Tag: Mike Callahan

Beaver Sneeches

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? August 6, 2015

Beavers busy damming Cumberland Land Trust property

CUMBERLAND RI – It was just about a year ago when members of the Cumberland Land Trust figured out that flooding on their Atlantic White Cedar Swamp trail wasn’t caused by heavy rains.

This trail off Nate Whipple Highway utilizes a colonial-era cart path along the side of the swamp that crosses a stone culvert thought to have been installed 200-plus years ago.

At first trust members poking around the flood waters last summer simply cleaned out the culvert crammed with mud and twigs.

“Then we came back the same afternoon and it was all plugged up again,” says member Frank Matta. “We thought at first it had been vandalized.”

It was about then that someone suggested beavers. “It hadn’t dawned on us until that moment,” Matta said this week.

Oh those beaver rascals! Plugging the hole you dug in their habitat so that all their precious water didn’t escape. You do know that their are answers to this kind of problem, right?

The group has also called in Michael Callahan of Beaver Solutions in South Hampton, Mass. He’s proposing a piping system that will allow drainage through a hole in the dam. The company claims to have resolved more than 1,000 beaver problems in the United States since 1998 by installing flow devices that keep water draining without alerting the beavers. The Cumberland Land Trust is looking at spending about $1,700 for the installation plus a yearly maintenance fee.

Whooohooo! Rhode Island hires Massachusetts! I don’t think we’ve ever had a positive beaver story from there. But here’s a grand example! Remember that RI is an island so the article says that after beavers were trapped out these ones swam through the Atlantic after being reintroduced in Connecticut. Cool.

And I haven’t even shown you my favorite part of the story. Ready?

East Sneech Pond Brook connects the town’s Sneech Pond Reservoir to the swamp then flows east to Pawtucket’s southern reservoir in Arnold Mills.

Sneech pond? Really? Dr. Seuss would be so proud.

And an awesome letter from Ontario in Parry Sound.com, I’ll reprint here in full.

Not necessary to destroy beavers, reader

I read with interest the article that appeared in the July 20 issue of the Parry Sound North Star regarding the washout on Clear Lake Road. According to the article, the washout was caused after the nearby resident beavers were killed, as evidenced by the photos of a dead adult in the ditch and a drowned young.

As an individual who has had some experience with beavers, who are often labelled “nuisance animals” I feel compelled to write.

Beavers are nature’s engineers. They live peacefully in family groups of an adult pair, their last year’s offspring as well as up to three to four infants born early in the spring. The young learn how to create and maintain a dam by mimicking their parents.

It is an acquired skill and one that is learned by trial and error over time. When one or more adults are trapped, as it appears to have happened in this particular case, the young are not yet at a stage where they can maintain a dam properly.

As a result, the dam becomes unstable and breaks, resulting in a tremendous amount of water being rapidly let loose, causing flooding.

Beavers and the role they play in our ecosystems are widely misunderstood.

They create wetlands (which are rapidly disappearing throughout Ontario); beaver activity creates critical habitat for so many other species including fish, otters, muskrat, herons, osprey, moose, bears, ducks, etc. etc. Beavers contribute to biological diversity and regional plant succession regimes; they control the kinetic energy of streams, raise the water table, create canals and generally increase water storage capacity of watersheds.

Mr. Rob Marshall, Seguin Township public works foreman, claims that they hire a trapper to prevent washouts from “nuisance beavers”; however, it would appear that just the opposite happened on Clear Lake Road. Because the adults were trapped and killed, the dam could not be sustained and consequently broke, causing the washout.

In addition, I was informed that a large culvert intended to assist in road maintenance had lain in the ditch for over a year; had it been installed, when the dam broke, there could possibly have been little or no damage done. Instead, I can only guess at the expense involved in the repair of the road and excavating of the culverts; this is taxpayers’ money spent needlessly.

I visited the property of Diane Dow on whose land the beavers had been living peacefully to see for myself the devastation caused by the breaking of the dam.

The site is where three separate watersheds combine into what had been a very large pond – home to many species of fish and animals.

