Oh no! Somethings gone terribly wrong with World Wildlife Fund and they keep writing the word ANALOGS where they shouldn’t be. What do you think happened? Is it some kind of seizure?

How beaver dams—and human-made replicas—help save wildlife and restore freshwater habitat

Beavers, often regarded as nature’s architects, are captivating subjects in conservation. They are so good at their jobs that experts have mimicked the blueprint of their dams to benefit river ecosystems. WWF supports projects from New Mexico to Montana and beyond that help save beaver populations and restore critical freshwater habitats. 

Beavers play a crucial role in water conservation. Their dams help retain water in streams and rivers, mitigating floods during heavy rains and ensuring a steady water supply during dry periods.

Beaver ponds and their surrounding wetlands serve as biodiversity hotspots, supporting a wide array of wildlife. From fish and amphibians to waterfowl and mammals, these habitats provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for numerous species.

Beaver dams act as natural filtration systems, trapping sediment and pollutants, thereby improving water quality downstream. This filtration process helps to remove excess nutrients and contaminants, benefiting both aquatic ecosystems and communities.S

See they start out perfectly sensibly describing the many ways beavers benefit us all and then something just randomly happens and they start spewing nonsense and  inserting the word ANALOGS for no reason I can discern. I’ll show you what I mean and I’ll just grey out the word analog to fix the paragraphs.

Beaver dams analogs are versatile structures that can be tailored to suit various landscapes and hydrological conditions. Whether in mountain streams or urban waterways, beaver dams analogs offer a flexible and cost-effective approach to habitat restoration and water management.

Bueaver dams analogs fosters community engagement and stewardship. Through hands-on restoration projects and educational initiatives, communities can actively participate in conserving and restoring wetland habitats.

Compared to traditional engineering interventions, beaver dams analogs are often more cost-effective to install and maintain. By harnessing the natural processes of beavers, communities can achieve significant environmental benefits at a fraction of the cost.

Restored wetlands created by beaver dams analogs attract tourists and outdoor enthusiasts, providing opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, and wildlife photography. These recreational activities not only promote conservation awareness but also stimulate local economies.

See what I mean? If only that random word wasn’t there it would be a perfect article. We all know beaver dams create community and wetlands and filter toxins. I just wish their editor could have caught that repeated mistake in time.

I mean it almost makes it sound like beaver dams are BETTER when people make them. That’s ridiculous. Sheesh!

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.

I was excited about this story and thought it would make a great graphic for the kids art project this summer at the festival…Kids get to watercolor their own beaver tail. I bet they will all be unique too!

I was looking at this drawing from our 2012 festival that Amelia Hunter made for our brochure. It’s pretty darn cute and I was wondering if our chalk artist (Amy Hall) had ever considered adding this moment to her creation at the festival. I wasn’t sure she had ever been lucky enough to see it in person, it’s a pretty rare moment in time. Even I have only have a handful of memories of this delight.

Young kits get rides when they are learning to dive and not yet strong swimmers. Special circumstances can can make it more common. Lots of helpful yearlings. A widowed beaver (like when mom died) and a long unsafe passage to get to the pond that is farther to swim for young ones than usual. Rusty Cohn found a new beaver family in Napa last year and got very very lucky so I sent lots of photos to Amy.

Yesterday was a fun sort of day, I finally met up with a good-natured young woman who wants to do her 8 hours of volunteer work required for the Ca Naturlist course with Worth A Dam to  benefit beavers. She is not the first crossover from this course to help us, Leslie Mills came through the course years ago and before that Deidre Martin was inspired to help us. So it didn;t come totally as a surprise.

What was a surprise is that she just moved to Martinez and knew NOTHING about our famous beaver story. Imagine that. Not one clip or news story had ever passed her attention. She had Ben’s book but she  hadn’t read it  yet so everything I said came on COMPLETELY fresh ears, She had heard the name Worth A Dam through her horticulture course, Imagine that!

I can’t remember the last time that happened. Maybe its never happened.

So Siobhan Stuart has to complete her hours by the end of April and we agreed on two jobs would require her 8 hours: handing out flyers for the festival at the John Muir Earth Day event and preparing the watercolor paper beaver taiis for kids to make at the festival.

She is excited about the festival too and even though the course is over wants to be part of it. Which is always my secret agenda.

For my part we  gave her a shirt, a tail to decorate, a beaver temporary tattoo and a tour of the many beaver items around the house. Then I taught her how to make deckled edges.