BEAVERS AND CLIMATE: BEAVERS AND CLIMATE

heidi08 Beavers and climate change April 27, 2020

I think we should start our day with a little beaver listen from Yale. Can’t embed it but this is close.
Don’t you feel 90 seconds smarter? I sure do. Today is the day that Kevin Swift of OAEC will be installing a flow device in that beaver habitat behind the stream in Sonoma we talked about a while ago. Yeah for flow device! Not quite a yeah for the timing, as it is smack dab in the middle of kit bearing. I gave my usual alarm bell but others were less concerned. Fingers crossed the beavers won’t be either.

Meanwhile there’s more beaver and climate new from our favorite science friend

Dramatic loss of food plants for insects

by University of Bonn

“Over the past 100 years, there has been a general decline in food plants for all kinds of insects in the canton of Zurich,” says Dr. Stefan Abrahamczyk from the Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants at the University of Bonn. The homogenization of the originally diverse landscape has resulted in the disappearance of many habitats, especially the wetlands, which have shrunk by around 90 percent. Human settlements have spread more and more at the expense of cultivated land, and the general intensification of pasture and arable farming has led to a widespread depletion of meadows and arable habitats. The researchers compared the abundance of food plants of different insect groups, based on current mapping for the years 2012 to 2017, with data-based estimates from the years 1900 to 1930 in the canton of Zurich (Switzerland).

The food plants of specialized groups of flower visitors are particularly affected by the decline. For instance, the Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) is pollinated by bumblebees, bees and butterflies, as their tongues are long enough to reach the nectar. The decline is particularly dramatic for plant species that can only be pollinated by a single group of insects. In the case of Aconite (Aconitum napellus), for example, this can only be done by bumblebees because the plant’s toxin evidently does not affect them.

Gosh those darn disappearing wetlands! If only there were some kind of cheap and easy way to make wetlands all over Europe and North America so that the essential insect population could be saved.

MY FAVORITE KIND OF BEAVER TALE

Finally we have come upon a day chock full of beaver news. It must be Sunday, because everyone knows the papers save up their flat-tailed animal stories for the weekends. That’s good news though, because you’ll especially enjoy this one.

Battle of the beaver: Hamilton backs off plan to kill beavers causing a dam mess in Ancaster

The battle of the beaver has raged for two years in rural Ancaster.

Every year, an industrious rodent blocks a culvert under Mineral Springs Road with gnawed-off trees and mud to stop the flow of water. Inevitably, a city roads crew comes out to clean out the dam mess before the low-lying dirt road floods — only to see the culvert fill up with sticks days or even hours later.

This spring the battle took a deadly turn, with the city hiring a trapper to snare and “humanely” kill the beaver — or maybe a family of beavers? — over concerns the clogged drain is a danger to road safety.

But Castor Canadensis is winning again — this time thanks to outraged neighbours who won the beavers a stay of execution.

HURRAY! Public outcry saving beavers and stopping a city from taking the easy way out! This is my very favorite kind of story. Yours too. Grab a second cup and settle in for a nice fun read. Ancaster is in Ontario at the end of Lake Eerie and New York. Not a huge commute for Mike Or Skip if city leaders decide they wanted to solve this the right way.

Adrian Firth learned about the “beaver-drowning plan” from a trapper setting snares in the pond near her home a week ago. The nurse — who admits she already has enough on her plate in the midst of pandemic chaos — has nonetheless feverishly organized resistance for days.

“I think it is just crazy. Killing these animals is really best solution they could come up with?” asked Firth, who walked around the pond with about a dozen neighbours Friday simultaneously planning a petition while trying to maintain physical distancing.

“I haven’t seen any real road flooding. But if it’s a problem, maybe just build it up and give us a real road,” she suggested, noting the low-lying gravel thoroughfare is typically pockmarked with potholes.

Ahh Adrian! We like you a lot. And you’re a nurse which makes you TWICE as popular. And it is crazy, I agree. Although there’s an easier way to fix it than building another road and its called a beaver deceiver. Maybe I’ll send a note.

Firth noted much of the area green space, including the pond, is on environmentally protected Hamilton Conservation Authority land. “If you’re a beaver, is this not the place to be? And look around — there are beavers all over the frickin’ area. How many of them do you plan to kill, exactly?”

All of them? I mean think about it. When there are ants in your kitchen you don’t just want to discourage one or two. And if your job depends on unplugged culverts, beavers are ants. Right?

“We’ve tried many things to dissuade this beaver,” said roads superintendent Sarah Poole, who listed protective cages and iron-bar catchbasin lids as examples of failed experiments.

“Everything gets destroyed,” she said, adding the culvert is currently stuffed “six solid feet” with sticks. “This beaver is very good at what he does.”

Unlike all the other beavers. Which are such slackers. Too bad Sarah didn’t get one of those.

Trapping and relocating problem wildlife is also possible — but the law forbids moving an animal further than one kilometre. It’s rare, but not unheard of, for the city to kill beavers when roads are threatened, said Poole. “For us, road safety is something we can’t ignore.”

But it turns out angry residents are also hard to ignore.

They certainly all. Just ask Martinez. And ask Port Moody. And ask yourself, is it worth it? By the way, this is some pretty nice reporting from Matthew Van Dongen. Good work.

It’s not a total win — at least one beaver was killed before the traps were removed, say neighbours. But the city estimates there are at least 10 other beavers living in the vicinity, said Ferguson — and for now, they get a “reprieve.”

Ferguson, who also chairs the conservation authority board, said watershed agency officials will meet by teleconference with city roads managers in the coming days to brainstorm a “more humane” solution.

Something tell me a more humane solution might just be on its way. Get ready for an email.

THE VERY BEST KIND OF BLOCKADE

heidi08 Beavers April 25, 2020

So yesterday was a day of great pride because I finally finished this, although even though I listened approximately a million times while I was making it I still find the lecture fascinating. I hope Leanne Betasamosake Simpson realizes what an homage an labor of love it was. And that I don’t get a ‘cease and desist letter’ from her attorney this afternoon.

Enjoy the blockade!

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BEAVER BENEATH THE FLOORBOARDS

heidi08 Beavers April 24, 2020

So yesterday I get an email from guess where, South Carolina. And he says no kidding I think a beaver is living under my house. He’s put in some cameras and sends me a video. He lives by a lake and his basement is near open water. And this is what he hears bumping around at night.

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And I think, wow this is the luckiest man who has ever lived. An Amy Chadwick wrote that she would be handing him apple slices on a silver platter every evening. But I suppose it might get old after four or five years when he starts gnawing on the floor boards.

I called Mike Callahan who talked about finding where the beaver is getting and covering it with wire or chain link fencing. And I passed that along to our lucky friend with some other thoughts of my own.

But man oh man I need to go check my basement right now. It could happen you know, the creek is only a block away. One time a crawdad climbed all the way into our pond just on its own so you know its possible.

WARD, TIME TO WORRY ABOUT THE BEAVER

heidi08 Beavers April 23, 2020

Hmmm. Jon went down at last light and did indeed see a beaver at ward street. Seemingly coming out from under the old den on the left with lots of shrubbery hanging down. He went across to the castro Street side and slid down a mud pile and splashed. Jon thinks he might have heard a tail slap at the same time. It seems there may just be a friend for that beaver?

No footage yet, but I had a nice chat with Moses yesterday who is very bored with nothing to do so fingers crossed this may tempt him. This is 2016 footage from the same general in 2016 area. Stay tuned.

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