Lega Medcalf is a retired science educator from Bridgeton Maine. She called me at the office one day in March to say that some beavers had moved into her local city park and she was interested in helping them. She had been checking out the website to figure out where to start. At the time I posted the letter she wrote to her local paper. Here are some images she recently sent of the local beaver-rama.
So far the city hasn’t reacted to the beavers, but that will change soon. This week she gave presentations to the Bridgeford Selectman Committee on Tuesday and the Rotary Club on Thursday. You can guess which one went better. She sent me her beautiful powerpoint presention and I was thrilled to see that she had even used quotes from the VERY recent Altantic Monthly article as well as lots of hard science from various sources.
Her presentation was sharp, persuasive and engaging. But this was this slide that took my breath away.
- Lega Medcalf: Presentation to the Rotary Club
BRIDGETON BEAVER FESTIVAL JUNE 16, 2012 !!!
When she had talked on the phone about starting a beaver festival I assumed she meant a hypothetical festival in the distant FUTURE sometime. I had no idea that she was going to march against the wind, head down, fists clenched and staunchly get this done in a matter of months! Amy Macdonald invited to sign the most famous beaver book ever. Done. Presentation to the selectmen. Done. Presentation to Rotary. Done. Poster and DVD of Stephen Low’s the Beaver Movie. Done. And featured at the festival? A Presentation by Sharon and Owen Brown of Beavers Wetlands and Wildlife.
I have Owen and Sharon Brown of Beavers: Wetlands and Wildlife coming to make a presentation at the Beaver Daze mini-festival on June 16. The only time the local movie theater was available to show the movie Beavers was June 16 and 17 ( all booked up otherwise through the fall) so I am in rush mode to be ready and will have to scale back the activities. The library is the setting for the Brown presentation and the movie theater is just one block away with Shorey park another short walk away.
Lega! This is astounding. Just astounding. I don’t know where to begin! This is your idea of a mini festival? Beaver Daze sounds like its off to an AMAZING start and I can’t believe you’re having it in June. (I’m panicking over details for ours and its two months away!) To say that I am very, very impressed would be a massive understatement.
The truth is, if I were anywhere near Maine, besides making you president of Worth A Dam, I would be working enormously hard to keep all the vulture nonprofits from snatching you up to write their newsletters or organize their events, getting you to save owls or foxes or whatever. You are a rare find, Lega. You are a water cannon of energy and everyone will want you. But, as I would remind you over coffee many, many cheerful mornings because we’d be the best of friends;
Beavers need you more.
Thank you for your enormous hard work. We will talk about the uncooperative selectmen and brainstorm about ways to open closed minds. In the mean time, I dedicate this memorial Saturday to YOU and your amazing hard work. Now all you budding beaver advocates might enjoy taking this beaver quiz from Amy Neff Roth of the Observer-Dispatch in Hamilton NY. My answers are listed here but the paper says Spring Hill Farm Cares (also friends of Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife) will post theirs on Sunday.
1) Although mostly herbivores, beavers sometimes eat small fish.
2) Beavers mate for life.
3) Beavers warn each other about danger by slapping the water with their tails.
4) Beavers can swim underwater for up to one hour.
5) Once beavers colonize a stream or river, the colony will remain forever unless the beavers are forcibly removed.
6) Water is cleaner downstream from a beaver pond than it is upstream.
7) Beavers are closely related to weasels, minks and fishers.
8) Beavers can walk upright on their hind legs.
9) Beavers hibernate for the winter.
10) Beavers may spend years working on dams and lodges, which keep getting bigger.
