Tag: Martinez Beaver Festival

Pathways…

heidi08 Festival August 6, 2012

Do you ever get that feeling that some invisible accident of fate in your life caused you to turn left instead of right at an imperceptible junction and now you are in a beautifully wooded area that has nothing at all to do with the urban place you intended to be? I’ve been feeling that a lot lately. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore. The festival is safely over, everything is put away or returned and the still unnamed park that hosted the event has the look of an empty lot after the circus has just left town. But there are traces of tickertape at the edges and I know that something is different. Something important.

This year’s festival had a new character, more sophisticated and (despite the famed beaverettes) less local. It felt like we had floated down the narrow backwaters of Alhambra Creek into the wide Carquinez Strait, past the Napa and Sonoma Rivers , into the bay and right out under the Golden Gate. I’m not sure what triggered it. The otter people? The Coyote people? The Marine Mammal Center? I just knew that even though our feet were firmly anchored in good ol’ Martinez, and the giant inflatable beaver was a surprise from the first man who ever saw the beavers in 2006 – even though it was still OURS – by the end of the day our hair was curled with coastal fog and we were part of something larger. Something permanent.

I thought I’d share a few responses with you, so you could have some idea of how this felt, and if you haven’t watched the slideshow of the day, you should definitely do so. I’m never prepared for the comments I get face to face, people thanking me or saying what a big deal it all was. At the most basic level my impulse was entirely selfish – keeping what I valued. That’s never seemed very noble to me.

IT WAS THE BEST ONE EVER! Loved the inflatable beaver and the Beaverettes were hysterical! Always good to see old friends at this event! Thank you! – Ruth

Twas a lovely slice of life, just the right size, doable for all….. Reminded me of the first Kate Wolf Festival. Well done, ALL THANK YOU – Jill Harcke (John Muir Camp)

You make it happen!! Thanks so much for a well organized, well thought out, fun fun day – Jenny (Native Birds)

Enjoyed the Festival, which seemed bigger and better than ever I hope you give yourself a huge gold star for credit, you have done and incredible service to the beavers and to Martinez. Many comments from people exiting about how they enjoyed it, especially the kids just loved it! Congratulations and thanks for your wonderful efforts. forest

Thanks for posting that. I had a smile on my face watching the whole video. Wonderful job. It looks like it was a huge success and lots of fun. Congratulations to Heidi and everyone else involved- Michale Callahan (Beaver Solutions MA)

OMG what a blast- it gets greater every year. You have carved a place in local history. Love hugs and big smiles -Gail

A well done festival….great participants and good crowd of people….another plus for Nature and the environment. Looking forward to next year already. – Michael Marchiano

Before the weekend gets away from us. We wanted to say a big… thank you… for all your amazingly energy and gift of organizing and bringing all of us together. Great to also see several new participants. It was great to see everyone yesterday and share once again… in the Great Beaver Festival! For all you do……….Thank you! – Tom & Darren (Sonoma Birding)

Congratulations on your achievement and a fantastic Beaver Fest. You have made history in Martinez, and the beavers owe you! Lynn Q

It was such a pleasure to be there today…I would like to do something about the watershed district. Next time teaching clean run off stuff… It was fun thanks!! Dorrie Langley (Martinez Arts Association)

And from Erika our stalwart volunteer who was helping make necklaces all day…

One dad told his daughter that the necklace may be a nice thing to give mom for her birthday and the girl looked at him like are you kidding me??? i answered all those questions myself and uh, no i will keep it! He commented how mellow you were and ‘so mellow when had to put up such a big fight.’ made me smile.

That’s me….mellow beaver defender extraordinaire….

This just in…

heidi08 Environmental August 2, 2012

Teaching 30 children about beavers and helping them make necklaces in 95 degree weather is inspirational and tiring work. The bright shiny faces had just finished a hike up Mt. Wanda and were eager to learn about beavers and their habits. My favorite part was watching the children teach OTHER children. Some power-mad ‘charm captains’ were very hard instructors. “She didn’t say that beavers help birds by making trees coppice so she doesn’t get one”. Don’t worry, the loving and attentive instructors made sure everyone got one. We received copious thanks for our efforts and a John Muir tshirt that says this on the back

“When I was a boy in Scotland I was fond of everything that was wild and all my life I’ve been growing fonder and fonder of wild places and wild creatures.”

John Muir

Onto the nice article in the Pleasant Hill Record this morning, which follows a good lead in the Martinez Gazette on tuesday.

At noon, a children’s procession with Joyce Macpherson of the San Francisco Scottish fiddlers is followed by the debut of an original beaver ballad by musician Mark Comstock and his “lovely Beaverettes.”

Children will be able to earn “free” charms by learning how beavers help other species — creating a “keystone species necklace,” thanks to the Martinez Kiwanis Club.

The complete necklace tells a tale of beavers and their habitat and the festival itself, is the story of a community coming together, according Heidi Perryman.

Perryman is a founder of Worth a Dam, the beaver-friendly nonprofit that began when city officials fearing floods, began removing the home of beavers who had taken up residence in a downtown section of Alhambra Creek.

Well, that’s interesting though not exactly true in a number of ways. The city never tried to get rid of the lodge, and beavers don’t live in the dam. They tried to get rid of the BEAVERS, as in first they tried to kill them, and when that got difficult they tried to move them. But, hey, that’s all blood under the bridge now.

The 2012 festival includes representatives of the Marine Mammal Center, the Delta Science Center, Project Coyote, and the River Otter Ecology project, rangers from John Muir National Historic Site, and John Muir Association day campers.

Project Coyote is all about peaceful coexistence with man’s furry cohabitants, and River Otter Ecology is dedicated to habitat preservation and restoration on behalf of North American river otters in the San Francisco Bay Area. Otters have been seen in Alhambra Creek with the beaver family.

The industrious beaver is the only animal that changes the face of the earth more than man. Reportedly their dams can be seen from outer space.

Perryman said, “Folks from Alberta to Maine are starting to understand that beavers really are Worth A Dam, partly because of all the good work here in Martinez.”

What a great last line! I so rarely get the last word but that is an excellent last word to have! Thanks Dana Guzetti, for another beautiful article, and thanks Catherine Jacobsen (ed) who called me yesterday about sending a photographer to the festival. I hope you get our good side.

Good News Comes in Threes

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Environmental, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers, In the News, Video June 19, 2011

THE IBIS TOM RUSERT was trying to release in Yolo County realized it had a good thing going with the avid birder and did not want to leave his side - make that head.

Rusert Earns Bird Award

Our good friend, Tom Rusert, of Sonoma Birding was in the paper Friday for some pretty amazing news. Seems he’s this years winner of the American Birding Association’s Ludlow Griscom Award for outstanding contribution in Regional Ornithology.

Given to individuals who have dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a particular region. This may be through their long-time contributions in monitoring avian status and distribution, facilitating the publication of state bird books, breeding bird atlases and significant papers on the regional natural history of birds. This may also be through the force of their personality, teaching and inspiration.

Emily’s article is a great read and really gives you a sense of how remarkable this recognition is for someone who’s ‘spare time’ has created an exciting, national movement. Regular readers will remember that Tom is the director of the Valley of the Moon Lecture Series where I spoke about the Martinez Beavers this year. He has visions of beavers returning soon to Sonoma, bringing waves of birds and salmon with them. He’s already invited Michael Pollock to dovetail a lecture when he’s presenting at the State of the Estuary Conference in September. Not small world enough for you? Tom will be maintaining a booth and leading a children’s bird walk at this years Beaver Festival!

Congratulations, Tom with recognition much deserved! We couldn’t be happier for you!

mendenhall — Beaver dam at Mendenhall Glacier: Photo Bob Armstrong

Want more good news? Read this article about the long-haul beaver advocates in Juneau. Remember Bob Armstrong and Mary Willson whose lovely book on the Mendenhall Glacier Beavers you’ve probably seen lying around? Well they convinced US Forestry to come with funds to have Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions out to teach them how to safely manage beavers. Now they’ve installed their first flow device and are excited to implement more.

Willson, who is a retired professor of ecology and co-leader of the Beaver Patrol, had been one of eight who worked last week to install the culvert. The group, who has worked since 2007 to preserve the resources, trails and animal residents of the Dredge Lakes area, spent a full day installing two of these apparatuses. Willson said they are called levelers and their installation will help lower and manage water levels in flooded areas and restore currently un-useable trails.

Great work, Bob, Mary, Mike & helpers! the beavers of Juneau thank you!

And finally, a rumor from a ranger at JMA lead me to check out this article from Patch and the Gazette and contact Mr. Chandler about adding possible beaver footage to the new City Channel 28. He wrote back Friday and suggested that they would be willing to air 10 minutes of promotion for the Beaver Festival, and possibly a review afterwards. Assuming the council gives it’s approval, look for this on your TV screen soon!

The Charming Beaver Festival III

heidi08 Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Educational, Festival August 8, 2010

We were strolling along– Alhambra Creek
We could hear the people saying–Oh my, Oh dear
Folks are coming to see Alhambra Creek
And it’s thanks to Worth a Dam that they come here

See the heron and mink, the otters too
They have come because of beavers –that’s something new
They have stolen our hearts
We’ve come to view
And it’s thanks to Worth a Dam Who saw it through

Sung to: “Moonlight Bay” Lyrics by ‘Granny Gai l‘ for whom we are Grateful.

Yesterday’s event was a rousing success by every measure: great attendance, excellent Music, remarkable children’s art, beautiful wildlife, a busy membership booth and a momentous silent auction with only one item remaining by the end of the day. Adorable children learned beaver facts and more than a couple whispering parents coached them with the wrong answers (“beavers eat fish!”). I personally made sure that everyone wearing the keystone charm bracelet knew better. Thanks to our amazing volunteers who worked tirelessly all day linking things together and thanks to our fearless displays who answered the same questions again and again.

Three highlights of a million will stay with me for a good long time: The Morris Dancers procession with the children’s banner trailing behind, The Raging Grannies touching verse about missing Mother Beaver, and Mission Gold Jazz Band playing the song I listened to over and over while the beaver battle was raging — imagining a day when the beavers were loved and protected in Alhambra Creek – like they are today.

Rehearsal Dinner

heidi08 City Reports, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers August 6, 2010

It’s down to spaghetti and sangria with the in-laws in the final hours before the wedding. There are the usual misunderstandings, arguments, lost keys and overly-affectionate drunks. The groom can’t be found and the bride has put on two pounds and can’t fit into her dress. Now the park is entirely surrounded by a mote (I’m not kidding) and I’m off to find a way to get 30 tents and 1000 people safely over the threshold. Can you say ‘drawbridge’?

Nice article in the PH Record yesterday. I was relieved to learn that I was the “co-founder” of Worth A Dam because its great to know that there will be someone else to help deal with all this late stage madness. I was starting to get worried.

Thanks for the generous eulogy-worthy comments yesterday. 7 truly kind things and only 5 offers to purchase cialis which I promptly deleted. It’s unexpectedly touching to feel like what I write gets read and appreciated. When I find the other co-founder I think I will send her/him down to meet with public works so we can do something about that mote – you know the city is just dying to put in alligators!