Yesterday I drove through the winding wilds of Moraga to my undergraduate campus of St. Mary’s where I gave a presentation on beavers and Worth A Dam to the Rotary club of Moraga. That’s Martinez, Pleasant Hill and Moraga where I’ve been a rotary guest, the third experience by far was the best. Great facilities, beavers on a huge (IMAX-huge!) screen, and very nice people. I emphasized creative solutions and the effect beavers had on the habitat, and the room was at full attention. There was a invitation to the Orinda Rotary club at the end, and some very appreciative promises to come see the beavers soon for themselves. I had a couple volunteers mention they would drop a line to the mayor to say how much they enjoyed the presentation. All in all, an excellent beaver lunch!
In the afternoon, there was this article in the Contra Costa times to delight in. Jennifer did a great job collecting quotes from Dimitry, our artists, Cheryl and myself. I missed the print copy though so if someone has it and wants to share I’d love to see what photos they ran. I was able to put Jennifer in touch with Jill Harcke who was able to track down the kids who drew tiles at John Muir Mountain Camp.
Annie Tejada, 11, featured a beaver clad in a baseball cap to reflect the Pleasant Hill resident’s affinity for the animal and love of the Great American pastime.
“Everybody put something that represented themselves on the beaver,” said the student at Strandwood Elementary. “They wanted to show their personality.”
Lindsey Marie opted to paint her tile featuring a beaver surrounded by hearts and a rainbow, while other artists wrote such uplifting messages as: “Help Me Help You” “Beavers Rock” and “Guess Which Beaver Stayed in School?”
It’s lovely writing. Cheryl took Jennifer all around the habitat and gave her the full view, so I think that helped softened her heart to our beavers. The only thing I’m not sure about was this:
One tile depicts a mom gently instructing her kit.
Jennifer Shaw: Beaver tiles installed on Escobar Street
I know exactly which tile she means, but our Director of Public Works looked at that same tile and said it was a Dad teaching his son how to build, and since it is the first charming thing I have heard him say about our beavers I’m inclined to protect it. Beavers are monomorphs, no external sex characteristics, so unless the artist tells us herself, we’ll never, never know.
