Tag: Mario Alfaro

Election season

heidi08 Beavers June 10, 2016

It’s summer and we’re all busy planning our vacations. Worth A Dam thought we’d visit England, courtesy of Cheryl Reynolds awesome photo which has traveled the globe via wikipedia for nearly a decade. To be honest, back when we gave Rickipedia this photo to use on his updates we had no idea it would show up in Bavaria or Wales for over a decade. But it’s nice to see its shining face time and time again.

The report published this morning by the Environmental Audit Committee exposed the Government’s knee-jerk reaction to flooding. During the last Parliament funding was cut just before floods, only to be “increased” after the floods. The funding has fluctuated year by year.

The Committee has demanded an action plan from the Government.

Beavers should be part of that plan.

Earlier this year, just one month after floods raged through towns across the UK, a study by scientists at the University of Stirling demonstrated how Scotland’s beavers have mitigated flooding.

Beavers are famous for creating dams with ponds of deep quiet water. One of the many purposes of these dams is to slow the flow of water, to stop beaver homes being washed away. Further downstream, these networks of upstream dams work like big sponges. They provide a slower, steadier flow of water into our towns and lowlands. Our current policy of dredging does the opposite – forcefully deepening and widening riverbeds to provide a faster and at times perilous flow of water into our towns and lowlands.

The water trickling out from beaver habitat is also cleaner, with sediments retained upstream. Just last week the Environmental Audit Committee declared that more action is needed to protect UK soil health. Rewilding these semi-aquatic rodents could help prevent soil erosion.

Beavers also create a variety of habitats for fish (which as herbivores they won’t eat), mitigate dry summers, create ecotourism opportunities, boost plant life and local populations of birds, amphibians, mammals, insects and other animals. They are a win-win-win-win situation.

Vote Beaver.

Of course everyone who walks by my home for the next century will know how WE voted. Mario is almost finished and I could not be happier. I especially love to think that every time the mayor is late for a meeting and decides to block our parking space he will see this staring back at him.

Here’s a closer look at who’ll I’ll be drinking my morning coffee with for the rest of my life.

Bonafide Beaver Benefits

heidi08 Beavers June 8, 2016

There’s a fair bit of good news for beavers this morning, first this report from Calgary;

‘He’s quite shy’: Beaver sightings on the rise in Calgary

You notice that despite the city’s goal of ‘coexistence’ they still managed to find a few folk who call beavers pests for the interview. Journalism! Then there was this lovely article from Oregon yesterday. When it was published it had the photo listed as ‘courtesy’, I wrote the managing editor that we weren’t feeling particularly ‘courteous’ and he needed to change the credit immediately. All better now enjoy.

Nature’s engineers

While some see the beaver, officially a semiaquatic rodent, as destructive, beavers are “woefully misunderstood,” says Esther Lev, the executive director of The Wetlands Conservancy, a statewide group based in Portland.

Beavers got more than their usual share of attention in May, during the 24th annual celebration of American Wetlands Month. The beaver was a headliner this year.

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) — Oregon’s official state animal — possesses an instinctual work ethic that is closely connected to the way it builds its habitat. Beavers create stick-and-branch structures with underwater entrances for protection from predators, and in the process expend an enormous amount of energy gnawing and gathering wood. If their lodge gets destroyed, they’ll rebuild twice as fast and twice as sturdy.

Lev, a widely respected expert in wetlands education and conservation with more than 30 years of experience, says beavers make a multitude of important contributions to our ecosystem. “Beavers not only create wetlands, but also create spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead,” she says. “Their ponds help filter water and moderate fluctuations in water flow downstream.” They also provide habitat for a wide array of insects, birds and amphibians.

While research shows that beavers make ecosystems more complex, they’ve long been incorrectly blamed for flooding, Lev says.

She calls them “nature’s hydrologists.”

Streams and rivers where beaver dams are present show high clarity and low pollution levels. As beavers build their dams across waterways — with their lodge at the center of it — a pond is created. As the water flows and filters through the dam, water quality improves and nutrient-rich sediment collects in the bottom of the pond, creating a food source for bottom feeders. Eventually, the beavers move on, their dam breaks down, and the pond slowly percolates into the surrounding terrain, leaving behind a lush meadow composed of nutrient-rich soil.

Studies suggest that there are a number of species whose survival is dependent on beavers’ “engineering” their environment. Typically, when beavers fell a tree, more light gets to the forest floor, which, in turn, helps remaining trees grow and thrive. Better light also encourages a diversity of plant life. And as the remaining stump grows new shoots, that serves as food for moose and elk.

Research shows there’s a greater abundance of birds, reptiles and plant life in areas inhabited by beavers. Migratory birds prefer the safety of landing on beaver-created ponds to open bodies of water.

