BEAVERS MAKE WAVES

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers and Fire Prevention, Beavers and Forests August 20, 2019

This issue of the New Yorker magazine has a fascinated and detailed read about California’s “super-fires” and the work to combat them. The entire thing is worth your time, but one part stood out to me in particular.

A Trailblazing Plan to Fight California Wildfires

Megafires are huge, hot, and fast—they can engulf an entire town within minutes. These fires are almost unstoppable and behave in ways that shock fire scientists—hurling firebrands up to fifteen miles away, forming vortices of superheated air that melt cars into puddles within seconds.

Sagehen forest manager Jeff Brown secured grants, hired a professional facilitator, and brought together loggers, environmental nonprofits, watershed activists, outdoor-recreation outfits, lumber-mill owners. Sometimes there were upward of sixty people at meetings. Scientists from all over the region presented the latest findings on beaver ecology or the nesting behaviors of various bird species.

That sentence! Oh I wish I was a fly on the wall to hear what beaver ecologists said about megafire prevention. I would even be excited to learn who it was! The article says no more about this, and I’ve yet to track down the author, but I have put the question to all our smartest beaver friends. I will let you know if I hear anything back.

Someone knows who this was, Maybe for their power point they just showed this:

Idaho fire damage showing lush beaver habitat – photo by Joe Wheaton

Well I hope someone is thinking this way, because beavers could help us with so much if we just stopped killing them so quickly. Now let’s go to Ashland Oregon where people know just what beavers bring to the table.

Blackberries and beavers: restoration in progress

At Lomakatsi, we’re constantly faced with decisions on how to best restore ecosystems that have been degraded by years of mismanagement and neglect. Often, a good strategy is to use historic conditions as a reference point as we work to restore landscapes to health.

Before European settlers diverted creeks for agriculture and cut down trees for grazing livestock, most of our local waterways, including the banks of Bear Creek at Willow Wind, were lined with tall trees of various species and ages. The trees created habitat and provided shade that kept water cool during the hot summer months, supporting ideal spawning conditions for coho salmon and other fish.

Now, many of our waterways are lined with something different, the invasive Himalayan blackberry.

Okay, l saw immediately that they wanted a shaded creek and were going to rip out blackberries to plant trees and just assumed that when beavers came to eat those trees they would kill them for ‘damaging’ their restoration,

Silly silly girl. Always assuming the worst.

This summer, Kaiya and Harbor are spending 30 hours per week removing invasive species, watering newly planted natives, and serving as watchful stewards of Willow Wind and several other Lomakatsi streamside restoration sites throughout Jackson County.

Thanks to Niki, Kaiya, Harbor and many other community members who have been working to keep blackberries at bay, we’re already seeing positive ecological results at Willow Wind, including an increase in beaver activity.

“I started seeing signs of beaver here a year ago, when we first cleared out dense blackberry along Bear Creek,” said Niki. Kaiya and Harbor have been able to experience it firsthand too.

“It’s pretty cool that we now have beaver at the Willow Wind site,” said Harbor. “We noticed it right after the Lomakatsi youth crew cleared a bunch of blackberry here earlier this summer.”

While we are excited about the return of beaver — it shows our restoration efforts are working — sometimes the return of wildlife can set other processes into motion and create challenges in our urban watersheds. So we have to get creative.

Okay, here it is. Just exactly how did you get creative?

Ironically, left to their own devices, these beaver might actually gnaw through many of the shade-providing trees we’ve spent so long cultivating. Fortunately, we can mitigate this by wrapping the bases of surrounding trees with coverings to prevent the beavers from chewing them, as we have done successfully at other sites, including the confluence of Ashland Creek and Bear Creek.

Forgive me for being astonished when ecologists do the right thing. After all this is Oregon, and they’re much smarter about beavers than California. I remember once hearing the defamed nefarious Mary Tappel of the waterboard in sacramento telling people to PLANT blackberries around their trees because it would discourage beavers from chewing them.

Of course in Martinez we know that beavers gladly chew blackberry bushes. We learned that from the special and very rare kind of science where you discover things by actually WATCHING them.

Ahh we were all so young once.

BEAVERS BUSTING THEIR BUTTONS

heidi08 Beaver Behavior April 4, 2025

If you were very lucky growing up, somewhere in your busy life you’ve had a grandma. great aunt. or former scout leader that was so supportive of you she or he just glowed when you lit up the room. They bragged to everyone they knew about you. They might not have been too sharp with the details of your accomplishment, whether it was graduating eighth grade or coming in second at the science fair, but they were just so gosh darn proud of you for doing it.

