Tag: Mike Callahan

Artfully done

heidi08 Beaver Art, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Educational, Environmental, Mike Callahan May 21, 2017

It’s Sunday, and there’s so much good news to share I’ll be choosy and just show you the very best for now. First there is a nice article following Mike Callahan’s beaver presentation Smyrski Farm owned by the Weatinoge Land Trust.

Robert Miller: The return of beavers to Connecticut

Maybe the fierce-eyed bald eagle is the national symbo, but beavers — those social, endlessly industrious homebodies — fired the exploration of North America more than any other creature. To get their pelts, traders and trappers moved across the continent years ahead of any settlers.

“They make drastic changes to the landscape,” said Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions, a Massachusetts-based company dedicated to helping beavers and humans peacefully coexist. “Usually for the better.”

As with the other large mammals that have found the state to their liking — white-tailed deer, black bear, coyote — humans now have to learn to live with beaver. Gone from Connecticut for at least a century and a half, they’re back in force, slapping tails, damming streams, sometimes flooding back yards.

“Native Americans called them ‘little people’ because other than humans, no other animal changes the environment so much,” Callahan said.

When beavers build a dam, that makes a pond. That makes an open habitat in the middle of the woods, where aquatic plants, fish, waterfowl, muskrat and mink can all thrive.

“They’re really great at creating an awesome heterogeneous landscape with lots of biodiversity,” said Mike Jastremski, watershed conservation director for the Housatonic Valley Association.

Beaver ponds help regulate downstream flooding with the newly created wetlands soaking up rain water like a giant sponge.

After a time, when the beavers vacate the premises, the dam deteriorates, the pond flows away, and you’ve got a new habitat — a woodland meadow. A new set of species adapts to that. Eventually, when that meadows grows back to woods, beavers can return.

Callahan now makes his living installing systems to let people and beavers coexist. The only other option is trapping and killing them. There are too many beavers in the state to relocate them.

“They used to move them to somewhere else,” Josephson of the Naromi Land Trust said. “Now, there is nowhere else.”

“They’re sort of like mice,” said Marge Josephson, president of the Naromi Land Trust in Sherman. “If you see one mouse in your house, it means you’ve got a lot of mice. If you see one beaver, you’ve got more than one.”

Hurray for Mike, traveling between states to spread the beaver gospel with other land trusts. Clearly Mr. Jamstremski did his homework on the topic and understands why all this all matters. We’re not so sure about Marge (who needs politely reminding that its not generally a good idea to remind listeners that beavers are like mice in their house!)

Sheesh!

My mailbox has been ringing with donations all week for our silent auction at the beaver festival, but I’m going to start with the watercolor prints by Robert Mancini of Melbourne Australia.

He is a truly talented artist that works to capture the natural world with his prodigious gift. I still can’t believe how generous he was with us. Obviously his beaver painting got my attention first, but I was thrilled to see the many others he included, of which these are just a sample., all signed and on quality paper. Go look at his website to see how talented he truly is. Thank you Rob, for your generous support of beavers!

Photo-Contract_0013

Introducing: The Beaver Institute

heidi08 Beaver Conference, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Mike Callahan, The Beaver Institute March 4, 2017

You might remember that before the conference I mentioned that Mike Callahan had some big news he wanted to unfurl, well here it is:

The Beaver Institute™ is launched!

At the Conference I had the great pleasure of announcing that a new national charitable 510(c)3 nonprofit organization is being formed specifically to support beavers. It will be called The Beaver Institute™, and it will raise funds to support a myriad of beaver coexistence efforts on a national level, including key flow device installations, training installers, supporting scientific beaver management research and public outreach.

Here in Massachusetts a small grant program has subsidized many flow device installations and has been a huge success in demonstrating their effectiveness and changing a culture of lethal trapping to one of beaver coexistence. It is our hope that this model can be replicated on a national scale.

