10 days ago – which has become the same thing as a year ago – I learned about the beaver dam in Pleasant hill behind target. My first reaction of course was suspicion, I’ve heard LOTS of false reports of beaver dams in my day. But when I was able to get some locals to photograph it and saw the actual dam I knew it was true. I did some hardy imploring of Cheryl who braved the heat and got the lovely video. And I was excited in this familiar yet novel way I can only compare to the sensation of falling in love.
And then I heard about the desilting plans and felt glumly trapped in the same chinese puzzle box I had stumbled through in 2007. Nothing had changed. I was on a conveyor belt of threatened beavers. It would never get better but it could always get worse.
In truth, I despaired for those beavers.
And then I had a “we ride at dawn” phone call with Ann Riley of the waterboard who is a big believer and beaver buddy. And she suggested a conference call with the county supervisor and all the interested environmental groups, And I was like, wow You can do that? And she was like, NO. YOU can do that and I’ll participate. And I realized I already had an environmental award signed by the same county supervisor and that the group in charge overseeing the de-silting project was the same group that gave our grant for the beaver festival every year.
So I timidly contacted friends of pleasant hill creeks and the chair had been a board member of that committee and approved our grants and was a big fan of Worth A Dam and a friend of Riley’s. And her two co-chairs were both board members of MDAS Audubon who had attended my beaver talk in 2019. And everyone was so excited about beavers and appreciative of my knowledge and background and thought everything I said was a great idea. Except they didn’t want to have a supervisor meeting, they wanted to go straight to flood control with my suggestions because they had recently hammered out a very good relationship and they thought that was the best route.
So I had a nice chat with the liaison of the desilting project and sent the video on to speak for me and things look brighter – possibly much brighter for those Pleasant Hill beavers. And I realize whatever else I may be in this big world my beaver reputation proceeds me and I am a something when it comes to beavers in Contra Costa. Maybe not a force exactly, but a kind of tractor beam it is hard to completely ignore.
So I guess what I mean is that, yes I am still going in circles. But on a spiral staircase. And the view is definitely getting better. Stay tuned,
