Tag: Ian Timothy

My father ’tis of thee

heidi08 Beaver Art, Friends of Martinez Beavers, History, Who's saving beavers now? September 5, 2017

As most of you know, this wonderful creation was the painstaking product of then 12 year old Ian Timothy [Boone] and finished in 2008. The joyful banjo music in the background was written and performed by his father an accomplished musician, Joel Timothy. Ian went on to win 6 scholastic medals and graduate with honors. We became friends for obvious reasons and when he applied to the Disney school of animation I wrote him a letter of recommendation. He was one of only 15 students to be accepted.

I met them all in Martinez when the family made a stop on their way to a film festival. Both parents seemed happy and appropriately proud of their son. But you never really know what the inside of people’s lives are like. After Ian went to college his parents divorced and his mother, Karen Boone (a gifted graphic artist in her own right) wrote to tell me that Joel was a struggling alcoholic who she couldn’t stay with anymore. She thought maybe it had been hard on her son who had focused on the stop motion filmaking as a way to cope.

(I was shocked, and remember that I couldn’t help thinking like a therapist that maybe his father hadn’t been able to sustain sobriety by taking things one day at a time, so Ian took things one moment at a time.)

After the divorce, Ian cut ties with his father and took his mother’s name, so he’s now Ian Boone. Ian never spoke about the divorce or the drinking with me. But we remained friends. He came to our festival last year and told me that he had left college early and started working for Bix Pix in Hollywood, working on the Tumble leaf series. He had not resumed contact with his father. And he had been learning to play the banjo.

Yesterday he posted on Facebook that his father had died over the weekend. I hope he doesn’t mind that I’m sharing it here. It really touched me and I thought it should be shared.

I just wanted to let everyone know, especially people in Louisville, that my dad, Joel Timothy died early Saturday morning, in Chestertown, Maryland. He had been sick for a while and in June was diagnosed with colon cancer that was expected to be treatable. But between the chemo, radiation, and already being very weak, he took a turn for the worse last week. He was hospitalized in intensive care. By the time I got there he was on oxygen and mostly unresponsive.

Our relationship for the last several years was not good. There were a lot of different sides to him, he struggled with alcoholism and he did and said a lot of horrible things. But there are still a lot of good memories, he was an immensely talented musician and creative mind, as a storyteller and performer. He had a short stature but big personality and always a way to make people laugh. I wouldn’t have had the same start in animation without his help with Beaver Creek, and I think he tried to support me in the best ways that he knew how.

Fathers are complicated and somehow keep being so even after they die. My heart goes out to Ian who was emotionally courageous to speak of this publicly and revisit the man who had given him his childhood and at the same time partly taken it away. In reading the countless comments by his fellow musicians it is clear that Joel was a gifted, fulsome, troubled soul. Even though his life is over, I’m sure Ian’s journey with him is just beginning. I am constantly surprised by how much my own father has continued changing after his death, at least in my own heart where it matters most to me.

R.I.P. Beaver Creek.

Across state lines…

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver Rehabilitation, Beaver-themed merchandise, City Reports, Who's blaming beavers now? August 21, 2015

Slightly better article from Fargo, I’m still wary of these beaver saving efforts.

Activists to again voice opposition to killing beavers in Fargo parks

FARGO — Residents concerned with a plan to kill beavers along the Red River will gather at a Fargo Park Board meeting next week to show support for using non-lethal methods to curb the rodents, which park officials say have been chewing through valuable trees.

Kathleen Keene, a member of a local group of animal advocates, said killing beavers is not a sustainable solution because the dead beavers will be replaced by new ones coming in.

The Park Board in April approved an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cull beavers, citing thousands of dollars worth of damage to trees, particularly in Lemke and Trefoil parks.

The USDA’s John Paulson said culling methods include a lethal body-gripping trap and another trap that grabs the beaver and pulls it underwater so it drowns.

Such methods are cruel, Keene said.

“Just think about if your dog was in a trap like that,” she said. “A beaver’s not much different than any other animal.”

Well, yes. They are cruel. But it’s worse than your dog, Kathleen. Because your dog would drown pretty quickly and it will take a beaver upwards of 15 minutes of suffering to die. Kathleen started the online petition that garnered 58,000 signatures. Remarkable enough that Fargo slowed its grinding wheels of beaver killing.

I’m still a little uneasy with this HS advocate.

Dave Pauli, a senior director for wildlife response at the Humane Society of the U.S., is expected to give a presentation to the Park Board at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at 701 Main Ave. on ways to control beaver populations. Keene said she and like-minded people plan to attend the meeting.

In an interview, Pauli said non-lethal methods are more sustainable than lethal ones.

“The Red River is a challenge because no matter what happens to the beavers, there’s gonna be more beavers,” he said. “It’s a flashing vacancy sign if they just remove beavers constantly.”

Non-lethal methods include protecting trees with fences and special paint, or by regulating noise and water factors. There is also beaver birth control.

