There are two reasons for which you should immediately buy a copy of this issue of Bay Nature Magazine. The first is this stunning cover photo by Steve Zamek of Feather Light photography. When I first saw it I thought it must have been taken underwater because how else would that fish be suspended in mid air? Then I realized that that merganser had speared the fish and was flipping it to swallow. It’s a hair’s breadth of a split second of a snapping shutter in time during which Steve had the presence of mind to catch this photo. The title “hooded merganser contemplating lunch — or a stickleback contemplating mortality ” endears him to me greatly.
Of course I immediately invited Mr. Zamek to come photograph beavers. I’ll let you know what happens.
The second reason to buy this issue of Bay Nature is the Letter to the editor by a certain familiar beaver supporter. I’ll give you just a taste:
I enjoyed Allessandra Berjamin’s article on the San Jose beavers, but was disappointed that the issue didn’t use the opportunity to highlight the impact of beavers on biodiversity. Daniel Mcglynn’s article on outmigtation of steelhead could have triggered a discussion of beaver benefit to salmonids in general. The issue has been so consistently demonstrated by NOAA that the Methow project in Washington relocates beavers for this purpose and houses them temporarily in unused fish hatcheries.
Oh dear, turtles and frogs will die Oh dear, there’ll be no fish to fry Oh dear, Farmer John’s well will dry Beavers are not in the creek.
They were here first, tell the trappers to pack and scram They will need help so they move in and start a fam Ponds team with life because beavers are Worth A Dam Beavers belong in the creek.
A first nation in Yukon is looking to help one species by undoing the work of another. The Ta’an Kwach’an Council hopes it can help boost numbers of Chinook salmon.
The Whitehorse area First Nation has received environmental approval for a month-long project to remove abandoned beaver dams on Fox Creek.
Thank goodness, because everyone knows those salmon need wide open expanses of un-dammed creek to grow up where they are exposed to exciting challenges of predation and drought. Keeps them agile! Certainly there are mountains of hard scientific studies proving that beaver dams help salmonids, but none of them look specifically at ABANDONED beaver dams. They’re obviously special.
Gosh, I wonder why those dams were abandoned? Did something maybe happen to those beavers?
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that somewhere a low-level city biologist is feeding this tribe misinformation to trick them into thinking that if they just kill enough beavers their salmon population will recover. (Never mind the pollution and the concrete channels.) They are using the tribe as the ‘cow pusher’ on the front of the train to get the protesters off the tracks, because no one will express outrage by what a native tribe does! And after they talk the tribe into doing it first, and the policy gets noticed, the city can do it, and say “What? We learned this from the Whitehorse!”
This article has been up for a couple days now. The CBC article on the same topic had a dozen comments that were pro-beaver (including mine) which are all gone now. Hmm.
Flooding has devastated much of southern Alberta, killing three people and prompting authorities to evacuate the western Canadian city of Calgary’s entire downtown — an estimated 75,000 people. But at least one resident of Calgary has stayed behind. Cameras caught a beaver swimming through strong flood waters up the Bow River.
Sorry for Alberta and the flooding but it’s nice to remember what strong swimmers beavers are. I know it has reassured me on more than one occasion!
Great photos from Cheryl last night, you won’t want to miss. Great kingfisher too, who has been clatteringly noisily around the dams and making herself known!
Yesterday I sent Ian’s raptor blues film to Tom Knudson of the Sacramento Bee and today he has tweeted it. I let Ian know and he sent me this amazing article. If you’ve been at all following this incredible young man you really should go read it for yourself.
Since he was 11, Ian Timothy has enjoyed making stop-motion animation films. Now 18 and a recent St. Xavier High School graduate, he’s won two major awards for his approximately two-minute film “Day Shift.”
“Day Shift” won a Gold Medal in the student film category of the New York Festivals International TV and Film Awards Competition, one of only two student films to win the Gold Medal, the highest award.
For that film he also received a Silver Telly Award in Animation, the highest award given in that professional — not student — competition.
Ian will attend CalArts — the California Institute of The Arts in Valencia, Calif. — in the Experimental Animation program. The competitive program accepts 15 students per year and has trained “greats” such as Tim Burton and John Lasseter, Ian said.
Ian believes he was accepted because, “They want to see somebody has a voice as an artist. Not only that they are good, technically, but they know where they want to be and what they want to be.”
Okay THIS article is definitely going in the copy of the DVD he will be donating for the festival. You better save it because it will be a collector’s item one day. We disagree about one thing. Ian says his newest film is about the liberating effect of creativity. I say its about the creative influence of nature.
