Have you noticed the strange downward rush of yellowed leaves and the cool evenings that take you by surprise? Even here in sunny Martinez we can tell fall has arrived, and winter is lurking just around the corner. Our beavers have responded to the seasonal shift by reinforcing the primary dam and tackling the second. There used to be an eroded section near the west bank of the primary that just barely held water. It is now gone – covered and repaired so that the whole surface of the dam is even layers of sticks woven together. This isn’t junior’s attempt at dam building, it’s a better homes and gardens version and when the water rises it will rise to match it. If you haven’t seen it lately you really should check it out.
In colder areas beavers are finishing food caches and breaking through newly formed ice each day so they can get where they need to go. Our beavers don’t even need to build a lodge to survive the winter and I often wonder if they have any idea how lucky they are. I guess somewhere in the world there must be a beaver who dispersed from an unfrozen area one winter into a frozen area the next and had to learn and adapt, but it seems so dedicated and sophisticated there must be a lot of instruction involved in learning how to store enough food underwater to last for three or four months.
This next film is a reminder of how difficult life can be under the ice. Check out this brave beaver who not only has to break the ice to get ‘out’ of the water and feed on lichen, but then has to break it again to get back ‘in’! When he turns tail you can see the frozen ice crystals on his fur. Brrrr!
Of course winter is trapping season, when their coats are thickest and the fur worth most. This means that in addition to starvation, freezing, and isolation beavers must be prepared to stay away from merciless men with snow axes who dig down into the ice to kill them or set traps near inviting holes they might be lured to. We are heading towards ‘beaver moon’ which is either a reminder to seasonally hunt the animal or a compassionate reminder of how hard these animals work at this time of year. I know which one I’ll be celebrating!
Oh and congratulations to this years winners of the John Muir Conservation Awards, truly a broad sweep of the best of humanity.
Youth Conservationist of the Year – Clifford Dzidonu
Environmental Education Conservation Award – Kids for the Bay
Nonprofit Conservation Award – Wild at Heart
Business Conservation Award – Back to the Roots
Why not join join them for a truly inspiring evening that celebrates the spirit of John Muir and reminds us why wild places and wild things are important for each of us?