To be honest, way back in 2007, we spent a great deal of time on the subcommittee worrying about the issue of birth control. The Humane Society recommended immuno-contraception and that charming harrigan that advised city staff recommended killing the father so that the mother would be forced to wait until her sons grew up to breed. The looming population explosion was much on my mind during those days.

But the truth we found was, population growth was NEVER an issue.

Since beavers leave to seek their own territory at 2 we’ve only had the one family. And in 8 years with 24 beavers born in our creek, our resident population has never exceeded 9. Not to mention that out of 24 live births, we’ve had 12 deaths over the years. That’s 50% mortality not counting mom. Someone tell that to Mr. Pauli before he starts handing out beaver condoms, okay?

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Another escaped beaver, this time in Kentucky. Makes me wonder if he saw the story of little Choppa making a break for it. You know, a copy-cat beaver crime?

Henderson wildlife rehabilitators looking for missing beaver

HENDERSON, KY (WFIE) -Wildlife rehabilitators in Henderson are now offering a reward for information about a missing animal.

Tyler the beaver from Misfit Island Wildlife Rescue Center disappeared.

The couple who runs the rescue say with help from donations, they’re now offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to her return.

Another $250 will be given for her safe return.

Hmm, who do we know in Kentucky? Ian was on summer vacation, but I’m sure he wouldn’t take a beaver with him back to Cal Arts, right?

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Beaver fever: Unique collection may set world record

55d69b45d9a29.image — Bill and Shirley Niese are pictured with a portion of Bill’s beaver-related item collection. More than 700 pieces of the collection will be counted at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Farm and Home Building at the Decatur County Fairgrounds during Greensburg’s annual Power of the Past antique farm machinery show. The Nieses believe the collection is the largest of its kind in the world.

Bill started collecting beavers after his Silver Beaver Award from the boy scouts. They just kept coming. Now they’re couple is off to the Indianna county fairgrounds for an official counting to see it their collection of beaver items can qualify in the Guinness book of World Records.

To which I say good luck and, um, just 700?

Remembering an Important birthday on Earth day

heidi08 Earth Day, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers April 22, 2014

1970367_4028951219430_482136484_n — John Muir at his desk as imagined by Ian Timothy

John Muir was born in Dunbar Scotland 176 years ago yesterday. He was the third of eight children born to strict Presbyterian parents who felt that time spent outdoors in nature was a distraction from time learning the bible. In fact, by the time Muir was a young man he could recite most of the old and and all of the new testaments by heart. When he was 11 the family immigrated to Wisconsin, and Scotland’s native son became America’s treasure. After adventures from Canada to Florida, Muir at 40 fell in love with Louisa Strenzel in Martinez in 1880 and settled into a partnership with her physician father managing their 2600 acre fruit ranch, some of which is still producing today. It was in this house that Muir had his office (“scribble den”) and wrote his seminal works. It was in this house that Muir received countless dignitaries and inspired guests, including the author of the most important beaver book ever written, Enos Mills.

Some 169 years later.Ian Timothy, of the most famous beaver animation series “Beaver Creek” ever crafted also made a pilgrimage to Martinez with his parents. He squeezed Muir’s hometown in right between his homage to Pixar and his appearance at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City.

A life long admirer of Muir’s message and work, so it’s hardly surprising that his Freshman year film project at Cal Arts’ is a piece about Muir.

Looking at the stills, I for one can’t wait to see it.

Oh, and if you want to celebrate Muir’s birthday and legacy in person, you should join the party on Saturday.

They grow up so fast!

heidi08 Friends of Martinez Beavers September 4, 2013

Got an email from Ian Timothy yesterday. If you don’t recognize the name he’s the young man from Kentucky who brought us the Beaver Creek Series. After a highschool of successes, he’s just moved into his dorm at CalArts for the animation education of his dreams. He said they had encouraged him to bring personal items so he sent me a pictures of these.

Just got to CalArts. The paper said to bring ‘personal decor’ and now I am all set up and decorated!

Excellent! Although I’m thinking someone needs a castor canadensis care package. That black beaver looks a lot like a bear! Ian we wish you ALL the luck in the world, and I know for a fact you will need none of it. His face book page has a blow by blow of his parents checking on his flight to California last weekend. With a birthday celebration that must make him 19? Good lord, I can’t imagine. The world can’t wait for what he’s bringing to the ‘design’ table. In fact they’re so eager that his most recent film, Raptor Blues which he did for our friends at Raptors Are the Solution, is heading to Amsterdam for the animated film festival called “KLIK”. His first overseas success! He posted a picture of the creatures he made for that smart film and it turns out he had to make the rats in two scales, large for closeup and tiny for scenes with the birds.