Maybe for Ian they are actually the same thing.
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Oh and as you can definitely discern: I have a new keyboard and a functioning “d”! Delicious Delight and Darwinism! All I can say is thank goodness it wasn’t the “B”.
In the heart of San Jose, nestled between the glass and steel of HP Pavillion and a busy highway, some long-unseen locals have moved back to town. Beavers have returned to a spot at the confluence of Los Gatos Creek and the Guadalupe River for the first time in 150 years, setting off a scurry of excitement among conservationists.
“I was elated to hear about the beavers,” said Leslee Hamilton, executive director of the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy in San Jose. “The Guadalupe River seemed like a prime candidate [for beavers] so I wasn’t surprised when they appeared, merely ecstatic.”
Close your eyes for a second and just imagine a world where every mayor and every city manager and every conservancy who finds beavers on their property reacts in exactly the same way as Leslee. Imagine what it would be like if every state park and every city park and every national park got ECSTATIC to have beavers in their borders. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m apparently not the only one any more.
When beavers arrived in Martinez seven years ago, an influx of other species came in on their coattails. Sacramento spittail, a member of the carp family seen most often in the Central Valley, and American mink made an appearance along Alhambra Creek. Perryman attributes this to the beaver’s role as a “keystone species”—a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
“Beavers do these really specific behaviours that create the conditions for the next species that will follow,” explained Perryman
The reporter Alessandra really did a nice and thorough job talking to the major players for this article and it will be in the magazine version in July. There was lots of information that never survived the editing room floor but I’m thrilled she really seemed to take the coppicing message to heart. Play this video all the way through.
To be honest, I’m a little bit disgruntled by the wary approach this article and others have displayed about beaver effect on fish. In my castor-centric opinion Bay Nature has been overly slow to get the beaver-salmon-steelhead memo. I personally talked to the editor about it in 2009 at the JMA awards dinner and directly talked to the publisher about it in 2011 flyway festival. They both said, send us the articles and we’ll look into it but when I gave them multiple sources and Michael Pollock’s personal cell phone number, nothing happened. One might think their foot-dragging has something to do with this:
In some situations, beaver dams can benefit native fish species including chinook salmon and steelhead trout by creating ideal conditions for juvenile fish (smolt) to mature in deep water ponds. “We would look at it on a site specific basis with consideration for the threatened steelhead, and get a professional opinion from a fishery biologist to see whether the benefits would outweigh the impact,” said Titus of the water district.
(Because you know, sometimes it’s good for fish to have deep pools of cooler temperatures, more food so that they can get bigger before they swim to sea and stand a better chance of not getting eaten while they grow to maturity and swim back, and sometimes you know, there are some fish that, for reasons of their own, are just suicidal and want to end it all, and we want to make sure beavers don’t get in the way of that.)
For goodness sake. I will admit there may be some portion of some stream for some fish species in the broad complexity of the planet where beavers produce a negative effect but I expect my water district and NATURE MAGAZINE to be familiar enough with the science to know that when these unlikely circumstances arrive they are going to have to PROVE it. Doug needs to come to the beaver festival. I’d like to introduce him to some folks. Especially the winner of last year’s golden pipe award. (Which he received for spreading the good news about beaver and salmon and steelhead)
Okay. I’m done ranting. This was a still a delightful article, I love seeing Cheryl’s photos so prominent, and Alessandra is about the only reporter that I’ve been able to impress the bird relationship on, so I’m very happy that this survived the cutting sheers. Thanks so much for your good cheer! I look forward to the print copy, and if you have time go comment on the article and thank her.
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Martinez Beaver Update Cheryl was down last night and took some lovely photos of our family who has been working up a storm to feed new hungry mouths, taking a tree in the annex and primary dam.
Adult brings willow to lodge: Photo Cheryl Reynolds
I was down at 4:30 this am, where one adult beaver was literally on sentry, prowling back and forth across the creek, until he saw me in the shadows and then SLAP! The alarm was sent to our mystery kits. Jon and I eventually saw one black sausage paddling in the darkness beside the old lodge who ducked and wasn’t seen again. Nice to know they’re being healthy and guarded, but I can’t wait for photos! And nice to see mom spending quality time with Jr. Am I the only one who thinks she’s reassuring him, “Don’t worry. You’ll always be my first baby”.
This beaver resides on hay producer Michael Stapleton's ranch in Scott Valley. Stapleton said beaver have not caused any serious problems on his ranch and he believes their dams provide tangible benefits for river health.