The Beaver Institute™ is still being formed so I welcome you to join as a charter member and submit any questions or suggestions to me by email or on the Beaver Management facebook page for projects you feel the Beaver Institute could support. Also if you have any suggestions for fundraising or connections with grant funders please let us know. The Board of Directors is also looking for beaver experts to serve on their Advisory Board.

I really think we can move beaver management forward at a significantly faster pace with a nationally focused nonprofit organization. More details to follow on this forum as they develop.

The Beaver Institute! What a wonderful platform for beaver advocacy and research! Congratulations Mike for leaping into the non-profit fray. We will help any way we can and do our best to get the news out. Hey maybe there could be a grant for a sister beaver conference on the East Coast in even years? Or a Massachusetts beaver festival to teach folks what to appreciate about the animal they go crazy over. You need to bring some academic types on board. Who’s on the beaver faculty at MIT or Cambridge?

And the whole thing can’t get going soon enough in my book. Medford is in dire need of a beaver intelligence transfusion, so maybe you have your first pilot project right there.

Understanding the warrant: Beaver management money

Beavers are such a pervasive presence in Medfield, they’re making an appearance at Town Meeting.

Tucked among the more than 40 articles voters will decide on at the April 24 Town Meeting is $5,000 “for the purpose of trapping beavers and removing beaver dams throughout the Town.”

“They build dams in culverts,” Town Administrator Michael Sullivan said. When left unchecked, he said, “They were flooding people’s backyards and affecting their septic systems.”

The Town Administrator, according to the article, is the town position authorized to spend the funds. Sullivan said the town spends about the same amount every year, using trapper Barry Mandell.

“You could bring the Conibear and the foothold (trap) back,” Mandell said, and encourage recreational trapping, “but then you’ll have negligent trappers catching dogs.”

Beavers are an issue across much of Massachusetts, and a regular appearance in town budgets.

Hey, I’ve got an idea for a BI project. Chose a small community around Medford and install culvert protection on every road like they do in Grafton where Skip Lisle is a Selectman. Get a big piece of paper and add up all the money it costs you on one half, then add the 5ooo you spend trapping every single year on the other half. Make sure to figure any extra hours public works spends ripping out debris or hiring back hoes to do the work. As well as every single minute you spend talking to the public to explain the need for this.

And then compare both sides! It’s a research project waiting to happen.

Beaver Fan Club still has Openings

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and Ice, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, featured, Who's saving beavers now? January 19, 2017

Ooh how nice to see the upcoming beaver conference get some positive press! I hope that gets many more curious people in the door.

Seven Feathers to host conference on beaver restoration

CANYONVILLE — Oregon’s official state animal, the beaver, plays an important role in the state’s wetland ecosystems. Those advocating for the beaver plan to convene next month for a series of presentations focusing on beaver ecology as a crucial part of threatened species recovery.

The fifth State of the Beaver Conference, slated for Feb. 22-24 at the Seven Feathers Convention Center in Canyonville, is meant “to provide an international venue for academia, agency and stakeholders together to disseminate information pertinent to beaver ecology,” according to Leonard Houston, conference coordinator and co-chair of the Beaver Advocacy Committee (BAC) of the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership.

“We chose the theme of ‘agents of regeneration’ largely to highlight the role that beavers play both in natural regeneration, which is ecological succession, and designed regeneration, which is restoration ecology,” Houston said.

The nicest part about this conference, and there are many, is that the famous names you have been reading about for years here or elsewhere are walking or sitting right next to you. Or coming up to say ‘hi’ and ask

about your presentation. The truth is that it is both a blessing and unfortunate that the science of beaver ecology isn’t yet so advanced that names like Woodruff, Obrien or Pollock can send

their undergrads to do the presenting for them and report back if they find anything interesting. As renowned as they are, they have to do their reporting in person and are eager to share ideas and learn from each other. They’re even happy to hear what you have to say.

Admittedly,they are probably even happier if you invite them out for a beer to say it. (And happier still if you offer to pay for it. Government salaries being what they are.)

santa barbara dinner — Michael Pollock, Mary Obrien, Sherri Guzzi, Mike Callahan and Me!