Fantastic article! And following nicely on the heels of the Portland talk. Lev is the woman who was grateful my talk ‘ wasn’t delivered by a biologist’. So I know she received excellent reminders of beaver value in the landscape fairly recently if she needed them. I’m so old I can remember when talking about beaver benefits raised many an eyebrow, now we get two examples on the same day! What will tomorrow bring?

But the very best part of yesterday had to be this, which almost brought me to tears when I opened the door. That beaver and I have been through a lot together.

The Un-memorial Mural

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? May 31, 2016

Okay, you really need to watch this. It took nearly all day to make and I’m kind of proud of the integration of our photos with Mario’s images. The painting process is done, he’s just sealing today, so it’s the right time for an un-memorial to christen the piece.

Mario said the mayor AND Dave Scola came by to congratulate him on how beautiful it is. And I just got an email from Lara on the council saying the same thing. There was a blurb about it in the community focus, and kids have been excited about the frog and the turtle. This was a hard project to complete at almost ever level, first convincing Worth A Dam that it was okay to do something that felt like a memorial, then convincing the city to let us, then wrestling with everyone get the project insured: it was a battle at every step.

But we won. The battle and the war. And now Martinez will have a beaver dam on Alhambra Creek forever.

Well it’s time to celebrate now. How about enjoying the 12th annual beaver pageant in Durham North Carolina. The fun part is, that Worth A Dam’s Lory Bruno will be attending so we have a beaver emissary!

The Beaver Queen Pageant brings puns, fur and fun to an ecological cause

Scarlett O’Beavah takes her reign at the 2010 pageant.

The Beaver Queen Pageant is not a beauty pageant with a twist. Rather, it’s a beauty pageant with a lot of twists. More twists and turns than its longtime beneficiary, Durham’s Ellerbe Creek Watershed.

For starters, its contestants dress up as beavers. In drag.

Still with us? Good. Now note that points are taken off if contestants’ tails aren’t at least partially, um, functional. Engineering is essential.

Contestants assume various alter egos. This year’s winner was a comer named Scarlett O’Beavah. Ostensibly, the lovelies are judged on the quality of their tail, evening wear, stage presence, something called wetland-ready wear and talent—which almost invariably involves pop songs rewritten for the occasion. (One year featured a mysterious contestant known only as Belvis.)

But at this pageant, the judges are gleefully on the take, available to the highest bidder—once, that is, they’ve bought their way into their seats. The more budget-conscious vote-riggers can help fudge the selection process by stuffing the ballot box with the perfectly good votes they’ve paid for. With their own (or other people’s) money.

In the tradition of the other kind of voter-financed elections that have marred North Carolina politics for too long, this exercise in civic representation isn’t merely pay-to-play: It’s strictly cash-and-carry.

Over the past six years, the pageant has substantially raised the visibility of its namesake—the beavers that have now made an unlikely lodge in a wetland behind a Roxboro Road strip mall. “The attention they’ve drawn has cleaned up that natural resource,” notes Duke Park resident Bill Anderson. “I can remember the Cub Scouts coming down to that marsh and pulling out five tons of trash in the early days.

“You go there now, it’s just amazingly clean, when in the old days it was a dump zone.”

But the Beaver Queen Pageant has done more than exhort neighbors to clean up an environmental eyesore. The $15,000 they’ve raised over the past half decade has helped the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association buy the wetlands the beavers call home this past year, as a part of their land trust efforts in acquiring and protecting ecologically significant areas in Durham’s urban environment. Their philanthropy has been “an enormous help in mobilizing the community to steward and maximize the benefits of the Beaver Marsh and our other preserves,” says Diana Tetens, the association’s executive director.

Still, this family-friendly neighborhood party and environmental, philanthropic endeavor started out as something significantly different. Picture an underground, after-hours drag pageant in 2005 led by activist Katherine O’Brien.

HA! This definitely has a more ‘diversity’ than ‘biodiversity’ flavor to it, but I’m thrilled that anyone in North Carolina is saving wetlands or valuing beavers! We loved their last slogan of ‘Peace. Love. and Beavers’. So we can only assume this year’s will be awesome too. Lory is bringing a flyer of our festival with her to cross pollinate!

Go see the mural today. Snap a photo of yourself with your favorite part and I’ll be happy to share it on the website!

Beaver Memorial Day

heidi08 Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, What's killing beavers now?, Who's saving beavers now? May 30, 2016

Home again, home again, and not a moment too soon! We found Mario putting finishing touches on the mural, my attempts at posting on location upside down and the fantastic news that Hopkinton is FINALLY hiring Mike Callahan! Here let me catch you up to date on everything! I’ll sit on my Portland stories a while to let them percolate.

Apparently Dave Scola and some city folks are stopping by on Wednesday to see the final product. Then it’s just sealing the work for posterity. Love the frog and the dragonfly and the way a beaver dam is forever on Alhambra Creek. I couldn’t be more pleased, but I’m still going to try to push for one little beaver kit. Wish me luck.

