Saturday 2:30pm-3:30pm
How Martinez saved its beavers and helped its birds In 2007, the town of Martinez was faced with a problem. Beavers had built a dam in a downtown creek already prone to flooding. No one expected the massive public response which forced the city to control the beaver dam, humanely. New wetlands made and maintained by the beavers since that time have created remarkable habitat for steelhead, otter, mink and a variety of new birds. Come see how a community allowed beavers to restore its wetlands, increase the fish and wildlife populations and broaden its bird count. Beavers really are Worth A Dam!
Heidi Perryman, Ph.D.is an “accidental beaver advocate” who began filming the beavers in 2006, served on the subcommittee that addressed beaver management and started the organization “Worth A Dam” to deal with their continued care. She presented in Oregon at the State of the Beaver Conference and is currently working with a multidisciplinary team on beaver historic prevalence and the role of beaver-assisted salmon recovery in California.
