One of the signature characteristics of a Charles Dickens novel, (beside the rich characters, accessible dialogue, and fearless portrayal of class), is the number of coincidences that occur over the course of any story. He is famous for reintroducing the lost child to the searching mother; reconnecting young lovers severed through circumstance at a wealthy dinner party, (with one as a guest and one in service) and so on. While some have speculated that his use of coincidence was a plot convenience, or a lazy way to wrap things up, it more reflected his belief in the world. His friend John Forester said;
On the coincidences, resemblances, and surprises of life, Dickens liked especially to dwell, and few things moved his fancy so pleasantly. The world, he would say, was so much smaller than we thought; we were all so connected by fate without knowing it; people supposed to be far apart were so constantly elbowing each other; and to-morrow bore so close a resemblance to nothing half so much as yesterday.
I offer this by way of introduction to the surprising connections beaver supporters have made. For those following along at home, let’s review; last summer we held our largest and most successful beaver festival. it was attended by the coordinator of the girl scout extravaganza for northern california, and she invited Worth A Dam to participate. At the Flyway Fiesta we offered a charm bracelet activity that was enormously popular, and that lead to Worth A Dam being invited to two-day Flyway Festival.
At the Flyway festival we met the hydrologist from USFS who introduced us to the archeologist from the Bureau of Indian Affairs who had carbon-dated a paleo beaver dam at 750 years old. The dam was in Red Clover creek, at 5400 feet in plumas county. He had wanted to publish a paper challenging Tappe’s assertion that there “were no beaver in caiformia over 1000 feet” but he wanted a co-author.
Meanwhile my work with the beavers had lead to an invitation to be on the board for the john Muir Association. I’m in charge of entertainment for earthday this year and needed to secure a keynote speaker. Our wikipedia historian friend (who found us through the website) suggested Brock Dolman, so i tracked him down and we started a conversation. His very broad connections include a group of what I will call ‘beaver-curious’ folk who across the state who are interested in the restorative effect they have on the watershed. Brock was especially interested in the beaver-salmon connections and was able to convince the salmon conference people to add Michael Pollock to their line up this March.
Are you still with me? So Pollock gives his talk to a packed group who are very, very interested and he meets up with this Plumas county biologist from DFG who has a remarkable story to tell. Turns out he was the protege of the F&G old timer who was responsible for putting beavers in the the shasta region in the 1930’s. He of course, having read Tappe many times, thinks he was introducing them, and of course they thrived and did wonders for the watershed just as he expected they would. Touchingly, he said it was the ‘best thing he ever did’.
So the protege spent time looking at the hydrology and the terrain and began to get the sneaking suspicion that beaver had been there before; a reintroduction, not an introduction, but he didn’t want to argue with his mentor so he kept his suspicious to himself. Then he attends Pollock’s talk and afterwards an informal lunch discussion and learns about the archeologist and the carbon-dating and he announces that one of the creeks his old mentor had placed beavers was:
Red Clover Creek. The very place where the carbondated structure had been found!
Not enough coincidences for you? How about this little added tidbit. Way back when Martinez was talking about relocating our beavers to live on a reservation, guess where that offered asylum land was?
Plumas county.
Then get them to teach the concept for us! The idea is that first we teach about beavers providing habitat by promoting coppicing, and then we let kids ‘populate’ the trees with birds and nests!
This bare tree poster will be blown up on a cork board at our display. Children will be encouraged to make birds and nests using construction paper, tissue paper, yarn, glue, paper plates, cotton balls, patterned paper, then stick them on the tree wherever they like. I’m imagining it might look something like this when it’s finished. Only much, much better.
