Just what the dr ordered…

heidi08 Beavers October 23, 2017

Have you signed up for your webinar yet? I personally will be revealing never before shared secrets on what it took to convince city hall to keep beavers – including never-before seen slides in the process. I can’t swear that you won’t be bored, but at this point it’s seeming more and more unlikely.

In the mean time beaver friend from Maine Wildwatch’s Karen Corker had a smart convincing letter published in response to a ‘good ol’ boy’ who told her trapping was a way of life. I’ll share it now.

Another View: WildWatch Maine not anti-hunting

In his column here last week, George Smith accused me and WildWatch Maine, the statewide wildlife advocacy group I direct, of “viciously,” “unfairly,” and disrespectfully attacking Maine’s “hunting, trapping, and fishing heritage.” (“Hunting, trapping, fishing are part of our Maine heritage,” Oct. 11).

It was a sweeping and disturbing charge. The apparent trigger for such vehemence was our criticism of Maine’s aggressive beaver-trapping policy.

It’s too bad Smith resorted to demonizing beavers in his column, because aggressive beaver trapping prevents them from fulfilling their unique role as a keystone species. The rich wetlands beavers create support thousands of other wildlife species. If culverts are not protected, all nearby beavers are trapped and when that happens, wetlands are drained and benefits are lost.

Such an approach would also be more humane. Beavers in Maine are trapped with underwater snares, drowning sets, steel leghold traps, and traps that crush beavers’ necks or spinal columns.

Smith objected to my use of the adjective “brutal” to describe these methods, but then entirely shifted the topic from trapping to a sentimental reflection of his last turkey hunt with his father. He said, “If the WildWatch people would read my story about Dad’s last hunt, they would gain an appreciation of what hunting is all about.”

Considering that WildWatch and I distinguish trapping from hunting, as I believe the majority of Maine citizens do, and that we have only ever criticized particular hunting practices that we believe to be unethical, I might have been perplexed by this off-topic transition.

I’m aware, however, that the underlying aims of Smith’s piece reflect the well-established messaging strategies of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the National Rifle Association, and other powerful special interest groups. These groups rally and unite their constituents with the message that anyone who raises objections of any kind to any aspect of trapping or hunting is an “anti” out to smear a noble “outdoor heritage.”

Contrary to Smith’s claims, WildWatch Maine is not an anti-hunting group. We are for giving ethical and ecological considerations a much larger role in wildlife policy and decision-making.

It’s time for wildlife managers to adopt more thoughtful policies that reflect public interest in healthy, biodiverse ecosystems and the well-being of wildlife. Wildlife advocates are tired of being denigrated and dismissed. We are all stakeholders in the future of Maine’s wildlife, and we and our views deserve respect and consideration.

Good work Karen! An excellent way to respond to a pretty troll-ish column pretending to be shocked at the affront to his heritage. Yes some people like hunting. And yes it’s something fathers and sons do together. But guess what? If you stopped trapping out all the beavers they would support more game species for you to hunt in the first place!

Grr.

On the brighter side, beavers were on CBS last night because why NOT? Thanks Janet Thew for letting me know! Watch this lovely video and pay especial attention to the fall colors and the intricate ‘radio signals’ that beaver sends in concentric rings just by chewing. Sorry for the adds, I haven’t figured out to shut off the autoplay.

Nature: Beavers

October 22, 2017, 10:26 AM|We leave you this Sunday Morning at a beaver pond in Princeton, Massachusetts. Videographer: Doug Jensen

Loose Beaver Ends

heidi08 Beaver Art, Burrowing Owls, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Tree-Wrap Rap August 27, 2017

Do you know that nagging feeling you get when you know you need to do something but you can’t remember what? Yesterday I finally paid attention to it and realized I was supposed to send the CCC Fish and Wildlife commission a summary of the festival with an accounting of how their grant was spent. It’s honestly really hard to remember that long ago in this beaver whirlwind. But I did the best I could.

Summary of “Working for the ecoSystem” 08-05-17

The tenth annual beaver festival was both familiar and surprising, with over 1000 attendees , 40 wildlife exhibits, a lecture on beaver benefits given BY a beaver, and for the first time unexpected beaver experts from three separate states. Each had heard about the festival and wanted to come see in person the educational component we offered. We were excited by the interest, but the many children were mostly excited about wildlife tattoos and eager to begin their treasure hunt while learning.

Rather than place the tattoos on beaver tails, we decided to help the children make nature journals with beaver chew bindings so their earnings could be proud displayed on the covers. We hoped this would let them record the nature they saw later in their own lives. The watershed stewards helped children make the journals, and Worth A Dam volunteers helped the children affix the tattoos to the covers. One of the most delightful parts of the day was watching children’s eyes light up when the watercolor images ‘appeared’ on their journals as if by magic.

About half of the children completed the simple post-test (n=48) with a 85% accuracy rating. The participating booths said that distribution was smooth and everyone admired the tattoos and wanted their own. Attached you will find the invoice for the tattoos and leatherette, as well as the printing costs for the map children used to find booths. Thank you again for supporting this wonderful eco-learning event!