Representatives of the Scott Valley Groundwater Advisory Committee and the Scott River Watershed Council appeared before the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 7 to explain how beavers could be a valuable tool in efforts to improve groundwater levels and surface flows in their watershed.
Tom Menne, Scott Valley hay producer and chairman of the groundwater committee introduced the subject to the board, explaining that he had attended a presentation by NOAA Fisheries Biologist Michael Pollack about the beneficial impacts of beavers on groundwater levels and fish habitat.
On every level, in every possible way, the river champions of Scotts Valley are smart, smart, smart. They know they’re walking a tightrope on fire over traffic delicately navigating between landowners, politics and a feisty independence where folks don’t take kindly to being told what to do. I can’t find a list of the stalwart members of the Groundwater committee or the Watershed council, but I can guess at least some of the names. They were at the first meeting of the California Beaver Working Group and those who attended persuaded those who couldn’t. Bringing Michael Pollock in to talk fish habitat was brilliant. As was getting a landowner to introduce the plan himself.
“Several landowners that were present at [Pollacks] presentation are interested in exploring the possibility of encouraging beaver that are already present in the Scott River to build dams in strategic locations where it could primarily benefit the groundwater but also the riparian vegetation and fisheries habitat,” said project coordinator, Danielle Yokel.
Supervisor Marcia Armstrong said she is skeptical of the effectiveness of beavers as a watershed tool because she’s heard negative stories from several people about the animals interfering with irrigation ditches and other agricultural operations.
Yokel assured her that the watershed council, groundwater committee and the landowners are aware that, in some cases, beaver activity can have negative impacts on riparian vegetation and irrigation ditches. But, she explained that there are several effective tools available to prevent or address those impacts, such as wrapping the base of important trees with wire mesh to protect them, and specially designed structures that keep beaver debris from blocking diversions.
Do you think, if I’m really, really good, when I die I can go to Scotts Valley? Pass the popcorn, reading this article is better than anything you’ll do all day. Let’s get back to the good stuff.
Armstrong also invited U.S. Department of Agriculture trapper Dennis Moyles – whose job it is to trap problem animals designated for removal in Siskiyou County – to give his opinion on the subject.
Ooh! The villain of the piece! Boo! Hiss!
One of Moyles’ major concerns was the possibility of beaver activity causing erosion. He told the board about a spot on the Scott River, near the Horn Lane bridge, where “about half an acre of ground has been lost because of where [the beaver’s] den site was.”
Half an acre? A beaver den that used half an acre? I’m tempted to imagine a sprawling ranch style accommodation, but it’s more likely that he mean the DAM caused water to back up which caused erosion and the beaver gained half an acre in pond. Dam not Den. Of course one might assume trappers know that beavers don’t live in the dam, but then one might be wrong. Never mind. Let’s see how our heroes deal with this challenge.
Because losing half an acre of property is a serious problem, the Daily News visited the location on the Scott River referred to by Moyles. The eroded section of stream bank is approximately 50 feet long and 30 feet wide – far less than half an acre.
Ooh a reporter who checks for accuracy! Does the Scotts Valley have magical powers? No one does that any more. Hand me a handkerchief, I feel a swoon coming on.
However, Moyles had other concerns. He fears that if beaver populations get too big and need to be thinned, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) may not allow it. Yokel said the watershed council intends to work cooperatively with CDFW to ensure that beavers can be managed if the potential project causes problems.
Why on earth would a trapper worry that the population would get too big so that he’d have to be hired too often? Does he hate money? Oh, I see why. He’s the trapper from USDA. And gets hired when folks turn to the feds to solve problems. Every permit from CDFW is a cut in his salary. So when he says “I’m worried they won’t issue enough permits” he’s really rubbing his hands together and thinking about his boat payment.
Now for the big finale.
Chairman of the Scott River Watershed Council and Etna City Councilwoman Marilyn Seward told the board she is interested in the benefits of beavers because “Scott Valley owes their wonderful soil and everything else to beaver. It was Beaver Valley [before being named Scott Valley].”
Alright then! That’s it. SCENE! Cue victory chorus!
Wow, if only Martinez had had brilliant folk helping like they do in Scotts Valley. We could have overcome prejudice and changed hearts and minds in no time. We could have saved all that money in sheetpile and convinced the city council in a single meeting!
In an email, Armstong told the Daily News, “Not enough information is known about the specific benefits and risks, or the potential impacts on landowners or irrigators for the board to give a blanket endorsement for the notion of ‘encouraging’ beavers to build dams in the Scott [Valley].”
