Jean Heilprin Diehl – Worth A Dam

This weekend’s flyway festival saw a couple thousand birders exploring Mare Island’s hidden treasures and rows of environmental displays from wildlife groups around Northern California. There was deliciously expensive optic equipment for sale, mountains of federal employees charged with protecting wild spaces, every conceivable Audubon incarnation and, oh yes, the good folks from the Martinez Beavers!

What surprised me wasn’t that all these many birders were so primed to hear the message that beavers improve birding habitat, or that very few people strolling by hadn’t heard the story of the famous beavers, or how many people crowded together for my talk on Saturday, or that lots of folks were still giggling about the chronicle story of the disappearing beaver in the city mural – what surprised me was how many USFS employees stopped by to thank us for our work, express a real interest in restoring beavers, and scoff at the idea that they didn’t belong in every single waterway in the state.

There were lots and lots of these who came by to draw residents of the beaver neighborhood on our new flag. It was designed by our resident artist FROgard Butler who ended up being too sick to come help this weekend. Lory and Jon bravely filled in for her and we ended up with many young artists engaged in the task while I was busily making friends for the beavers, chatting about beaver benefits, explaining how to wrap trees or install a flow device, and plugging this years festival which will (unbelievably) be our FIFTH.

You can see we found many young artists to volunteer! Once it is finished being readied for hanging by FRO we will think about its display. Maybe we can get NPS to fly it at Earthday? Or Public Works to fly it at the beaver festival!

Hopefully lots of good stories will follow this weekends contacts. I’ll be sure to keep you posted! In the meantime, I would just say that the author from the book featured Thursday has arranged for me to receive three copies of ‘the three little beavers’ as a donation for the silent auction of this years festival! Our senior author and wikipedia friend sent off the historic prevalence paper this weekend for eventual publication, Brian Murphy sends this STUNNING photo from his wooduck box project in downtown walnut creek and San Ramon Creek,

and our European beaver friends tipped me off to this bit of beaver delight from Belgium.

Three Little Beavers by Jean Heilprin Diehl, Illustrated by Cathy Morrison

These siblings, who live with their parents in the lodge on Beaver Creek, work a great deal. Bevan is an expert – he is what you would call a ‘master’ beaver. He can twist and alter those twigs and mud into perfection every single time. His sister, Beverly, is amazing, too. She can do underwater somersaults and all kinds of fancy tricks. These are two beavers who will grow up to be masters at their craft.

Unfortunately, Beatrix just can’t seem to get the hang of anything. Her mud patches fall apart, she’s not all that good with building, swimming, and, frankly, she’s tired of being around siblings who are better than she is. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what it is that we’re good at; after all, we all have a special skill, but Beatrix just cant find hers. So, off she goes.

Oh what a lovely start to a story! We all need a copy of three little beavers right away! The author is apparently from New Hampshire (not the friendliest beaver state in the nation) so its surprising that when the search for her talent gets Beatrix caught in a trap it happens to be a live trap from folks who never wanted to hurt beavers in the first place!

Not a scary trap, mind you, it’s a trap set by kind people who are just trying to make sure that beavers don’t rip apart their lawn, but they would never hurt an animal. Unfortunately, Beatrix can’t get out of the trap and when her ‘superstar’ siblings come along to save her – they get trapped, too. Who has to save the day? Beatrix, and all of a sudden she knows exactly what she’s good at.

Yeah Beatrix! Well….not really sure what kind of ‘trap’ keeps beavers off your lawn or come to think of it why a beaver would want to bother your lawn anyway…BUT still…great ending and nice moral to the story. The Seattle Pi review makes it sound like a delightful read and I can’t wait to get mine, but I confess to feeling a little apprehensive about this;

And the ‘fun’ extras in the back of the book teach everything from beaver facts to building dams with your hands!

Okay, but if it says they live in the dam and eat fish I’m going to demand a retraction!

Oh and a followup from Wednesday’s post about the Beaver Count in Idaho. I wrote the event organizer Mike Settell and he wrote back, delighted to find fellow beaver friends! He will guest blog about his work in Blaire County soon, but he gave permission for sharing this email:

Thank you so much for the note! I know that I’m not working in a vacuum, but when I see work like Martinez Beavers, well, I just well up.

Right now, I am in the midst of an event, not a festival, but HEY what an idea. Someone wanted to have a conference, but a festival sounds so much more fun. Can we borrow your ideas? Can we pirate your beaver tales and educational materials?

Please keep up YOUR good work and stay in touch.

Happy beavering!

Mr. Settell says that outside his county beaver policies are a little less informed. He says his work can be frustrating because of all the bureaucracy!

Ya don’t say….