Wednesday’s have always had a special place in my heart ever since Nov 7, 2007 when I tremulously attended the very first city council meeting on beavers I believe Martinez has ever held. It definitely changed the fate of this city and it certainly changed my life. It may have been the first meeting about beavers but it apparently will not be the last. Tonight the city moves to approve the plan for the Lower Alhambra Creek Watershed Management, which discusses guess WHAT?
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? I was so ragged and shellshocked after the beaver fight I always felt guilty for not going to the mat to demand that FUTURE beavers be treated with the same responsible behavior. But luckily for me Ann Riley and Igor Skaredoff attended the planning meetings and made sure the waterboard did it for us.
You see the city of Martinez made some foolish (probably spiteful) mistakes in vegetation management over the years. They ripped out trees to make the beavers leave and this was expressly against the wishes of SF Waterboardm under downstream of whose jurisdiction we sit. Funny thing is that this is the very waterboard where Ann Riley is a hallowed and respected consultant. And many years came with watershed stewards to install said willow cuttings that the city later ripped out. Ahh memories.
The city was fined for bad management and IN LIEU of the fine the city elected to take the waterboards input on the management plan for Lower Alhambra Creek, Unsolicited advice versus money, You know which the city thought was easier, Which means, basically, their actions have been punished with the demand that they behave responsibly towards beavers.
Which is, in my book, the very best thing that could ever have happened.
This is a big piece of chocolate cake for long term players like me who lied awake every night worrying about those dam beavers. It is delicious 7 layered cake – well made and served by handsome waiters in white coats to violin music.
But there’s also icing on the cake.
The addendum to the plan includes a the beaver restoration guidebook authored by Michael Pollock with Cheryl’s lovely photo of our Martinez beaver on the cover. And a chapter specifically on urban beavers authored by – wait for it – who was that again? Oh that’s right. I remember now.