The point is, I think this is a golden moment in time where beaver science hasn’t become dominated and controlled by lofty minds and big research institutions. You can contribute, you can interact. They need you! But already the world is starting to shift. More and more folk are interested in taking charge of the beaver meme, and it won’t be easy and collegial forever.

Beavers are getting so famous, you better come this year. Just to be on the safe side.

Here comes Beaver Claws!

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beaver Chewing, Beaver Rehabilitation, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and water, Who's saving beavers now? December 1, 2016

A beaver battle: Conservation Commission keeps the floods at bay

NORTH SMITHFIELD – Trudging neck-deep through muddy water, a representative from Beaver Solutions Inc. made room for a large tube amid a massive pile of branches in the wetlands at Cedar Swamp earlier this month.

It was the company’s second visit to the 69-acre North Smithfield property, and one deemed necessary by members of the town’s Conservation Commission.

Beavers had built another dam, blocking water flow – a nuisance that could not only ruin a nearby access road used by National Grid, but eventually flood a highway ramp and the back yards of residents abutting the property, affecting their septic systems.

“We’re not trying to kick the beavers out,” explained Commission Chairman Paul Soares. “But we can have some affect on controlling flooding.”

Located right by the Greenville Road exit off of Route 146, the massive plot of land was gifted to the commission in 2010, and has been in their care since. It has a 20-acre pond, and is home to “just about every type of wildlife you can think of,” according to Soares including deer, turkeys, ducks, fisher cats and raccoons.

The group has built a dozen duck boxes, nesting spots for the birds, which, due to deforestation across North America, have been hard-pressed to find the proper spots. The boxes must be installed when ponds are frozen by cutting a hole with an ice chisel and driving a pole down 10 feet. Every winter Soares goes out pulling a sled full of equipment, cleans the boxes, then counts the eggs and reports them to DEM.

Of the birds, Ayala noted “They’re really striking. They’re beautiful.” The beavers, meanwhile, have been an ongoing problem. “We’re continually working there and making sure the road stays open,” said Ayala.

The commission researched a humane way to deal with the problem and came up with the water diversion system: essentially a pipe through the dam to allow water to flow past. The first was installed in 2014, and a second one was brought in this month.

“It’s working,” Soares said. “Beavers are hard to stop.”

Yes they are. And don’t you just love when conservation commissions actually conserve things? I’m so pleased with this article and news that they’re rehiring Mike to do a second install 2 years later. What an awesome habitat for these beavers, who are clearly using every inch!

I woke up horrified to see that the calendar said it’s DECEMBER. I have squandered my three months off post beaver festival and now it’s time to get to work! Grant applications, silent auction items, wooing volunteers. Not to mention Christmas presents and decorations. Good lord. I think that horrible election stole my November and I want it back!

Apparently I’m not the only one panicked by the season.

*The beaver that caused property damage to a dollar store in Maryland.*

This beaver declared its own war on Christmas

This beaver doesn’t give a dam about your no shoe policy!

A curious Maryland beaver left its life in the wild to shop for Christmas decorations this week — perusing the shelves of its local dollar store in search of the perfect holiday item.

The critter-turned-customer was caught on camera Monday night causing property damage at a store in Charlotte Hall, which is about an hour south of Washington, D.C.

As an law enforcement officer, you just never know what you’re next call might be,” the sheriff’s office wrote on its Facebook page Wednesday.

Officers eventually “apprehended” the beaver and brought it to a wildlife rehabilitation center unharmed, cops said.

The photos of the creature rummaging through the Christmas goods have since gone viral — sparking a slew of jokes on Facebook.

“He’s going to be in trouble with the wife when he goes home without the Christmas tree,” wrote one user.

“This would be a great advertisement for that tree company,” another added. “Our trees look so real even the beavers go after them.”

