Have you ever had one of those cryptic relatives that manage to give you the best possible compliment wrapped up in the most devastating insult so you’re never sure exactly how to feel or respond? Well, that’s kind of like my news today. Don’t get me wrong, it’s VERY. GOOD. NEWS. It will have a hugely beneficial impact on beavers for years to come, but the fact that the entire USDA or US Forest Service doesn’t know what a beaver actually looks like leaves me understandably a little deflated.
Stanley Petrowski, President of SURCP and emcee extrordinare of the State of the Beaver Conference, was in DC last week representing South Umpqua, He sends this astonishing update:
I have been attending the USDA Forest Service Planning Rule Revision forum meetings in Wash DC and here in Portland for Region 6 from their inception. During the recent DC forum (March 10) we were presented with, among other things, a cursory view of the Forest Plan emphasis on “Focal” species. Focal species from the Forest Service perspective includes species with a special status that is either an indicator species or a keystone species that are strategically of interest in the project planning process. The actual new revised plan will not be publicly available until around the end of 2011 when the new planning rule will be released. We are currently in a comment period until May 16th.
So what was proposed as a focal species for 2011? I better give you a hint, because you will never, ever guess! (Especially not from THIS photo)
Yes, that photo is our old friend the nutria (castor impostor). Reported by an expert to a roomful of experts and not one stood up and pointed out the error. This is Dr. Chris Iverson, Assisstant Director for Wildlife, Fish & Rare Plants discussing the use of ‘Focal Species” as a strategy for habitat observation and monitoring. Listen to what he has to say about the beaver in particular. Turn the audio wayy up because this was the best sound I could get. I couldn’t help but notice how sheepish he looks suggesting the beaver as a focal species to a roomful of people who’ve no doubt killed their fair share. I am incapable of not wishing that at least part of that shame came from having to use a Nutria picture instead of a beaver.(sigh)
Now, as was pointed out to me several times at the very federally-represented duck stamp event in Sonoma, USDA and USFS have different missions and do different work. And as unlikely as it might be to see beavers introduced as a FOCAL SPECIES for our entire US Forestry service across the country, it is much less likely for them to be embraced by the same USDA that killed 28,000 in 2009 alone. Well, baby steps. First change forestry minds. Then change that photo. Then we’ll go after APHIS.
Speaking of the Duck Stamp event:
