Tag: Mike Callahan

Beaver Tales

heidi08 Creative Solutions, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Massachusetts Trapping Law October 24, 2010

Every tale has its heroes and villains right? Well click on the above photo for a slide show of this particular beaver hero at work. Mike Callahan left a career as a physician’s assistant when he got interested in saving beavers near his home. He and his wife started a volunteer association and invited Skip Lisle out for a conference to train advocates in beaver management. The rest, as they say, is history. More than a decade ago, Mike left his PA work behind him, and started the business of “Beaver Solutions” in Massachusetts. He has since installed more than 700 flow devices, and is committed to sharing what he’s learned

Last year, Mike was awarded a grant from AWI to produce an instructional DVD teaching beaver management. He is about four weeks away from its final launch, and I thought today was a good day to remind you. My ‘sent’ file tells me that I first wrote Mike on November 17, 2007 after i learned that I had been appointed to the Beaver Subcommittee. I had about a hundred questions about flow devices, materials cost and beaver behavior. I am very pleased to say that 2.5 years later he has answered those 100 questions, I have about 10,000 more, and consider him a friend. I agreed to help him spread the word about the upcoming DVD because making these tools readily available means that beavers around the nation can avoid threat from the people they inconvenience. The funny thing is, I ended up writing him and not Skip because I couldn’t find an email address for Skip, only a phone number. (In those days I was shy about talking to strangers about beavers). (Wow.) Of course, Skip was eventually hired by the city and went on to become a friend too. Small beaver world.

Water flow control: Some fairly famous urban beavers

I am a resident of Martinez, CA and a member of the subcommittee on keeping our urban creek beavers. I have been in contact with BWW & Sherri Tippie. Our downtown beavers have gotten a lot of press, and may be included in a documentary on urban wildlife, but just to summarize: the state of CA does not allow relocation, our beavers were going to be exterminated, there was a huge public outcry and CFG stepped in to say they would grant a one time relocation permit and hire Ms. Tippie. Residents weren’t satisfied and wanted the city to consider allowing the beavers to stay, which eventually happened after an electric town hall meeting. Now the city will form a subcommittee to consider allowing them to stay and I’m on that subcommittee. I want to make sure the city has all the information it needs to take positive action. I wanted to approach you specifically on the relative drawbacks/benefits of the flexible leveler vs the clemson.

Our creek is small (20-25 feet wide in most places) and normally a trickle by late summer. However it has two flow exceptions that will present unique challenges. It serves as the flood drainage for the town so in hard rains it can get a sudden increase. Also we sit on the upper bay so can have an occasional high tides. When hard rain happens with the high tide we’ve historically had flooding (long before the beavers) and this makes the city very anxious about the dam.

A hydrology report issued by the city raises concern about the increased water behind the dam, and obviously lowering the level is paramount, as is reducing the dam so that when the next rain comes the surge can flow away. I wonder if you can help me identify where to start with this and what device seems most appropriate. It occurs to me this may even be useful to do in steps, with one device to start and another to maintain. Certainly the city does not lack for volunteer labor or financial contributions. I also wonder whether you are ever available for intra-state consultation/visits or can recommend someone who is.

Again, thank you for the fantastic resource and I hope my questions are clear.

Ahhh, memories! You will recognize the center photo as being the lovely image of our own Cheryl Reynolds, who has never been unwilling to share her hard work when beavers benefit! Thanks Cheryl, and thanks Mike! We’re looking forward to the finished product!

Loaves and Fishes

heidi08 Uncategorized March 4, 2010

Martinez Beaver friend Mike Callahan is launching a beaver management facebook forum for questions and issues that arise in dealing with beavers. A million years ago when our beavers were on death row, it was hard work tracking anyone down to get questions answered. Ahh those were the days. Now he’s hoping for a simple point and click. Stop by, meet a few friends, show some support, and give him some more practice at answering the really tricky ones.

In news a little closer to home, Washington state columnist Nancy Bartlett wrote a lovely article discussing the beaver issues on Whidby island. Her basic theme was that we open-minded outdoorsy types proclaim to “love nature” until it gets in our way and causes interference in our plans, of which the beaver was an excellent example.

This was the quote that made me spurt coffee onto the keyboard and write her in admiration:

In yoga class one day, I heard a couple discussing which one of them would stop by Cenex on the way home to buy poison for the raccoons. Ohhmmm.

So we started chatting about beavers and flow devices, about the role beavers play with birds and salmon, and I mentioned was she aware of the researcher, Michael Pollock, in her neck of the woods and what he had to say about their relationship? She was not, but she was intrigued and said she would follow up. I was greeted yesterday morning with this column on her blog;

One thing I’m especially looking forward to is hearing from Michael Pollock. I first heard of him from Heidi Perryman, who wrote to me after reading a recent Tidal Life column. Heidi is the founder of Worth A Dam an organization formed to save the beavers of Alhambra Creek in Martinez, California. The group has done wonders, coming up with creative ways for humans and beavers to coexist. The town has embraced the effort and now has an annual Beaver Festival.

Ahhh well. It makes our city sound slightly more noble than its scaly underbelly would indicate, but still, it’s spreading the beaver gospel and we’re happy about that! Thanks Nancy, and stop by Worth A Dam any time for friendly beaver information!

“Go with the Flow Device!”

heidi08 City Reports, Creative Solutions February 9, 2010

This week our wikipedia friend launched the first ever entry on effective tools for beaver management. It talks about flow devices and culvert protection, and emphasizes that trapping is a short term solution. It still needs photos to give it that “stop killing beavers and read me” touch, but its well on its way to being a permanent resource.

Beaver Dam Pipes

Beavers diligently plug leaks in their dams, because their survival depends upon the cover provided by the water in their pond. If a beaver can detect the flow of pond water into a pipe, it will plug the pipe with mud and sticks.

To be successful, a beaver dam pipe must eliminate the sound and feel of water flowing into the pipe. Successful pipe designs (e.g. Flexible Pond Leveler™, Castor Master™, Clemson Pond Leveler) achieve this by protecting the intake end of the pipe with a cylindrical fence enclosure. A beaver swimming along the outside of the fence enclosure is unable to hear or feel the flow of water into the pipe and cannot reach it to block it.

Photo: Mike Callahan, Beaver Solutions Flow device filter ready to be lowered into water

The pond level is controlled by the height of the pipe in the dam. Since beavers depend on water for their survival, the more a beaver pond is lowered with a pipe, the more likely it is that the beavers will try to build a new dam to return the water to its previous high level. In addition, the more a beaver pond is lowered, the more valuable wetland acreage is lost. Therefore, it is important to lower a beaver pond only enough to resolve the threat to human health, safety or property.

I like being able to see the roundfence up close. Ours suffered a bit in the last rain, and Mike says its essential that whatever happens the shape of the fence isn’t changed. Once beavers are able to feel the suction to the pipe they will find a way to dam it. They are also smart enough to learn that round fencing means leaks, and will dam any round-fence in the future too! Yikes!

Culvert Protective Fences

The ‘’’Beaver Deceiver™’’’ (a trapezoidal shaped culvert fence) was invented by Skip Lisle in the 1990s while working for the Penobscot Nation in Maine. It is very effective at completely eliminating beaver damming of a culvert. It works in three ways. First, the perimeter of the trapezoidal fence is typically 40 – 50 feet long, making it difficult for a beaver to dam the entire fence. Second, as beavers try to dam the culvert, the fence forces them to dam in a direction away from the culvert, which is not their nature. Third, as they dam further out on the fence, the opening the stream is flowing into is getting wider. Therefore, the damming stimuli of the sound and feel of moving water decrease the further they dam on the fence. If the sides of the fence are at least 12 feet long the beavers will generally leave the fence alone.

To be effective however, a culvert fence must be surrounded by enough water that the beavers will need to dam the entire fence perimeter. In areas where the streambed is narrow rather than wide, the fence must be narrow so that it is surrounded by water. Being narrow loses one advantage of the trapezoidal shape, but it can still deter beavers from damming the culvert. Since beavers are excellent diggers, a fence floor is always generally needed to prevent beaver tunneling under the fence. The fence walls only need to be 24 inches above the water line, since beavers do not climb.

Photo: Mike Callahan, Beaver Solutions Trapezoidal Fence to prevent damming of culvert

When I think of how hard we all worked to find information about beaver management back before the fateful meeting in November, I am very very pleased with this development. At the time I had three important sources of information: An article on the Clemson pond leveler, an article from Canada about the use of “Limiters” to regulate water height in Gateau park, and an article from the HAW River Assembly in North Carolina. Think about how different the world will be for the next starry eyed woman who wants to save beavers!

Friends Helping Beavers

heidi08 Beaver News, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Friends of Martinez Beavers January 30, 2010

Fans of the Martinez Beavers will understand more intimately than most that the survival of our beavers ultimately depended on just one thing. Sure public outcry made a difference, and fear of political ruin quivered the hearts of at least two on the council, but if the dam had stayed at its original height and continued to pose a flooding threat, they would have been soundly dispatched. (Sent in a pickup truck to Plumas county if the god’s were kind or off to a glue factory somewhere if they were not.)

What fundamentally allowed the beavers to remain with us was the flow device, installed by Skip Lisle and often mistakenly called a “beaver deceiver”. (It’s actually a “Castor Master”.) This allowed for the water height to be lowered in such a way that the movement is disguised from the beavers. They don’t feel the suction and don’t associate the outflow with their dam, so they tolerate the water loss. Skip invented the beaver deceiver during his work with the Penobscot Nation. He went on to develop his ideas for the flow device and round fence over time. Skip is committed to showing the world that flow devices work. He traveled to Lithuania this summer to talk at the conference there, and he is headed for Oregon next week to give a four hour teaching at the State of the Beaver Conference.

Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions trained with Skip and eventually developed his own full time business around beaver management. His vision of the best use of management skills included a teaching DVD that would allow property owners, cities and transit workers to cheaply implement tools that could manage problematic beaver behavior. He is well aware that allowing this keystone species to remain takes care of so many others, but Mike is a pragmatic beaver defender who helps businesses focus on the bottom line. Installing a successful flow device, he argues, can manage the problem now and in the future. Hiring a trapper is a temporary solution that will get more expensive over time.