OHHH! I love those photos of that poor little beaver scrounging through all that CRAP in a dollar store trying to find something of value. It’s the wrong time of year for a dispersal so I can’t imagine what he’s doing. I expected it to be freezing but the weather for Charlotte is listed as 54 degrees today – 12 degrees warmer than here. Maybe global warming has confused him? Maybe something happened to his lodge or family and he’s lost?

Or maybe he was looking for a Christmas tree after all?

And a child shall lead them…

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and Insects, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? November 24, 2016

Mike Callahan posted these photos on the Beaver Management Forum page. This is a first year robotics team called the “Greenheads” with a leader that employed Mike recently to install a flow device and unflood a trail in Massachusetts. Vance the leader blogged about it nicely which I’ve excerpted. You can read about the whole project here:

This fall The Greenheads are taking on the Animal Allies Challenge. The challenge is composed of Core Values, Project and Robot Game components. For The Project, they were tasked with:

Identifying a problem when people and animals interact.
Designing a solution that makes the interaction better for animals, people, or both.
Sharing the problem and solution with others.

The team began by conducting some online research. This led them to consult with beaver expert Mike Callahan from Beaver Solutions. During their interview, Mike explained that beavers are a Keystone species and their work is critical for biodiversity. He did a great job describing how the work that beavers do can be a nuisance for people but how simple solutions can be deployed to remediate common problems seen when people and beavers interact. The kids proposed their idea of building a bridge to replace the current planks on trail 75 and Mike offered feedback on the pros and cons of such a bridge, along with the materials that could be used.

I couldn’t be more proud of The Greenheads. Their teamwork was first-class, they had a lot of fun, and they learned a great deal about the importance of human and beaver interaction. Their solution is certainly an improvement over the previous one and hopefully their efforts will improve the alliance between people and beavers by allowing the beavers to continue to improve biodiversity and water quality in the area while permitting people full access to the trails throughout the year. The team is now sharing their work with the community and preparing for their upcoming robotics event later this month. Go Greenheads!!!

They went on to teach other teams and their class mates what they did and why beavers matter. Look closely at their lovely folded beaver display because you might recognize one of the photos. (And no, I didn’t photo shop it in!)

From Vance G. in Ipswich, MA: “Just a quick update. Thought you’d like to see some pictures from their event this past weekend. They did a great job educating the judges and other teams about beavers.”

That’s right, with a decade of blogging and designing, we’ve created a trickle down beaver economy that will keep pollinating itself long after we’ve gone! That’s my graphic in the middle using Scott Stolsenberg of Ohio’s awesome photo and about 20 other artists silhouettes because creation requires collaboration.

Even without beavers in residence I guess there’s still lots to be thankful for this year. Have a wonderfully thankful day!

MORE TO BE THANKFUL FOR! This just in: Beavers approved in Scotland!

Beavers to remain in Scotland

The Scottish Government is minded to allow beavers to remain in Scotland, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham has announced.

Ms Cunningham has said the species will have to be actively managed, in line with practices in other European countries.

Work has now begun to ensure beavers can be added to Scotland’s list of protected species as soon as possible. It will be the first time a mammal has been officially reintroduced to the UK.

Scottish Ministers have agreed that:

Beaver populations in Argyll and Tayside can remain
The species will receive legal protection, in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive
Beavers will be allowed to expand their range naturally
Beavers should be actively managed to minimise adverse impacts on farmers and other land owners

It will remain an offence for beavers to be released without a licence, punishable by up to 2 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine

Research has shown beavers, which were native to Scotland before being hunted to extinction in the 16^th century, provide important biodiversity benefits.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said:

“I have been determined to find a pragmatic approach, which balances the biodiversity benefits of reintroducing beavers with the obvious need to limit difficulties for our farmers.

We are soo SOOO happy for our Scottish beaver friends. I know for a fact it was a heck of a lot of working protecting them in a single city. Imagine how much harder it was to protect them in the entire COUNTRY!!!! Congratulations Paul and Louse et al al al!!!!