Looks like the wine country is giving up a few acres to take care of the river that feeds it. (Or for the publicity that feeds it). Still, I don’t begrudge them some free advertising in return for their shifting boundaries. Some folks are working hard to bring the salmon back to the streams and guess what is sneaking in to offer a hand?
It’s not just a drainage ditch anymore,” Piña said. “It’s amazing how the animals are moving back in. We have three or four beaver dams and the river otters are waiting for our first rainstorm because they know the salmon will start coming up. It’s changing rapidly, quite rapidly.”
That’s right. Wine tasting beavers! Which are apparently tolerated at the moment, although I wouldn’t place bets on them living through the season. This is the EPA we’re talking about here, and they are dropping millions of dollars to make offset channels, slow the water and establish deeper pools. They don’t want any beavers showing off and doing it for free!
We don’t know exactly where they are but the speaker in that article is from Rutherford so we can guess somewhere around those parts. I’m going to fantasize that they are offspring of the Martinez Beavers all grown up and trying life on their own. I don’t blame them. Which would you pick? Concord or the Wine Country?
Our wikipedia friend has already entered them on the records and we will work hard to track down the players and educate them about beaver management. In the meantime, I will mention that my parents were once in Calistoga wearing their Worth A Dam t-shirts and ran into a couple in the VERY SAME SHIRTS! So there are beaver supporters in Wine country and maybe when your company comes you should take them for a tasting wearing you-know-what.