We are a full service station here at beaver central. We don’t sugar coat it or report only the bad news to get better ratings. Beaver stories are like any stories, sometimes they bring good news and sometimes not. Thank goodness the good news is coming more often these days.
I was raised Catholic so we better start with the bad news first:
That’s Byram Mississippi in case you were wondering. Not exactly a font of ecological wisdom but it’s on the nightly news so they must think there’s an ounce of interest in the story. If you go to the city’s website it opens explaining what forms you need to fill out if you want to be mayor/alderman. I’m thinking I’ll pass.
Medium news? How about an update on our Bronx river beavers in New York. The first caused such a splash when he arrived, and another showed up the following year spawning tales of romance, but they haven’t been seen for a while and our friends who keep an eye on them have wondered what is happening.
The folks at the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx River Alliance had been wondering what was up with José and Justin, the beavers who first made headlines in 2007 when they turned up in the Bronx River – the first exemplars of New York’s state animal to be spotted alive in New York City in 200 years.
“We knew they were here, but they hadn’t been spotted for a while,” said Ann Rafalko, the garden’s director of online content. The garden’s Critter Cam, a motion-sensitive robot camera mounted in an undisclosed location in the garden’s 50-acre forest that flanks the river, has provided an answer.
It’s wonderful when folks realize beavers are good news and tell the media as media. Not exactly sure why these beavers have been named as if they’re a gay couple, but we’re very broad minded and don’t mind. The garden’s critter cam is going to be in for a surprise come this summer I think!
The increased activity of beavers in and along streams of Northern California has gotten local landowners, public agencies and scientists talking about these large rodents. The beaver is best known for its iconic teeth, flat tail and lustrous fur. Scientific research also supports the idea that beavers are beneficial to restoring fisheries in the region.
One of the most significant benefits beavers provide to the environment are the dams they create. Unlike human-built dams, beaver dams provide critical wetland ecosystems and riparian habitats which benefit endangered and threatened species such as coho and Chinook salmon. Beaver activity also opens up the tree canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the water and support the growth of healthy algae and other aquatic plants.
So, beavers may be good for the fish, but what about humans? Private landowners have valid complaints that beavers are destroying trees on their property and causing flooding of fields.
Are you intrigued yet? What a great start to an article! Hand me some popcorn!
In order to answer these questions and more, the Five Counties Salmonid Conservation Program will host a free workshop.
in Trinity County from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Volunteer Fire Hall in Douglas City, located near the Trinity River bridge on State Route 299 that intersects with State Route 3 at 100 Steiner Flat Road.
The event will include practical techniques for assessing and managing beaver dams while protecting property. The workshop is funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, and the guest speaker is a national expert from Massachusetts who specializes in balancing beaver activity and human interests.
That wouldbe our old friend Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions who will be teaching the workshop on Saturday, visiting our local installer Ted Guzzi of Sierra Wildlife coalition Sunday, and coming to Martinez monday for a tour of the most famous beavers ever.If you’re wondering just how old of a friend Mike is, this is a letter from him in 2008 which ism so long ago I had not yet ‘inherited’ the website.
This is a letter from Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions to Heidi, but we really think it applies to everyone who has supported the beavers:Dear “Beaverlady”, 😉
Your efforts are Herculean. It is so difficult to promote coexistence with beavers in an urban setting, especially one that is prone to flooding without beavers. Nevertheless, your efforts have given these beavers a fighting chance at survival.
Irregardless of the City’s final decision with the M. beavers I hope you can see that your efforts have had huge positive effects for not only the Martinez beavers, but also for beavers everywhere. Along with others, you personally have raised beaver awareness in the California masses. Not an easy task, and extremely important if our society is to evolve a better culture of coexistence with the animals on this planet.
I thought you should know how impressive your efforts and results have already been, because I know when a person is in the middle of a fight it is hard to see the entire battleground. I’m glad you are involved. Thanks.
There are two reasons for which you should immediately buy a copy of this issue of Bay Nature Magazine. The first is this stunning cover photo by Steve Zamek of Feather Light photography. When I first saw it I thought it must have been taken underwater because how else would that fish be suspended in mid air? Then I realized that that merganser had speared the fish and was flipping it to swallow. It’s a hair’s breadth of a split second of a snapping shutter in time during which Steve had the presence of mind to catch this photo. The title “hooded merganser contemplating lunch — or a stickleback contemplating mortality ” endears him to me greatly.
