healing-small

Yesterday I found three messages from Bob Cellini of public works waiting for me. Seems the city is anxiously worrying about El Nino’s arrival, and feeling that the best thing they can do is rip out the flow device and remove the sediment from the beaver habitat. There is never time or money to worry about the rest of the creek, mind you. This was discussed late this week at the last city meeting, when half of our pro-beaver caucus wasn’t in attendance. You can either excuse the bizarre video quality and angle, or go watch the whole thing for yourself here.

We are saddened by this news, but not alarmed. When I managed to connect with Bob he said they would be clearing out the creek from Starbucks to the BBQ, and doing a little dredging as well. They wanted to check that there were no beavers living in the area, which there are not. I was very confused why they’d want to dredge the annex area since its hardly a threat. But then I realized that the annex is on you-know-who’s front doorstep, and they need to show their Daddy that they’re spending their pocketful of money on the right things.

So I guess it makes sense.

It won’t matter for the beavers, who haven’t tended that dam for nearly a year. But I suppose its symbolic of the city erasing their contract regarding them. The flow device was as close as the city ever came to issuing a permission slip for the beavers to stay in Martinez. And they’re eager to withdraw permission.

The irony is that our beavers will be unaffected by their rejection, because they are laying low at the moment and possibly living elsewhere for the time being. Bob said the were going to cut the low branches of the trees, which I would hate to deprive beavers of if we had any at the moment. But for once we cannot be hurt by the city’s pettiness. Because the real loss has nothing whatsoever to do with them.

And IF the beavers 2.0 come back after the storms have washed the water clean and new, (and I think they well might) I’m sure they’ll be MOST grateful that the nasty pipe was removed so all their hard work can finally pay off.

Thanks Rob.

Oh, and someone put this on continuous loop will they?

Fantastic article today from The Ecologist that I just HAD to share about the economic value of nature.

How much is nature worth? More than you can imagine

Can you put a value on nature? Today we have tried to do just that by publishing an ‘Earth Index’ in the financial pages of the Times; Wall Street Journal; Singapore Business Times and Economic Times in India. The result of several months work trying to uncover the financial value of key species and natural resources.

You’ll understand of course why THIS is my favorite part:

Also standing out for their enormous value as landscape and wetland managers are beavers, worth an annual £120,000. But given the huge annual value of the US’s coastal wetlands – $23.2 billion – maybe it should not come as a surprise.

Wow. With today’s exchange rates that’s nearly 184,000 US dollars a year. That works out to be about 15 grand a month. You would think even a city like Martinez would worry about hemorrhaging that, wouldn’t you? I mean, if they understood the value of these animals they’d be sending them flowers and chocolates, promising never to be mean again, trying to win them back, instead of taking their clothes to Goodwill the week after they leave for college and turning their bedroom into a personal gym.

HRMPH.

Let’s review. Nearly three months ago our mother beaver died. There were outpourings of support for her and the three kits she left behind. Worth A Dam wanted some kind of memorial to her remarkable life and approached local artist and UCD professor Paul Craig. Paul is an old friend of the beavers and was thinking of them when he designed the metal beavers for the library sculpture. Paul said he would happily make a mother and some kits if we could get him some silhouettes to work from.

Chapter two. I contacted the recently graduated but-as-yet-unemployed graphic artist (Libby Corliss) who designed our brochure and map and asked her for help. She said she could easily turn photos into silhouettes if we could find the right photos. Three of cheryl’s pictures did the trick, and for the fourth we filled in the drawing of our logo beaver generously donated by another graphic artist, Kiriko Moth. Paul quicky produced the metal pieces and we marched down to the city council meeting to ask permission to hang them.

Chapter three. In a down-the-rabbit-hole twist of fate we were given full approval and gratitude, told to go ahead and display them on the sheetpile wall, and to work with city staff who would help us get it done. I later met with Bob Cellini and gave him the beavers and talked about where they might work. I was surprised to learn that Bob does similar metal cuttings and has been meaning to get around to making one for his wife to display in the garden. I first met Bob in 2007 after the subcommittee had been formed but before Skip had installed the flow device. Staff had made the decision to take down the dam by a foot during the interim month before he could get here. I was standing at the bridge when he was reviewing the job and introduced himself mournfully as the man who was going to do the ‘dastardly deed’. I immediately liked him for that. I liked him even more when he said that the binder of articles I had distributed at the first subcommittee meeting was in the staff room and had become the ‘beaver bible’.

Chapter four. So tuesday I got an email from Bob that the beavers were ready to be installed and he had invited the Contra Costa Times photographer for the ‘unveiling’. When Lory got there thursday morning this is what she saw,

With the drop cloth removed, this was the display. Bob made the frame and arranged the beavers in it. Don’t they look happy together?

I was worried that they’d be spread apart or scattered, but I love this family grouping which clearly shows mom taking care of them. Obsessed beaver fans like myself will no-doubt note that the notch in mom’s tail is on the wrong side, because the metal has been reversed. Never mind. I like her approaching the bridge, almost as if she’s coming to ask us for something. I am incapable of avoiding the thought that she’s bringing the kits to meet us and asking us to take care of them when she goes.

I am so grateful for everyone’s help in pulling this together. I love the idea that somewhere on a sheetpile wall, mom beaver and her last three kits will be together forever.