Mary Long – Worth A Dam

Beaver Deceiver Now at Work on Incline Creek

In the interest of protecting water and sewer infrastructure in the Tyrolian Village area, Incline Village General Improvement District Public Works recently commissioned Sierra Wildlife Coalition to install a beaver deceiver device in Incline Creek at a critical culvert, upstream from Diamond Peak Ski Area.

This creek drainage is home to several beaver families. The beavers’ tree cutting activity was creating culvert blockages, which was resulting in stream bank erosion and washout of the culvert. The beaver deceiver is a non-lethal wildlife management tool designed to make it much harder for the beavers to block the culvert. It is designed to protect the water and sewer infrastructure without having to trap and remove the beavers. The device does not affect the beaver’s feeding, lodging, or reproduction. Info: IVGID Waste Not, wastenot@ivgid.org, (775) 832-1284, ivgid.org.

Our Tahoe friends finished their first year amid astonishing successes to show for it – Sierra Wildlife Coalition 2011. Flow Device installations at Incline and Tahoe Donner, trees painted at the request of the Army Core of Engineers, protests and negotiations at Truckee and a pesky porcupine resolution. (No, I’m not kidding.) They’re that good. Go read the whole thing and enjoy their successes.

I’m impressed with every part of their achievements and couldn’t be prouder of how they grew up or what our tiny scholarship helped encourage. But I’m frankly awestruck that Department of Public Works paid them to put in a flow device. Paid them!!!

(Worth A Dam is apparently such a bunch of slack-jawed yokels by comparison that we can only get DPW to take a beaver out of a mural.) Sigh.

Never mind. If we had enough encouraged folks to do wayyyy better than us, California will eventually be in pretty good beaver shape, which means salmon runs will be restored, bird populations will flourish and maybe we can retire.

Now if we could only get them to handle that pesky beaver festival…

On Behalf of Beavers: (left to right) Mary Long and Sherry Guzzi, who started the Sierra Wildlife Coalition after the Griff Creek beavers were killed, and Peter and Lorelei vanPeborgh of the Kings Beach Parents Co-op School, which recently adopted the beaver as its school mascot.

This came late last night from our beaver-friends in Tahoe. Remember they went to the city council meeting in truckee where a plan to restore Trout creek (that incidentally mentioned removing lots of beavers) was being reviewed. Reading Mary’s excited email I defy you not to remember our important council meetings!

WE WON! THE BEAVERS WON! THEY LISTENED! They are adding language to the MND to not harm beavers and work with us to use flow control devices and protect trees. Mike, they have your letter on file and there were copies for all in attendance. We will be making an appointment with the engineers and staff to review your video and go over specifics. On top of the world! Mary & Sherry

The Town of Truckee worked with the Department of Fish and Game, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and an environmental consultant to address the beaver dams that have changed the flow of Trout Creek. Ryan Salm/Sierra Sun - 06

Congratulations ladies! Your group is doing a fantastic job of maintaining wildlife and wetlands by advocating for beavers! I am so excited for you and your accomplishments, and so affirmed in our decision to have offered you our first-ever beaver management scholarship. I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about over a draft or nice chardonnay in Oregon when we all meet for the State of the Beaver conference! I’ll be the one with the beaver hat.

Here’s a copy of the letter Mike sent, just for reference;

I am writing to offer my expertise with any beaver management questions you may have regarding Trout Creek. The initial Trout Creek Restoration Plan was forwarded to me from some concerned citizens for my review. I would like to go on record as saying that since “a more stable and natural creek corridor with improved biological function and quality” is a stated goal of the plan, then maintaining an active local beaver population (which are a native species) should be an integral aspect of the plan.

Since 1998 in one of the most densely populated states in the country I have resolved over 700 beaver – human flooding conflicts with innovative, cost-effective water control devices. See the Beaver Management studies on our website at: www.beaversolutions.com. These studies have proven that installation of these simple water control devices provide better results than beaver trapping on the basis of flood damage protection, cost, environmental effects, long term success and humane parameters.

The vast majority of beaver-related flooding threats to human infrastructure can be resolved without removing the beavers. In fact, keeping the beavers in place provides many benefits to people and the environment, including creating the opportunity for the most cost-effective stream restoration possible. Beavers are North America’s “Keystone species”. This means that they are critically valuable for biodiversity. Stream restoration studies have proven that beavers are a key component to restoring biological diversity and natural stream flows. They do their stream restoration work naturally, and for free.

In addition, when we are forced to remove beavers from an area it is almost always a short term solution. New beavers often recolonize the trapped areas within 1 year, recreating the same flooding issues. There is a better way.

Please revisit the decision to remove the beavers from Trout Creek. The environment and the citizens of Truckee will benefit most if the Best Beaver Management Practices are followed and the Restoration Project incorporates beavers in the wetland habitat.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding beaver management.

Sincerely,

Michael Callahan, President

Beaver Solutions LLC

Southampton, MA

Office: (413) 527-6472

Web: www.beaversolutions.com

E-mail: mike@beaversolutions.com

Congratulations again ladies! It couldn’t happen to a nicer creek!