16103_620168524670737_1399817829_n — Ian Timothy showing scale of his film “Raptor Blues”

Well Ian, when you get famous(er) don’t forget the little beavers of the world. I’d hoping to see a Pixar production on our Water saving friends soon! If Mickey Mouse got famous, why not Benny Beaver?

For a fully animated morning, check out this fun article on Andrew Grantham who was the voice behind the ‘talking beaver on the highway’ among other things. Mind you it was a Russian gentleman who shot the footage, and we’ve exchanged emails and he sent me stills about the event. He promised me that he made sure the beaver got across the road safely, and he got bit in the process by one scared disperser. But he lived and it was Andrew who adopted it to his own creative talent.

The name Andrew Grantham might not ring a bell, but you have likely viewed, delighted at, and shared his work online. He is the guy behind the Talking Animals channel on YouTube, home to viral videos like Ultimate Dog Tease (you know, the one with the pup who asks: “covered it with what?”); Re: Cats Talking, Translation, which lets us in on an illuminating conversation between two TV-watching felines; and the self-explanatory Talking Beaver on the Highway.

Oh and one more treat this morning from our friend Greg Kerekes who’s keeping an eye on the beavers in San Jose.

Good Luck Ian! And Mom and Dad, who must be having strange empty places around their house right about now. Maybe we should send you a bottle of beaver wine so you can toast the first leg of a job well done and start to relax into the new normal.

Ian graduated — Ian Timothy, Joel Timothy & Karen Boone celebrating High School graduation this year. CalArts here you come!

Real legends and real life

heidi08 Beavers, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, History, In the News July 27, 2013

The Oneida tribe started out in upstate New York and you can guess how well that worked out for them. They ended up getting routed into Wisconsin where they were promised some land until we wanted that back also. They are credited with complicated art and culture and amongst their many legends is the tale of turtle challenging beaver to a race.

See, the turtle was enjoying her little mucky pond and the beaver moved in one winter and when she woke up it was a HUGE pond with felled trees and a big dam. She was outraged and demanded the beaver leave at once. When he refused she challenged him to a contest, winner-take-pond.

“Who are you?” asked Turtle angrily. “What did you do to my pond?”

The stranger said, “I am Beaver. And this is my pond, not yours! I worked hard to block the stream and make the waters wide and deep! Now leave!”

Turtle was not about to leave. “Let’s have a contest,” he said. “We will fight to see who will stay and who will go!”

“Great!” said Beaver. “I’ve got just the teeth for fighting.”

Turtle did not like this answer. “I changed my mind. Let’s see who can hold their breath the longest.”

“Great!” said Beaver. “I can stay underwater one whole day!”

Turtle did not like this answer, either. “I changed my mind. Let’s see who can swim fastest from this side of the pond to the other side.”

“Great!” said Beaver. “I am the fastest swimmer of all. Let’s begin our race!”

In the legend the turtle wins, so the beaver is forced to leave the pond. Now the well-known tale is retold by a new animated movie that is currently making the film festival circuit. In the movie they compromise and share the land.

Oneida Indian Nation Modernizes Story About Living in Harmony

It’s a story about friendship, respecting Mother Earth, and learning to live in harmony. My Home was produced by Four Directions, a production company owned by Oneida Indian Nation, which owns Oneida Nation Enterprises, parent company of Indian Country Today Media Network. My Home has won numerous awards from film festivals across the country and got a warm reception at the Karl May Festival in Germany.

During the race Beaver cheats to beat her, and not wanting to lose, Turtle ends up cheating too. Turtle does arrive at the agreed upon end point first but doesn’t touch it until Beaver does, ending the race in a tie.

She suggests that the two of them should find a way to live together. And they do. Beaver lets the water back into the lake.

Beaver champion that I am I was deeply affronted by the idea that beaver moved into a pond and RUINED it for turtles. Since when does a keystone species and ecosystem engineer ruin conditions for turtles? Would she prefer no pond? Is she a tortoise in disguise? Look at our creek! Which was so full of pond turtles the other day when I checked in at lunch time I counted 11!

Aren’t Native Americans supposed to know something about NATURE?

And then I remembered this.

Did you get that? Beaver brought the fur-seeking Dutch, and the white man who used their furs as currency, who in turn drove out the Oneida from New York and ‘ruined their pond’. The beaver ‘progress’ in this story is symbolically representing the changes we made and insisted were for the better while we were cashing in on the fur trade and pretty much eliminating everything in our path. The slow pace of the turtle, who has everything she needs on her back, represents the Oneida who were content on their land until we came. The point of the story isn’t that beavers ruin ponds. It’s that we do.

Well, okay then.

Anyway the movie is getting great reviews and will be available on DVD. Which reminds me that our own beaver-friendly animator sent copies of his Beaver Creek series yesterday for the silent auction along with a little present for me.

In case you don’t recognize it it’s the instant cocoon that collapses the beaver lodge in the very first episode of Beaver Creek. An artifact for some future animators museum! Some where Nick Park is smiling. Thanks Ian.