results, beaver-related restoration projects have increased markedly over the past ten years. In fact, these projects have become so popular that their implementation has outpaced the science on how more natural and simulated beaver structures are affecting fish and other wildlife.

“We need more research on exactly how beaver ponds impact fish so we can make confident, science-based decisions moving forward,” says Lahr, who worked with Clark Fork Coalition, Lolo National Forest, and The Nature Conservancy to design and instaNotll his study.

Not so fast there Mr. Beaver. Just because your dam makes things better doesn’t mean they make things BETTER, you know? Bring on the abacus and the measuring tape so we’re sure it all still works. Science needs to count things. You know it does.

“On the whole, fish benefit from beavers and their ponds. The trick is to make sure we choose the sites wisely and make sure they benefit the whole aquatic community, including wild trout,” says Ladd Knotek, a fisheries biologist with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks who helped tailor Lahr’s research project.

See long ago Montana killed most of its wild trout. So they helped the fisherman along by introducing some hatchery trout. But we don’t know about whether hatchery fish can manage beaver dams too. Because they are sissies and Frankensteins. So the science that has been verified a million times in a million different streams better just prove itself all again.

Knotek says that the majority of beaver-related restoration projects are not a problem for native salmonid species. However, Montana only has a few remaining streams where pure (non-hybridized) cutthroat trout, arctic grayling, and bull trout thrive. These strongholds are areas where fisheries biologists worry that new in-stream structures might unintentionally impact native trout populations because these species can no longer adapt easily to habitat changes.

“One hundred years ago, beaver dams weren’t an issue. If a dam was too high or there was no way through, the overall population was fine because the species was widespread. But we don’t have that population resiliency anymore,” explains Knotek.

Good Lord. This is so irritating it makes my head hurt. Well, maybe banging it on the keyboard does that. This article is in the frickin’ NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION BLOG. If we’re going to broadcast ridiculous drivel from NWF who should anyone even bother to maintain a informative website about beavers?

Another pressing question for fisheries biologists is whether natural or simulated beaver ponds give non-native trout a competitive advantage. Introduced species like brook, rainbow, or brown trout tend to fare better in warmer water—such as ponded habitat that heats more quickly than flowing water. That may give non-native trout an advantage in beaver ponds, allowing them to outcompete native trout for food and other resources.

“We know that beavers add habitat complexity in the stream, which increases the carrying capacity for all fish species. The question is do they disproportionately benefit non-native trout?” says Knote

What about our Frankenstein fish? Are those icky beavers ruining things for them with all their pointy obstructions?

Instead, Lahr wonders whether beaver ponds are able to hold more fish of all species, supporting native and non-native trout equally.

“When you add beavers to the mix, models predict that westslope cutthroat trout persist and have higher growth rates because there’s more food, more plants, more water,” says Lahr.”And that translates upstream as you leave the pond, too.”

“There’s a chance that beavers may create true climate resilience for trout in Montana,” adds Lahr.

YA’ THINK?

Let’s be fair to Andrew Lahr. He may truly believe the radical notion that beavers are GOOD for fish and his thesis chair is so horrified by the outrageous claim that he is making him prove it scale by scale. I supposed you have to at least appear willing to accept disconfirming data to get your dissertation approved anywhere. But honestly, my money’s on the beavers.

Isn’t yours?

SKIP TO SOUTH BURLINGTON

heidi08 Beavers May 15, 2020

It’s a good day for beavers, and Lord knows there are few enough of these that we should take the occasion to celebrate when it comes. We were notified by the fish and wildlife commission that we received our grant for the mystery at the beaver pond, with an additional year to use it by so we can roll it to next festival, knock wood.

Some 60 NGO’s in England wrote a unanimous position letter to the powers that be demanding that the beaver campaign be sped up because beavers were so awesome for the country (which they are), friend Derek Gow’s book is for advance copy sale on Amazon and Skip Lisle was on the news for doing what he does in Vermont again and saved some beavers in Burlington.