Worth a Dam and many beaver friends were on hand today for the 2 hour hearing on the matter regarding a Temporary Restraining Order for the so called Emergency bank stabilization work done on the creek. There were two attorneys for the city, and Michael Graf representing Worth A Dam. The city argued a couple procedural loopholes that were largely deemed unimportant by the judge, and was at its most skillful when city arguing that the entire city was at risk and there were more important things than beavers at stake. The issue of “their expert versus our expert” was raised, along with the argument that since our expert didn’t present testimony before the decision was made her findings are now inadmissable. Hmm.
If only we had the foresight to have challenged the decision before it was made.
The judge did not decide the case but said she would issue a ruling this afternoon around 3. I will make sure you know when we do. In the mean time city staff is down at the dam making preparations for their inevitable emergency. Worth A Dam did good today, and I was enormously proud of our support, of our media presence, two news cameras filming at the court house, and three print reporters. I was enormously proud of the judge interupting the city attorney who argued “beavers aren’t endangered” by saying, “That’s not the issue. The beavers are important to Martinez. That’s just a fact.”
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=24eL0cWwFxc]
