Isn’t that a beautiful front page? Chris Mclaughlin is a gardener-extraordinaire and the author of the Savvy plant, she used to be in charge of the wildlife blog for the examiner too and we became beaver buddies back in the Martinez drama days. Now she’s working with a team of others on an exciting new website called “Wildlife garden” which advocates redefining what makes a beautiful garden to include more natural appreciations.
Guess who wins recommendation in the new year?
Beavers as Master Builders of Wildlife Habitats
Turns out that North America’s largest rodent is extremely important for wildlife habitat restoration, as well as increasing bird populations. Beavers end up reviving natural stream function, repairing degraded streams, recharging local water tables, and creating wetlands that encourage the survival of numerous plant and bird species.
Chris! Welcome to the beaver-believer club! That’s beautiful, and am I blushing or beaming (or both!) when she advises readers at the end to learn more about beavers by visiting the WORTH A DAM website. She’s in the Sierras where beavers desperately need a few more well-placed friends, so I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Go read the whole beautiful article and see some adorable photos. But the money part?? Check out the comment from a reader three down.
Town Mouse says: January 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Great post! And let’s not forget that beavers do live in CA, even in large and busy towns! Have a look at the story of the Martinez beavers https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/ (now buried under other beaver-related news, but they really do have beavers, which you can watch while having supper downtown in summer.
Ahh TM! What a gallant comment! We so appreciate being remembered. Never mind that our story is “buried” under the tab on the menu bar reading “STORY” or that Chris herself linked to us in the article. But still, its dam sweet to read your remarks.
Speaking of our beavers, they have been doing some serious tree-targetting, finishing off the shining (rough barked) willow at Starbucks and another smooth barked morsel behind ward street, rounding the meal off with a hardy harvest of coppicing near the old lodge. January is tree month. It always has been. Maybe the tulle roots get bitter, or they need something harder to chew. Maybe they’re having a growth spurt?
Oh and if you haven’t seen this you really should. This preview of this charming National Geographic special is not to be missed – but after you watch it, beaver-savvy readers, see if you can spot the error.
I already wrote a host of suits about the mistake. Let’s see if we can get them to change the title!