I think every city should have a beaver mural, don’t you? I love that this mural is literally “OVER THE TOP”.

Now you might remember the city of Hopkinton in Massachusetts, which I was forced to learn how to spell when I wrote about them in winter of this year, or in winter of last year, or in spring the year before that. I wrote the council and one brave responder actually talked with Mike for a half an hour in 2015 before a trapper killed 42 beavers this year. Just go to the search bar and type “Hopkinton” to see how many articles come up on the first page alone. They have been such voracious whiners they provoked me into this graphic in December.

Well, change IS possible, get out your nano tools so we can all measure the progress.

Hopkinton looks to trap beavers, install devices

HOPKINTON — In an effort to reduce flooding on properties on Fruit Street and Huckleberry Road, the town is looking to get approvals to trap beavers and install other measures in Whitehall Brook. The Department has filed a notice of intent with the Conservation Commission to approve a beaver management plan developed by a private contractor, Beaver Solutions LLC.

The plans call for trappings, breaching three small beavers dams and installation of two flow devices.

“The town’s goal is not to eradicate the beaver population but to manage it enough so that we can all enjoy our properties safely,” Burke wrote. Mike Callahan, owner of Beaver Solutions in Southampton, surveyed the area by kayak and foot in March.

“Whitehall Brook is a large stream that drains an extensive area including Whitehall Reservoir,” he wrote in his report. “It can have very high flows and if impounded by beaver dams can flood extensive areas since there is a broad floodplain here.” He said beavers have likely lived in the area for a long time. His report details six dams.

“Three active dams raise the water by six inches to a foot each,” he said. “These several small dams all combine to maintain a higher water level abutting the homes on Huckleberry Road. There are also two very large active beaver lodges in this area.”

He said because there is a good food supply, some trappings will likely be needed. He said beaver trapping season is Nov. 1 through April 15, but a permit can be granted from the Board of Health in the off-season.”There are two large beaver dams and multiple smaller ones,” he wrote. “Ironically it is the smaller dams in the vicinity of Huckleberry Road that have generated the most concerns.”

He said for one dam that is flooding an acre of farmland, he recommends the town spend $3,000 for two pipes to lower the water.

Hurray for Mike Callahan and beaver solutions! And hurray for the working mind(s) that made this happen! Of course they are clinging to the trapping idea, because 42 beavers just ISN’T enough for a city of 15,000 and 1.5 square miles of water. (On the day the terms “Slow learner” were redefined, we can simply stand in awe and watch.) Still, progress is incremental. Maybe when they see how these two pipes work for the long term they will stop wasting everyones times with trapping.

Looks like this memorial day is full of losses and opportunities. We need this I think.

Egrets…I’ve had a few…

heidi08 Beaver-themed merchandise May 20, 2016

Mario added a lovely Egret yesterday. Can’t wait to see where he’ll take our bridge today! Oh, and the pretend paper in Martinez wrote a pretend story about the beavers and the mural and got the location wrong, the videographer wrong, and maybe the date wrong. But hey, they say there’s no bad publicity right?

Yesterday there was an sudden flurry of wonderful developments reminding us all that the ninth beaver festival isn’t really far away. First Mike Warner of Wildbryde sent this on our upcoming charm bracelet to teach the ecosystem engineer concept. Isn’t it lovely?

Really, All Aboard is going to be such an awesome teaching activity that I should have interested exhibits APPLY for the opportunity to participate! Those bracelets are going to be very popular and by August 7th everyone will know why beaver is considered an ‘Ecosystem engineer”.

I was even more excited about these, however, which owes credit to Erika for the slogan, Beaver Believer’s for the idea of doing a kids shirt, and our long lost volunteer Libby Corliss for her awesome silhouettes from Cheryl’s photos. Oh and Heidi for figuring out how to make them hollow with outlines!

Is that cute or is that CUTE? We got 40 in assorted Youth sizes from XL to XS. (It is all I can do to keep from putting them on the dog.) Historically we have offered adult shirts for a 20 donation, so that suggests 15 would carry a child shirt? But shirts are more expensive than they were 10 years ago and they cost us 8 to make. I know these would sell, but it breaks my heart to think of Worth A Dam only getting a couple bucks for each adorable shirt when I consider that the festival is free and the bracelets are and both cost us lots of $$. Maybe I can find a donor to cover the shirt cost, and then happily offer them for 15? Wish me happy hunting.

I’m just about ready for Portland, with my hour long talk for the ballroom and a short recap for the worker bees at Clean Water Services the next morning. We have reservations along the way and hopefully can do some sightseeing in between preaching beaver gospel and networking with beaver friends. We’ll finish off with a few days by the foggy coast to rest before heading home to see our exciting mural progress and the buckle down to festival planning in earnest in June!

June! Can it be approaching already? Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ?