Beavers may be a shiny new thing for the rest of us, but the Methow Project was doing this work long before we even started praising them. You can thank forest service visionary Kent Woodruff for that, although you don’t see his name talked about anymore you see his fingerprints all over.

Local conservation groups receive Ecology grant to restore streams, floodplains

Local conservation groups will use beavers, log structures, riparian plantings and other techniques to restore streamflow and connect floodplains in seven streams degraded by wildfire in the Methow and Okanogan watersheds.

The Methow Beaver Project and Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation received a $1.186 million grant from the state Department of Ecology for the work. The beaver project will manage and implement the three-year project with assistance from the salmon recovery foundation, public land managers, tribes and community members.

The project is a crucial component in recovering from large-scale wildfire and in building resilience to fire risk. It aims to increase water quantity and extend the availability of cold water. It will also expand the wet riparian zones that naturally slow wildfire, according to the application.

The project will use beaver dam analogues, structures that attract beavers and can spur them to construct dams. It will also erect log structures and repair existing dams, and relocate beavers where feasible.

It’s expected to restore approximately 23 kilometers of linear stream habitat and 915 acres of riparian habitat altogether.

Trust Methow to know full well that actual beavers are wayy better than pretend beavers,

By reestablishing natural processes, the project should increase streamflow and support downstream endangered salmon populations downstream. It should also reduce the risk of flooding and habitat degradation that can occur in stream channels affected by wildfire.

A healthy structure will enable streams to spread onto adjacent floodplains at high water. It will also use beaver complexes, wetlands and floodplains to store water and function as a sink during high-water events.

Natural ground filtration will keep water temperatures more stable, moderating both heat and cold extremes year-round, according to the application.

I guess the LA Times isn’t willing to endorse a candidate for president, but they still have the courage to tell you what movies to see.

This one looks good.

Boiling Point: Go see ‘The Wild Robot’

This mind-bending scene — part of DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot,” currently in theaters — lasts just a few seconds. But it’s hardly the only hint of climate crisis in a unique, wonderfully inventive movie.

The filmmakers do a superb job weaving together an emotionally resonant story about motherhood and finding purpose with a gorgeous parable about the natural world — and the importance of protecting our planet.

Especially in a movie marketed to kids and families, that’s a valuable accomplishment.

Because entertainment isn’t just entertainment. The narratives we consume in movies and on TV can shape our opinions and habits, even our votes. That’s why the U.S. government turned to Hollywood studios to build public support for World War II. It’s also why the Walt Disney Co. faced hateful criticism in 2022 for featuring an out gay teenager in its film “Strange World.” Ideas shown on screens can change hearts and minds.

Which is why Jeff Hermann, who produced “The Wild Robot,” wants to start conversations about climate.

Guess who makes a cameo? Well think climate change and charismatic animal and who imedliately comes to mind?

NRDC experts provided guidance on environmental storylines, including an unexpectedly fierce storm battering the island and the construction of a beaver dam. They also suggested ideas for the geese migration sequence — including brief peeks at a human world altered by climate change, at an indeterminate point in the future.

Well yes Idaho, we can learn to think of beavers in a new way. And we can solve problems not just relocate them. Truly.

More states are rethinking beaver management to help these furry engineers thrive

More states are exploring new ways to manage beavers. Corday shared a summary of the trends in a presentation to hundreds of beaver enthusiasts at the third BeaverCon conference in Boulder this week.

Having a proactive statewide management plan, she said, can help educate the public about the importance of sustaining beaver populations, outline goals for their recovery and help foster coexistence with communities.

“A statewide plan can lay the foundation for how you do those things,” said Corday.

For example, the plans can lay out processes for relocating beavers from places where they’re causing trouble to areas where they can thrive.

“In some cases, being able to translocate them up into the watershed where they could do so much benefit and have so much less risk of conflict,” she said.

Yet, just a few states have beaver management plans. Utah adopted one in 2017 and, as a result of state legislation, California is drafting one now. Colorado wildlife officials signaled earlier this year that they were beginning internal work on the state’s first beaver management plan, which could be drafted over the next couple of years.

Wow! I truly didn’t imagine the day that I would read about the beaver convention on NPR.  I guess we really aren’t in Kansas anymore, toto.

Things are still looking ugly for beavers in , British Columbia a little north of seattle.

Calvin Township takes up gnawing issue of beaver damage on private land

Calvin Township is drafting a new by-law to help curb damage from beaver dams. The municipality has had ongoing issues with dams on private property.

Other neighbouring municipalities have similar by-laws, noted Ann Carr, Calvin’s Public Works Superintendent, and “basically the by-law is a mechanism to allow us to control private property flooding and to protect the Municipality’s infrastructure.”

Carr emphasized that the by-law is still in draft.

However, as envisioned, the by-law “will give us a mechanism to enter onto private land” to deal with beavers and their dams before damaging flooding occurs.

See: Beaver dam sparks conflict among Four Mile Lake residents

The by-law would also see the municipality contract as needed, a licensed trapper who could deal with any beavers relentless in their quest for bigger ponds. At one time, trappers would be eager to do this work for free, but with the lower price of pelts, the ambition for trapping beaver is dwindling.

Ahh that’s a darn shame. Killing beaver is hardly worth while anymore, The city should pay for it.

Mayor Richard Gould elaborated. “The price of pelts has dropped to $35 per pelt,” Given the hours needed to harvest those pelts, the work isn’t worth it to many. As such, “We have a beaver population that is exploding.”

“If a large pond lets go,” he added, “that could take out a road.”

The municipality must be protected, but the mayor also emphasized that residents must be protected, and the by-law should give time “for them to act themselves” to fix any beaver issues occurring on their land, before the municipality steps in.

That would be at the resident’s own cost, because “no matter what,” the mayor detailed, “it always falls back to the cost of the resident.” Property owners are responsible for beavers on their land. However, there is not much an owner can do but contact a trapper. As per the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, “a person shall not damage or destroy a beaver dam unless the person holds a license to trap furbearing mammals.”

What if I want to keep beavers and birds and fish in my backyard stream? What if that’s why I bought the house in the first place?