mr-mallard

Princeton is having one of those weeks and it’s only Tuesday. Check out this letter from local naturalist and blogger Carolyn Edelman:

As a naturalist who writes on and photographs New Jersey nature in our region, I vehemently oppose the recent killing of two beavers in our community. I find it hard to believe that officials can justify slaughtering two such splendid animals on Friday (the 13th!) in Pettoranello Gardens.

We are no better than Chicago and its cougar, purportedly slain because “it was not accustomed to humans.” What is the meaning of the word “preserve” in the name Mountain Lakes Preserve, if it is not a haven for nature’s creatures? Mayor Goerner has demanded an investigation — which is appropriate. But it cannot restore wild lives.

I maintain the nature blog, NJ WILD for the Packet Publications. From earliest days, it has been greatly enhanced by splendid photographs by artist, Brenda Jones. I met Brenda and her husband, Cliff, when we were all three seeking beavers above the aqueduct on the D&R Canal. NJ WILD would be much the poorer without the presence of her art. Our friendship and creative partnership started in another park, a state park, where beavers, and even wildflowers, are purportedly protected.If Princeton is not safe for beavers, is anywhere?

As I understand it, this act took place in daylight with walkers on Mountain Lakes “preserve” trails. Is Princeton safe, then, for humans?

Nature is under sufficient assault from developers and climate change, without adding bullets to the mix. I, too, am outraged.

Carolyn Edelman, Princeton

Good work, Carolyn. It is worth going to check out the beaver memorial on her blog. I heard from Sarah at the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge that she would be driving down to Princeton this week to check things out. She is having no luck getting the attention of the powers that be but maybe this letter in the neighboring paper from a familiar face will help.

Dam-smart animal control can handle beavers

It is unfortunate that Princeton Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson found it necessary to shoot beavers illegally (“Outrage over shooting of Princeton beavers — Neighbors say park animals should have been relocated, not killed,” May 20), drawing uncomfortable attention to the city when real answers are 75 miles away.

Killing beavers is a short-term solution and a waste of taxpayer dollars — even if he had avoided bad publicity by using a trap. The Unexpected Wildlife Refuge in Newfield could teach the Princeton Animal Control Office what it needs to know about humane beaver management that works. Beavers are a keystone species, so finding inexpensive ways to tolerate their presence, prevent flooding and protect trees is an investment in the community and the watershed.

More important, it is extremely unlikely that Mr. Johnson was fortunate enough to shoot the father and mother beaver still pregnant with her unborn kits. Since it’s May, those kits have probably already been born, which means they are starving in the lodge without parents. I assume it is worth the township’s time to send a competent biologist to walk the area and make sure that isn’t the next story that hits the newspapers.

Any animal control office smarter than a beaver can keep a beaver — and knows why it should.

Heidi Perryman, Ph.D., Martinez, Calif.

The writer is president and founder of Worth A Dam (martinezbeavers.org/wordpress).

Remember, Princeton, that New Jersey is the famous state where a beaver outcry in Knowlton caused such a stir it showed up in the New York Times. Martinez didn’t even do that. The end result was that the animals got to stay and the Mayor decreed that one day every year the Deputy Mayor had to dress up in a beaver costume to conduct official business.

Be careful, Princeton, or you could be next.

On a final note, GOOD LUCK TO OUR BEAVER FRIENDS Leonard & Lois Houston who will be at Oregon State University presenting today at the Oregon Watershed Conference on the value of beavers as a restorative tool. They’ll be joined by their hydrologist buddy Suzanne Fouty, and we wish them a roomful of converts! Go team beaver!

So it turns out that Martinez isn’t home of the first-ever beaver festival. There was one in Knowlton NJ about 7 years ago. Seems the town had some pesky beaver problems that were made harder to solve by some more pesky resident-voter problems, and wound up reaching a compromise of “if you can’t beat em’ join em'” proportions.

On a misty afternoon, Knowlton Mayor Frank Van Horn steers his SUV up to a 20-acre lake that is home to some 30 beavers.Last year, says Van Horn, the town decided, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” and declared the beaver its official animal. Van Horn went farther last summer and proclaimed June 21 “Beaver Day,” attracting nationwide attention. Festivities included an essay contest, a public singing of the Beaver Song, (sample lyric: “We’re gonna get along/We’re gonna be buds”) and a special beaver appearance at the elementary school. Reported by the Associated Press, TV and scores of newspapers around the country, the zany celebrations put this rural northwestern community of some 2,900 residents on the map. “People say, ‘Knowlton, that’s the one with the beaver,'” says Brian McClain, the town’s recreation director.

Hahaha. Obviously some people now say something else. Looks like the mayor wised up a little more quickly than ours seems to be doing in learning that beavers can ‘rebrand’ a city. Knowlton may have learned its civic lessons faster, but it learned its beaver lessons slower. They never figured out how to protect that culvert by installing a ‘beaver deceiver’. The mayor could outsmart the demons of obscurity, but never castor canadensis, which is surprising considering he was able to take this issue as far as the New York Times.

(To be honest, what’s really surprising to me is that the beaver story in the NYT was dated October 2007. 30 days before Martinez seminal meeting. I was completely unaware of it, and certainly there was no vast network of beaver supporters to bring it to my attention. I feel sooo ill-informed!)

Clearly the mayor of Knowlton is a media sharpshooter with more love for his name in lights than he has hatred of beavers. (Which our mayor probably will not be accused of any time soon.) Remember this is a man who seized the media opportunity when a dead body was dumped in his city, so beavers troubles were clearly in his repertoire. My very favorite part of the story was this:

Last year, Knowlton made its surrender official in a document that is equal parts peace treaty, fish story and excuse for a town-wide party. According to the resolution, the beavers are “long standing residents of the Township of Knowlton, perhaps even longer than the Taylors,” and “it has been demonstrated on numerous occasions over the past year that the Beavers of Knowlton Township are both clever and cunning, having thwarted all attempts to dislodge them from their preferred lodge.” The resolution designates the beaver as the town’s official animal and gives the mayor the authority to annually proclaim Knowlton Township Beaver Day, “at which time the Deputy Mayor shall dress in the likeness of a beaver during all official functions.“

Ohhhhh ‘make me a willow cabin at your gate’ and bring me some popcorn. Save me a seat in the very front row. I’m fairly certain that is the very best sentence I have ever read with the word ‘beaver’ in it. Nope.

Best. Sentence. Period.

Of course I took pity on the fellow readers of this blog, straining their imaginations to conjure that portrait. Photoshop offers this as help: Whadya think? I know I’d go to every civic function where I got to see this!