This article feels a little like that. Good for Mike.

Watershed Guardians annual Beaver Dam Jam at Mink Creek

Kay Merriam of Pocatello has a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. She was the president of the state League of Women Voters for two years and president of the Pocatello chapter for two years as well. She was the president of the Bannock County Planning and Zoning Committee for 11 years and on the Pocatello-Chubbuck District 25 School Board for six years.

The Beavers Dam Jam at the Mink Creek Pavilion on Aug. 24 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. will be terrific, especially when you get into the particulars of this yearly event: live music by Better Than Nothing, food from El Caporal, a silent auction, a raffle for a boat and boating gear plus games and demonstrations, plus lots of people who, along with you, appreciate the beauty of living in the Pocatello area. Even better, this event will take place in the forest up in Mink Creek with the sound of water flowing by, the fragrance of trees and time away from the hum-drum of everyday life in town.

Mike Settell, founder of Watershed Guardians, has sponsored this event since he started it six years ago. Each year, there are different items to raffle and more fun to have. Besides, it is entertaining and held in a beautiful area. Tickets are $30 per car and the food is free (if you get there early enough to take advantage of the wonderful spread prepared). To obtain a ticket, all you need to do is call Mike Settell at 208 220 3336. It will help if you share your transportation with others to avoid a surplus of cars in the parking area at the pavilion. So, drive beyond the turn off to Scout Mountain and then watch for the pavilion on the right side of Mink Creek.

What a great job he’s doing! Remember, this is the Idaho State Journal not the Pocatello gazette. Honestly, could she be any prouder?

Wait a minute! What is the purpose of this event? Well, it’s all about beavers and the fun you can have while acquiring more information about them. To begin, long ago, over 60 million of these rodents met explorers as they crossed this country. Now, there are fewer than 20 million. Why? Well, there was a time when explorers and or trappers saw beautiful beaver fur as ways to make elegant hats. Later, beavers were also prized as having odors to be used for making terrific perfume. Now, people are beginning to understand the true value of these animals as they change an area by cutting down trees and building ponds which are vastly helpful for diminishing storm overflow. At one time, Native Americans appreciated beavers because they provided a rich watery habitat including other mammals and birds.

In this area, there are spots along Mink creek where trapping is allowed. However, several years ago, Mr. Settell pointed out to Forest Service employees that it would be wise to change the site of these trapping spots. His suggestion was heard. But, why should beavers be appreciated? If you have noticed storm water diminishing or destroying communities, roads, agricultural lands and more as a component of climate change, beavers can be seen as natural helpers in diminishing unbridled rivers and streams in geographically suitable areas.

Yeah Mike! Yeah beavers! Yeah Kay Merriam!

It has been said on TV that “if you do nothing, you can’t be blamed.” However, when a powerful response to a large problem is presented by a citizen such as Mike Settell when he started Watershed Guardians, it is clear that doing something is far more important than doing nothing. Watershed Guardians is the only beaver conservation organization in Idaho and it is having a positive effect. While some people perhaps think of beavers at all as being cute but malicious tree choppers and or hard workers, the most credit these rodents have been given in the U.S. (beavers are the official emblem of Canada) is in quotes such as “leave it to beaver” or “busy as a beaver”. Enough is enough. Come to the Mink Creek pavilion to have fun, learn more and meet others for whom learning about and seeing the value of beavers is important.

Oh goodness. Reading Kay’s bio I’m thinking maybe the two knew each other from their years in the classroom? I think Mike used to teach science. I’m so glad that this vote of confidence came from such a visible source. I hope a thousand people carpool to your event and learn about beavers!

(I’m still marveling that apparently having a Ph.D. in Idaho goes such a long way. Because I can’t remember the last time a reporter wrote that something had “Been said on television”. (!) Aren’t quotes usually more specifically sourced?)

Yesterday I stumbled across this moment using my own Ph.D. Yet another example of beaver nativity in california. And yes, that Yount became the founder of Yountville you’ve all visited in the wine country.

Boy I bet he was surprised to find out CDFW once said there were no beaver in California!

Finally, here’s some wonderful underwater footage taken by Jak Wonderly (The gentleman friend of Suzi Eszterhas and an amazing photographer) of the rescued beaver in Sonoma. Look at how easy life is underwater for these swimmers.

BEAVER POPULARITY CONTESTS

heidi08 Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Fire Prevention, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and groundwater August 18, 2019

They say if you live long enough you’ll be impressed and surprised by everyone you thought was a disappointment. Or maybe they don’t say that, but they should because its TRUE. This has been a charmed week for beavers, and this article from Montana is good for the heart.

Middle-schoolers, Conservation Corps team up to hunt for nature’s engineers

To improve water in the Clark Fork River, it might be time to employ some talented engineers. Especially if they work for free.

Over the past five years, as dam removal and restoration work has improved more Western rivers, agencies and organizations have recognized the benefits that beavers could add to watersheds. So the Lolo National Forest wants to know where and how it might employ such an inexpensive helper, and the Clark Fork Coalition offered to help.

“I know, for the Lolo National Forest, climate and wildfire mitigation are things they’re really looking at. Beaver habitats store water and recharge groundwater so they can be effective at addressing climate change and wildfire,” said Clark Fork Coalition Education Manager Lily Haines.

In 2014, the Clark Fork Coalition conducted a watershed vulnerability assessment for the Lolo National Forest and found several streams with water quality problems, including high water temperatures, dwindling water quantity and sediment pollution.

Remember a few days ago when we read about them winning the grant from USFS for this work? Well this article brings it all to life, and it delights me very much. In this world there are two very unpopular groups that, lets be honest, everyone dreads dealing with: Beavers and Middleschoolers.

This combines the two annoyances beautifully.

I love this picture with a firey passion and they white hot heat of 1000 suns. It is just SO middleschool. No other group could work as hard and still seem so awkward and out of place. I love it!

Beaver dams cause streams to slow down and pool, which can clean the water by causing sediment to drop out. The ponds and surrounding wetlands can offset drought and reduce wildfire risk by keeping vegetation green. In addition, the ponds create good trout and wildlife habitat.

The problem is, due to trapping, damaged habitat or poor water quality, beavers are gone from many streams.

So each summer, six middle-school scientists spent a week wading along mountain streams and collecting data under the watchful eyes of two team leaders from the Montana Conservation Corps. A total of 30 students from around Montana learned to collect biological information over the course of five separate weeks this summer.

The kids measured stream width and gradient – beavers prefer more level slower-moving sections – stream pool depth, and the trees and vegetation along the stream. Starting at the mouth of the stream, they made measurements every 300 yards for as they could go, as long as stream conditions would still support beavers.

How much do we love this story? Pretty dam much, I can tell you.

Then, armed with good information and the best science, certain streams might eventually be managed for beavers, which will then manage the streams for everyone.

Occasionally, landowners concerned about flooding or loss of trees along streams don’t want beavers around. So Clark Fork Coalition employees are working on conflict resolution and tools that reduce flooding such as pond levelers. But on streams where those don’t work, managers could install beaver-dam analogues to create similar conditions to improve streams.

“One of the things they say is beavers is second only to man for their ability to manipulate the environment. Which means they and their habitat can do a lot of work to help us out,” Haines said “And we don’t have to pay them.”

Wonderful! That’s such a great use of two things that are so often woefully unappreciated: Youthful energy and beaver engineering. No wonder this program won the grant competition. I’m so happy everything worked out.

Getting young people to understand how they fit in the big picture is so important. Although sometimes its the young ones that teach you.

Now if you’re inspired to watch a young persons progress against incredible odds you definitely should check out Greta Thurnberg’s passage as she makes a sailing trip across the Atlantic. The whole journey is accessible and on Windy.com. where you can zoom in to see what they’re doing through tweets and instagram. We are having so much vicarious fun watching her success. The sailboat slipped into the right wind overnight and they toodled along at 24 knots. This morning she’s exercising with her team – dad and filmmaker – on the rails

GOOD BEAVER NEWS COMES IN THREES

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beaver Book, Beavers and salmon August 17, 2019

Yesterday I was proud to ‘grandfather’ another beaver celebration into the world. So I made a little housewarming gift for our friends at the Methow project. I like the way it came out.

Now there’s a great NCPR interview I’ve been just dying to share.

Chewing over three books about beavers

Aug 14, 2019 — Traveling around the North Country it is easy to see the work of beavers – dams and ponds and sometimes flooded roads. Are these clever rodents a nuisance or a benefit to our landscape? Todd Moe talked with Betsy Kepes after she read three books about Castor Canadenis, the North American beaver.

It’s a fun interview, and its wonderful to read that someone else cried when the matriarch died in Lily Pond. We were driving home from the mountains 6 months after mom beaver died and I wept so much we had to pull over. Hope really touched a lot of people, didn’t she?

