Tag: Dietland Muller Swarze

Beaver Impressive

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Dispersal, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? February 3, 2016

Too much good news. Some days there is almost nothing to cover, and other days everything good seems to happen at once. Yesterday I found out for the first time that Patti Smith keeps a blog about her observations of wildlife. You might remember she was the gentle soul keeping an eye on the beavers of Popples Pond in Vermont. She brought some helpers to the snowy stream to reinforce their food supply yesterday.

This afternoon, Margaretta and Isabelle arrived to help the stranded beavers with an offering of poplar boughs from their home in Dummerston. Once at the pond, I call to Willow and then we all sit quietly on the upside-down sled hoping that Willow won’t think it too early to come out to visit. After a few minutes, David, the lucky dad of these two great girls, spots Willow hauling herself onto the ice at one of the upstream holes.

How much do you envy that child? Willow is such a good sport. If you’d like to read more of Patti’s adventures you should check out her blog and pick up a copy of “The beavers of Popples Pond“. You won’t be disappointed.

Now onto more good news and a fine article from Vancouver. Just in time for our urban beaver chapter, too.

Vancouver’s urban-beaver plan focuses on enhancing habitats

Several dozen beavers are thought to be living in Vancouver, some of them making themselves at home in restored marshland near the Olympic Village, and now the city’s park’s board has approved a strategy that will give them some company.

The Vancouver Park Board has approved a detailed strategy to enhance and expand coastlines, forests and wetlands across the city. The Biodiversity Strategy aims to restore 25 hectares of natural land by 2020 – much of it spread across various shorelines – as well as tackle forest restoration near the Fraser River.

“There’s lots of evidence that there are physical and mental benefits for those who access nature in their daily lives,” biologist Nick Page, of the parks board, said in an interview. “Compared to rural populations, there are few points of access to nature in the city.”

How wonderful is THAT. Of course wildlife is good for our physical and mental health. So good in fact that they might have lifted that sentence EXACTLY from my section of the chapter. I’m so envious of the beaver plan in Vancouver. The impressive thing is that they even have the chops to stand up to pressure like this.

“The problem comes when beavers start working on natural water courses,” said Wayne Goodey, a University of British Columbia lecturer with a background in animal psychology. “In general ecological principles, even a couple of animals can do a large amount of damage to the landscaping.”

Mr. Page, however, is confident that adaptation, not relocation, is the best strategy for these local beavers.

“There’s not really an opportunity for them to dam anything, and if they do, there’s very little chance of them flooding important infrastructure,” he said. “Relocation is very expensive, $10,000 each beaver. You can protect a lot of trees and clean out a lot of culverts for that price.”

My mind is reeling from this article. What a WONDEFUL response to beavers appearing in an urban environment, and to a pompus know nothing who pretends to understand that beavers are bad for creeks. Hrmph. Think of how much our chapter will help them justify this bold decision. I am so impressed with Mr. Page. He gets a letter.

And silly Mr. Goodey does too. He apparently understands neither animals nor psychology.

Finally, I came across this yesterday and feel so irresponsible I hadn’t seen it months ago. Dietland is THE author on beavers and kind enough to donate two copies of his book to the silent auction at this year’s beaver festival. He also has done head-turning research on scent mounds, and if you ever wondered about this unique beaver behavior, you really should watch this all the way through. His video footage is fascinating.

Thank you Dr. Muller-Swarze for your lifetime of beaver research and for sharing it with us!

Not that retired from teaching after all…

heidi08 Beaver Behavior May 30, 2014

Beaver Guru, professor emeritus at SUNY college and author of these beaver bibles: has decided that retirement doesn’t mean an end to teaching about beavers. He has a great article in Northern Woodland Educators about beavers ‘recycling’ plant defenses for the own ends.

Arms Race in the Woods: How Beavers Recycle Tree Defenses

Around a beaver pond, we sometimes catch a whiff of beaver odor. People have described it to me as smoky, woody, or like tobacco. It may waft over from the lodge, or it might emanate from scent mounds – little piles of mud by the water’s edge. Beavers make scent mounds by dredging up mud from the bottom of a pond, then carrying it up on land in their front paws while walking upright. The beaver drops the mud, then squats over the mound and applies castoreum from glands near the base of the tail.

Compounds from a number of trees in the beaver’s diet end up in their castoreum. Benzyl alcohol occurs in aspens and poplars, benzoic acid in black cherry and scots pine, and catechol in common cottonwood. In summer, beavers eat aquatic plants such as pondweed and pond lilies – the alkaloids that these plants use to deter insects also end up in the beaver’s mix.

