Did I mention that beavers are really, really amazing? The old saying ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way‘ must have been inspired by them. Because beavers always seem to find a way. They just do.
Eric R. contacted me thru the website a while ago. after being sold on Ben’s book and thinking beavers could make a difference in San Diego county where he lives. He was very bummed to learn that California doesn’t allow reintroduction and wanted to teach about how beavers could affect groundwater. He recently went looking for beavers at their last known location in temecula but saw nothing. So he decided to look closer to home.
Guess what he found in Fallbrook?
Fallbrook is in San Diego County at the very bottom of our state, This is in Sandia creek where it crosses the Santa Margarita trail. This makes it farther south in California than any beavers we currently know about. Just in case you aren’t sure this is a beaver dam, he took more photos just to be safe side.
Well, will you look at that! Fresh beaver chew in San Diego county! The first time he goes looking for beaver he find it! Eric R. was blessed on his first beaver-searching trek. Either there are so few creeks in the area it was easy to know where to look or he just really has a feel for these things.
Searching around on google I can see that there’s been sign of beavers on the Santa Margarita going back for decades of longer.. They show up, are trapped, and somehow show up again.
The Santa Margarita River begins at the confluence of Temecula Creek and Murietta creek which is not too far from Lake Skinner where the trapping of beavers lead to the huge appellate suit and the Management by Assertion paper.
These are likely the great great grandchildren of the beavers that our attorney friend saved all those years ago. Which is nice to think about and I sent Mitch the photos this morning.
Every so often we encounter a new voice that wants to reintroduce beaver in to Southern California. But they are already there. We just need to stop trapping them and let them do their jobs.
And now they have a new champion.