Mike was awarded a grant from the AWI last year to make the DVD, and has been working towards its release. Expect it in the Spring of 2010. Recently he approached me asking to pay to include three minutes of my beaver footage in the production. Since Mike’s smart website was the first place I turned with beaver questions LO these many moons ago, and we became friends over the ensuing years, I can’t think of anything more “full circle” than using that footage to help him and help beavers around the country for years to come. Whatever financial agreement we figure out will go to Worth A Dam.

In the mean time, I am helping him spread the word about the upcoming project with an announcement postcard sent to beaver supporters and interested media. You might recognize my favorite photo from Bob Armstrong of the Mendenhall Glacier Beavers. (He gave his blessing on the prospect, and arranged for Mike to come do a beaver management plan in the state park there.) The idea is to follow up with a second announcement once the project is released. I’m hopeful that by helping more people learn that there are reasonable ways to manage beaver behavior, and inexpensive tools for learning about them, we can significantly impact the well-being of beavers all around the country.

In the mean time, our wikipedia friend is supposed to be honing a “flow device” entry this weekend. It’s hard to remember so long ago, but in 2007 I definitely had to hunt to find out about options. Remember how many people talked about the Clemson Pond Leveler at the meeting? Someone from Lafayette even donated the funds for one. That was one tool that had been published and talked about, but the technology had already come a long way since then. Mike was the one who explained that to me. Let’s hope “flow device” becomes a household name – at least as common as “snare”.

Speak of the devil!

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere October 29, 2009

Guess whose in the news this morning for ripping out a dam and wrapping trees with chicken wire? Good old North Carolina, the city of Greensboro to be precise. Seems those darn beavers keep taking city trees and building in an area where the banks are susceptible to erosion. (um are there banks that aren’t?) The city brought in their back hoe and are threatening to use their boy-toys again if the beavers dare rebuild.

Insert chalk outline here:

Beavers have chewed through several tree trunks by Latham Park and near the Elm Street bridge (H. Scott Hoffmann / News & Record)

Municipal workers spent part of Tuesday removing the beavers’ dam from North Buffalo Creek with the backhoe. And they wrapped the park’s most vulnerable trees nearby in protective wire mesh to discourage the workaholic critters from rebuilding in the same spot, just north of Moses Cone Hospital not far from an Audubon Society natural area.

Not far from the Audubon Society nature area? Oh dear! You better get rid of those beavers right away or they’ll start encouraging wood duck and night heron and you know how Audubon hates that. Next thing you know all that coppiced new growth from the trees they took will be producing nesting habitat for thrushes and finches, and nothing makes an Audubon member more irritated than having too many bird species to look up in their Sibleys.

The beavers will either take the hint and skedaddle or they will try to rebuild the dam just east of North Elm Street, a spot where their appetite for trees has been a problem. City administrators also fear the beaver dam’s potential for triggering erosion, which would further pollute a stream Greensboro officials are trying to revive.

Really, they’ve been trying so hard to restore that stream? Gosh, that’s awful. Watershed restoration is such a key civic responsibility. Too bad there wasn’t some team of ecological aquatic engineers that could take on that job, restore the banks, raise the watertable, improve water quality bring fish and wildlife while simultaneously trapping silt and buildup. It’s a big job, it would be great if they could live on site too, and do repairs constantly. Still, Greenboro’s not made of money. They obviously just spent their last dime on overtime for the men, gas for the backhoe and chicken wire to wrap those trees. Where would they ever find a team like that to work for free?

“If the beavers can’t find anything to eat, they will likely move on,” said biologist David Mizejewski, whose Animal Planet series included an episode on beavers.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STOP THE PRESSES.

Animal Planet? As in Animals on this planet? Okay, you do know, Mr. Biologist from Animal Planet, the episode on beavers featured Skip Lisle installing a flow device in Canada, right? I don’t mean to startle you but these devices work in America too. You could chose the ideal height your eroding bank should be at, invest a day’s work for Skip to come down and train y’all how to do it, and then have the beavers keep restoring that creek for you? Just want to make sure you’re aware of your options, here.

Vermont, where Lisle lives, is 15 hours away. Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions in Massachusetts, is 11 hours away. Both could solve this problem easily for you, and both are headed towards the frozen winter in their area and won’t have much to do for a while. Didn’t North Carolina get Stimulus money for beaver management? Why not take 5000 of those dollars and pay to have an expert solve your problem so that several better experts can restore your creeks?

Best part of the article:

If the beavers rebuild their dam near Latham Park, the city will remove it again, Phlegar said. He hopes for the best, but he’s also prepared for the possibility that the beavers will leave the park only to set up housekeeping in an equally inappropriate area somewhere else. What are the odds that might happen? “That’s the $6 million question,” he said.

Let’s see, what are the odds of beavers sticking around someplace they call home even though people do enormously annoying things that interfere with their food supply and dams, and the beavers just determinedly rebuilding? Martinez? Any Comments?