Beavers cope with plant chemicals in different ways. They have in their saliva a protein that binds tannins and renders them harmless. They deal with other compounds by breaking them down into their component parts: when they ingest salicin – a bitter chemical in willow and poplar bark – the salicin molecule gets broken down into sugar and, eventually, salicylic acid. (Beavers are not the only animals that have this trick – leaf beetles also ingest salicin when munching on willow leaves. They use the glucose as a nutrient and the salicylic acid for defense against predators, such as ants.)

It’s a great article, go read the entire thing HERE. Of course I’m not surprised, because as we all know, beavers are awesome. Mind you, in 7 years of watching beavers with a dozen beaver experts checking our territory we have never YET found a single scent mound in all of Alhambra Creek. But I’m sure if Dietland made the trek to Martinez he’d know where they were right away!

And now to make sure you start your weekend with a sense of purposeful compassion and civic ingenuity, I’m sharing these awesome photos from the Isla Vista paddle out (organized by the UCSB surf team) in memorium of the horrific killings there last Friday by a young man who said women shouldn’t be allowed to choose their own sexual partners. Look at these photos and tell me that they aren’t a reminder of how awesome many humans can be in response to monstrosity.

Not big enough to make a difference? Let’s back up a bit.

Unexpected treasures

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions June 20, 2013

Let’s start with surprises. How about this throwaway paragraph from the Syracuse outdoor writer David Figura

Figura writing about beavers

Meanwhile, here’s what I’ve been working on for this week: An interview with Dietland Muller-Schwarze, a retired SUNY ESF prof and nationally recognized expert on the subject of beavers. He’s written two books about them and in 2007 was given a lifetime achievement award by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for his 25 years of research on the animal.

If you’re at all like me your first thought on reading this passage is not “Cool! I can’t wait for that interview!” or ” Finally! beaver appreciation spreading through New York” but rather, huh? “USDA gives lifetime achievement awards”? I honestly only thought they recognized ‘deathtime’ achievements! And they gave this award to the most powerful, convincing beaver advocate on the planet? Wait, I need to sit down! Everything is spinning.

Sadly if USDA truly did this noble thing, they are clearly ashamed of it, because I can’t find a single reference to it in the enormity of the Google except for his resume and this article. Hmm, I shall investigate.

____________________________________________

And now for something completely different, this lovely passage from Jo Marshall the author of the Twigs stories who was asked to share what she learned about water management and beavers for the educational blog by Jacqueline Rhoades because of her very successful Twig stories and the giant beaver character, Slapper. Enjoy!

The first Twig Stories novel – Leaf & the Rushing Waters – is about a young, boyish Twig named Leaf whose old tree home is inundated by a glacial outburst flood. His family is trapped high in the Old Seeder’s knothole. Leaf and his Twig friend Rustle set off to find a goliath beaver named Slapper, who can build a mighty dam to block the raging torrent. What I love about Twig Stories is the opportunity to blend science fact into fantasy. The idea that Slapper and his colony could build such an enormous and effective dam comes from an actual beaver dam in Alberta, Canada. It is twice the length of Hoover Dam and can be seen from space!

The key message in ‘Rushing Waters’ is beavers are natural control agents to mitigate extreme flood and drought. Many wildlife nonprofits have made it clear beaver dams are effective tools for flood control, if allowed to flourish. In many areas, beavers were trapped and hunted to nonexistence, so beaver advocates are dedicated to the reintroduction of beavers into those areas now suffering from disastrous flood and drought due to climate shifts.In spite of those who believe beavers are a nuisance, many nonprofit groups and researchers have shown that the impact of drought is actually reduced since beaver dams allow a controlled, consistent stream of filtered water during long periods of hot weather. These periods are growing longer and hotter all the time.

Another critical theme in ‘Rushing Waters’ is we must protect endangered animals. Beaver dams help create healthy ponds and wetlands, which save threatened species such as salamanders, frogs, birds, and small mammals from extinction. This benefits large predators, too. Nonprofit organizations with passionate beaver defenders such as The Lands Council , Martinez Beavers.org, and Beavers: Wetlands and Wildlife have developed excellent methods to allow communities to coexist with beavers in their parks and private lands. If necessary, humane relocation of nuisance beavers should be utilized rather than trapping or killing these remarkable, helpful creatures.

This post from Jo Marshall was originally featured on the Jacqueline Rhoades education blog. What I really enjoy about this column is the fact that it makes “Beaver Advocates” seem like a real thing – a voting block- like baby boomers or code pink. As if we were a growing force to be reckoned with. Well, okay then! Jo’s website and next projects can be visited here. She generously donated several copies of her books to the silent auction last year which were all promptly sold. Thanks Jo for taking on such a great subject!

Daylight trickles in..

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Dispersal, Educational, Environmental March 30, 2013

A couple months ago I commented about an article from naturalist Carla Carlson in Niagra. She was writing about strange beaver phenomena like coprophagia without actually mentioning anything useful that beavers contribute to the watershed. Wasted air time much? I was reassured by mutual friends that she was a good egg, so I sent her a care package of beaver education, and received a response. Let’s be honest, I wasn’t exactly hopeful, but it seemed worth a shot.

