Political Columnist Lisa Vorderbrueggan of the Contra Costa Times has been a tough sell on the Martinez beavers. She had a sporting good time making fun of our silly Martinez struggles over a bunch of rodents — saying we scared our city manager away, and spent far too much money in the process. In fact she had such delight working on one-liners about our exorbitant beaver bank account, that she never bothered to check whether the money figures were actually accurate. (Well, in this way she had plenty of company.) During the sheet-pile-palooza she was apparently terrified that Worth A Dam was purchasing thermonuclear devices and for some reason my explanation of the simple household non-contact thermometer never appeared in her column.
However, I think maybe her horse-race following, backroom deal-sniffing, seen-it-all steely heart was softened by the presidential beaver video which she truly enjoyed. Our beavers approaching their “candidates” affected her hardened spirit almost like the ghost of Christmas past visiting Scrooge. She came back from the election a changed woman. Here is what she has to say about the beavers for 2009.
Warning! Step away from the beavers!
Fearing a collapse, Martinez spent $360,000 in 2008 to install metal sheet pilings between a retaining wall and an adjacent beaver dam in Alhambra Creek.
It was the latest chapter in an angst-filled saga over what to do with beavers who set up housekeeping in the same creek where the city spent $20 million on flood control prevention.
But nervous downtown businessowners and beaver fans have declared an uneasy truce after several years of rodent occupation and no major flooding has occurred as a result of their presence.
Still, expect the big-toothed, procreating, national media hounds will remain the city’s third rail of politics in 2009.
Downtown property owners and beaver activists remain watchful.
Meanwhile, the original beaver pair has been as busy as, well, beavers.
Their family has expanded from two to eight critters and they have as built as many as four dams.
With a cessation of hostilities, the city plans this year to put up interpretive signs and direct visitors to the beaver pond.
A big sign that reads “Beavers This Way” sounds so much nicer than “Welcome to Martinez: Former Home of John Muir and That Cute but Evicted Beaver Family.”
Lisa! Welcome aboard! We missed you! What size t-shirt do you wear and we’ll send one right over?
This is as good a time as any to let everyone know that Worth A Dam recently worked with Epona environmental consulting to apply for a wildlife education grant that will pay for three interpretive signs at the dam and lodge sites. We have a designer at the ready, the lovely photos by Cheryl Reynolds, and my endless copy.
I expect great things.