Now lets go back to Washington state and K5 news where some beavers are being reintroduced after showing up in the wrong culvert. I admit, it isn’t often I like everything I see about a beaver relocation undertaking, but this seems pretty smooth.

Beavers in King County trapped, relocated to help salmon habitat

GOOFUS AND GALLANT: BEAVER VERSION

heidi08 Beaver ecological impact, Beavers and salmon, Festival August 16, 2019

You know how it is. Two steps forward, one step back. You know it as well as I do. Beaver progress is as closely woven with beaver failure that the seam between them isn’t visible anymore. Both just happen together.

So it occurs that National Geographic launches an issue with beaver benefits to salmon at the same time the Anne of Green Gables releases this pressing concern.

Beaver dam, debris cluttering up endangered salmon habitat in Cornwall, P.E.I.

“Most of our work has to do with rehabilitating salmon habitat in Watts Creek. Watts Creek is a very well-known salmon river,” said Karalee McAskill, co-ordinator for the watershed.

“Beavers tend to dam up the flow of the river and, as a consequence from that, any sediment that’s coming down from up above settles out into these large beaver pond impoundments,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s six- to seven-feet deep of silt and sediment and mud, it’s almost like quicksand if you’re stepping in it.”

Oh those darn beavers, trapping sediment and maintaining a tireless dam. I just hate when they do that. And boy does NOAA fisheries hate it too.

It there’s one thing that juvenile salmon don’t need its all those annoying deep pools rich with food where they can fatten before heading off to sea. They hate that.

Salmon can thrive in other provinces with deeper rivers and streams, she said, as they can leap up waterfalls and rapids.

But some of P.E.I.’s gentle, relatively shallow waters do not offer salmon the depth or swift currents they need to push past dams built by beavers. As a result, endangered Atlantic salmon will not spawn or they’ll find another area altogether, which is concerning for the watershed.

Our special water is too special for salmon to use if there are nasty beaver present. Where have I heard that before?

Beavers can drag their bellies and create “beautiful, magnificent channels that salmon love to cruise through.” Fish and other wildlife behind dams can also thrive because there’s more food.

“So the beavers are actually great in one sense, but the dam is the issue,” she said. “We can’t relocate that beaver because then it will become someone else’s problem.”

Drag their bellies? Drag their bellies? You think we construct all these complex channels by “dragging our bellies?”

Shorter Karalee McAskil: I mean I’d love to have the benefits of beavers, but you know. Those rotten dams. They just mess everything up for those fish that we mostly don’t actually have anymore. So screw the woodducks and the otters, because we just can’t have our imaginary fish jumping over rotten dams, Right?

Oh adorable, misinformed and neglected P.E.I. You are so plucky in your persistence to be wrong. It’s almost admirable. Don’t worry, information is trickling very slowly, we can tell. It won’t come as one big shock, You used to complain that beavers weren’t even native, and that they ruined habitat for everything. Now you’ve advanced three whole baby steps and say they CAN be good in some places, just not on the special unique water you have on the magic Anne island.

Sure, I guess, whatever.

Now let’s hurry up and get to the steps forward part. Guess what?

Come September ANOTHER beaver ~~festival~~ celebration kicks into gear. Seems our friends at the Methow project can’t wait to follow in our webbed footsteps.

Beaver celebration to be held Sept. 14

The Methow Beaver Project will hold its first Beaver Celebration on Sept. 14 and 15, 5-9:30 p.m. Come join in the fun at this free event, starting with a social in Mack Lloyd Park at 5 p.m. on Saturday the 14th. Mingle and share in the excitement around beaver ecology and restoration while sipping on Special Edition OSB Tail Slapper Ale or Sixknot Sawtooth Cider, available for purchase, and sampling “small bites” from Sunflower Catering.

At 6:30 p.m., the celebration will move into the Winthrop Barn for presentations by Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, and Sarah Koenigsberg, who will screen her feature film The Beaver Believers. Beaver restoration site tours will be offered on Sunday morning, the 15th, sign up at Saturday’s event and choose an easy, moderate, or more strenuous option.

Well, well, well. They’re offering beaver tours, a Ben presentation and A Film screening! Remember its Washington so I imagining it won’t be hard to get folks to come and enjoy your efforts. Maybe something for the kids to do while all those grownups are drinking and listening? And I might suggest some live music and a raffle?

We wish you every success!