If only we were more like the beaver

Quoting from Water by Alice Outwater, “Beavers do more to shape their landscape than any other mammal except for human beings, and their ancestors were building dams 10 million years ago. These Miocene beavers were seven feet long, felling trees ages before the mammoths roamed. Their underground spiral burrows can be found from western Europe to central Asia and North America. Legends of these prehistoric giants were once widespread. The Indians of Nova Scotia claimed to know of an ancient beaver dam so vast that it flooded the Annapolis Valley. Farther west, tales circulated of tribal ancestors using immense beaver teeth to hollow out their canoes.

“In tribes across North America, legend had it that the beaver helped the Great Spirit build the land, make the seas, and fill both well with animals and people. Long, long ago when the Great Waters surged in a blind and shoreless world, the gigantic beaver swam and dove and spoke with the Great Spirit. The two of them brought up all the mud they could carry, digging out the caves and canyons and shaping the mud into hills and dales, making mountains where cataracts plunged and sang. Some tribes believed that thunder was caused by the great beaver slapping his tail.”

Love the title! This is much better! A recognition of beaver dams shaping landscapes for millions of years! Which they’re still trying to do today…Honestly this is a much smarter introduction to beavers, well, except for the fact that scientists think Castorides didn’t build dams, or chew trees…Honestly, I hate to look a beaver gift horse in the mouth, but the collection of facts in this article bear no resemblance to the facts I am familiar with…

Their mating, breeding season is from January through February. “beavers sometimes mate in the relative comfort of their lodges, but more often choose to couple under water, and in some cases, under the ice.”

We have footage of our beavers mating in December, on the surface of the water.

Those females that find mates at two years of age or older, (usually three years old), breed every year, ovulating 2-4 times at seven to 15 day intervals during the breeding season. The larger the female the larger her litter.

Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer: Dietland Muller-Swarze

However, the numbers born are dependent on the number of yearlings living with her, the more of them, the fewer newborns. Nature is beyond amazing isn’t it?

In 2007, our beaver mom had zero beaver living with her and produced 4. In 2008 mom had 4 beavers living with her and produced 4. In 2009 mom had four beavers living with her and produced four. In 2010 mom had zero beaver living with her and produced three. This year our new mom had zero beavers living with her and produced one.

_________________________________________________

Sigh. People sometimes tell me I’m too exacting. Ruthlessly committed to precision instead of listening to the gist of the message. Okay, its possible that’s true when folks talk about beavers too. I was trying to be patient. Really I was.

It just took too long.

Now enjoy this lovely photo of a beaver lodge snug in winter from The West Milford Messenger.

Chuffed

heidi08 Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers May 31, 2010

{column1}

{/column1}

{column2} This book, by Professor Dietland Muller-Swarze, is a careful, scientific, and exhaustively-researched chronicle on our hero and his works. It was, without a doubt, the single most useful weapon employed during my service on the beaver subcommittee. It shaped my contribution to the report and gave me the confidence to recognize that in addition to being what I, personally, wanted, keeping the beavers was also the right thing to do for the creek. I still use it regularly to remind me of details about dispersal, molting, sexual maturity, or scent marking. The chapter on beaver reproduction and kit rearing is particularly on my mind at the moment for obvious reasons. I believe I feel for it an echo of the same reverence and affection a soldier feels for his trusty rifle after a long and bloody battle. ‘It got met is outta there alive.’ and ‘This is the one friend I can trust’‘ or even ‘This has seen things that no one back home will ever understand’. {/column2}

Certainly all of those apply to this unique resource. So when I approached Dr. Muller-Swarze about donating a signed copy for the silent auction at the festival, I was prepared to be ignored or brushed away (‘Go away and come back tomorrow! The wizard will see no one today!) Imagine how pleased I was to get his gracious response, promising me a signed copy and polishing my tarnished advocate’s spirit with the words “Worth A Dam does great work, in both direct support for the beavers and associated flora and fauna; and educating the public. Your efforts deserve support.“

chuffed

Pronunciation: \ˈchəft\

Function: adjective

Etymology: English dial. chuff pleased, puffed

British : quite pleased : delighted

Bitter Tear Update:

Heard from Cheryl last night that IBRRC experts are still hard at work in the gulf. (600 dead birds so far and counting.) Add this to your “worst story ever” diary. The oiled pelicans you keep seeing are busy nesting. These skilled fishermen dive deep into the ruined ocean to catch their dinner and come up slick with oil. Devoted mothers all, they return to faithfully sit on their hopeful eggs (because even during an apocalypse children must be cared for). In doing so they coat the eggs with oil, which becomes a natural coddling process, sealing off the oxygen and suffocating their own children.