This week I’m headed to Kiwanis to tell THEM how their grant was used, and give them a run down of the festival. I also plan to mention that the beavers are back and if they have any friends near Creekside Montessori to let them know to contact us to have their trees protected. Meanwhile, Jon and I are working on a little banner for the booth using our leftover tattoos. I got the idea after appreciating the neat butterfly swag they had at the butterfly garden booth this year at the festival. Why not make our own? (Although peeling off the plastic gives me RENEWED appreciation for the outstanding job Erika and Jon did at the festival.) This is about half finished – a 10 foot linen swag and we think it’s going to be lovely. We plan to use it first at the Visions of the Wild Forest Service Event we’re doing in September in American Canyon.Meanwhile I was contacted this morning by Karen Corker of Maine whose great letter I wrote about earlier. She would like access to the ecosystem poster to use for her beaver education program in Maine. In case your keeping track at home that’s three states where it’s been adopted so far.

Four if you count California.

Oh, and I included one additional item in my grant summary for the CCCFWC. This was in the New Yorker years ago. I dearly love it, but I don’t see why it’s funny at all.

The Watch of the Wild

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver Chewing, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and Insects, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, What's killing beavers now?, Who's blaming beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? August 24, 2017

Fantastic column today from Karen Corker, the director of WildWatch in Maine. I’m guessing she attended Skip’s lectures last year in the state. Or maybe she even made them happen? Either way this is exactly the kind of writing we want to see everywhere.

Maine Voices: Beaver Deceivers allow people, nature’s engineers to go with the flow

At the end of each summer, Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife determines the fate of thousands of beavers. August is the month the department sets the trapping season dates for beavers across Maine’s 29 wildlife management districts. Towns and private property owners may request that specific areas be closed to trapping, but the closures represent a tiny fraction of the vast territory that is open to trappers to kill beavers in Maine without limit for five to six months a year.

Approximately 10,000 beavers lose their lives each year as a result of this aggressive, expansive approach to beaver management. The number of other, non-targeted animals killed in traps set for beavers is not generally reported, but the department admits that otters are frequent victims because they share the same wetland habitats.

Now I just have to interject and say how on earth does she know that the number of beavers trapped? I’m guessing she’s citing the numbers that come from the USDA stats for Maine, but is USDA the only folks allowed to do nuisance trapping? In California APHIS is responsible for a very small fraction of beavers killed by depredation permit, which can also be used by private trappers. I assume that’s true for other states as well.

There are two primary justifications for such extensive trapping. The first is that beavers have historically been regarded as “nuisance” animals, largely because of their damming behavior. When beavers clog culverts, the channels that run under roads, it often results in the flooding of roads and other properties.

The second justification derives from the department’s embrace of trapping as a recreational activity and primary wildlife management tool. In 2015, trapping proponents persuaded IF&W’s legislative committee to rewrite Maine statute to require the department to use trapping as a key basis for managing the state’s wildlife.

Another correction based on our reviews of depredation permits, is that the vast majority of depredation permits are sought for damage to landscaping. In fact there’s even a comment to the article that mentions tree damage. There are far more landowners who own trees than culverts I guess. So it’s a more common complaint. In California the deniens of beavers killed as ‘nuisances’ dwarfs the fur trapping numbers. That may be slightly different in Maine, but I doubt it.

A rapid evolution in our understanding of beavers and their value is eroding these justifications. Beavers are a keystone species; they create ecosystems that nourish a multitude other animals and plants. The marshes and meadows they build create ecological stability. With more than a third of freshwater fish and amphibians in the U.S. either extinct or at risk of extinction, the wetlands beavers produce have unrivaled potential to reverse these accelerating losses.

Along with the evolution in understanding of beavers’ contributions to healthy habitats, high quality flow devices – Beaver Deceivers, for example – have also evolved in recent decades.

When these devices are well-designed, well-constructed, and professionally installed, they prevent flooding, keep beavers and their benefits on the landscape, and offer long-term solutions to human/beaver conflicts at significantly lower cost than road repairs and beaver trapping. When such devices are not employed at conflict sites, beavers have to be destroyed continually. This approach is not only costly, it precludes the formation of the fertile habitats that support a rich and diverse assortment of wildlife and plant life.

In short, removal by trapping is not a lasting, economical, or ecologically-smart solution; any emptied beaver habitat is soon resettled, and the never-ending cycle of conflict and killing simply begin again. IF&W is not unaware of the benefits and effectiveness of flow-devices. The department has, in fact, stepped up its promotion of non-lethal solutions to beaver/human conflict through their use.

This is obviously my FAVORITE part of the letter, and the best wording I’ve seen on the subject. Good job Karen, you hit all the right notes. And it sounds a lot like Skip so I’m assuming they know each other. The column goes on to talk about the humane concerns about trapping, but in my considered opinion THIS is the power part. Just leave out the compassion next time Karen, and go straight for the economic value. People are inherently selfish and listen closer when their pocket book is involved, I promise.

Any Maine citizen who would like to share comments or concerns about the proposed beaver trapping season can express their views at a public hearing on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Augusta Armory, Room 209B, 179 Western Ave., Augusta. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is also accepting written comments on the season until Sept. 8. Comments can be emailed to becky.orff@maine.gov.

That’s a formal cue to send some comments about how well flow devices work and how beaver problems can be managed. You know I will! Right after I send Karen a note to thank her for this nicely written reminder.