What I saw was muck; I saw a muskrat desperately swimming in a very tiny pool; I saw a mother duck and her ducklings forced to sit in the open and prey to any predators; I saw dead fish; I saw dead water lilies & other vegetation; I heard herons crying desperately searching for fish in the once-abundant pond. The peeper frogs are gone; the turtles are gone. And of course the entire beaver family is gone, either drowned in the washout or trapped. It was heartbreaking.

Quite apart from the environmental destruction, there is another factor involved in this situation (and probably similar ones within the township and elsewhere). The traps were laid in the ditch along a well-used public road and very near a public beach, often travelled by neighbour children and dogs. What would have happened if one of these had encountered the trap instead of the hapless beaver? And the dead beaver was left to rot for three days over the long weekend in July.

To quote from the website of the Fur Bearer Defenders, “Often these issues result in municipalities hiring trappers to kill families of beavers. And while lethal trapping may seem effective, it is only a short-term solution. More beavers will soon come into the area to fill the open niche. This is an especially tragic decision because there are many cost-effective, non-lethal options to prevent flooding from beaver dams”.

As it happens, representatives from Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and Muskoka Watershed Council are in the process of organizing a workshop for municipalities regarding successful alternatives to control undesirable flooding that may occur due to beaver activity.

The two groups have invited an expert in this regard to head the workshop. The beaver deceiver, beaver baffler and other easily installed devices have proven successful in many regions of Canada and the United States. Last year, one of the programs appearing on The Nature of Things entitled “The Beaver Whisperer” highlighted the vital role that beavers played in our ecosystem and also demonstrated the devices mentioned.

I would respectfully urge the Seguin Mayor and councillors to seriously consider sending representatives to this workshop so that you, as well as other adjacent municipalities can work on implementing long-term solutions that truly work.

It is not necessary to destroy beavers – Canada’s national symbol – and I sincerely hope that this letter will provide more of an understanding of the vital role that this animal plays locally as well as nationally.

Marilyn Cole, Seguin Township

Some good beaver news for a change

heidi08 Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? July 11, 2015

Finally. A night and morning with no dead beavers. Mom, Dad, 2 year olds seen last night. And the dam’s been worked on. Thank heavens for a day of relative peace. In the meantime, there has been a lot of beaver news in the world that we’ve been neglecting in our grief. Let’s try and get caught up at least with the good stories!

Beaver problem solved with simple, innovative device

A family of beavers dammed up part of the retention basin in the Mount Healthy’s Heritage Park, property owned by Ohio Department of Transportion, causing the pond not to drain properly. So residents and ODOT teamed up to find a beaver expert with an innovative way to solve the problem.

Mount Healthy resident Karen Arnett says the beavers built the dam, but that dam also changed the ecosystem around the pond. Walkers in the park began seeing egrets and other new wildlife.

When the beavers were removed, some residents wanted to find a way to allow them to coexist.

So Arnett poked around and found Mike Callahan, a Massachusetts man who builds flow devices to manage beaver problems through his business, Beaver Solutions.

Callahan said while beavers are considered to be pests by some, scientists actually have proven that beavers are a “Keystone” species in North America. This means that beavers play a crucial role in biodiversity. Innumerable species rely either partly or entirely on beaver ponds, many of them threatened or endangered. “Therefore, whenever we can coexist with beavers, we are providing the habitat necessary for supporting many other species, and protecting the web of life upon which we depend,” he said.

ODOT brought Callahan in to show staff how flow devices could help them manage beaver problems. He was impressed by the invitation and eager to show them how it could be done.

“Is anyone aware of another state highway department that has committed to building and installing flow devices themselves?” Callahan asked. “Ohio wants to start doing flow devices themselves which I think is pretty cool.”

Callahan said the training session included a PowerPoint presentation tailored to ODOT needs, and a hands-on flow device installation where many ODOT staff participated.

Hurray for Mike and Karen! And hurray for ODOT. Ohio is the FIRST state in the country to be trained in flow devices. I never thought I’d see the day, but what do I know? Karen obviously pushed and tugged and wheedled in a powerful way that got the right results. That’s never easy to do. And Mike made sure the price was right for them to have a personal lesson. Thank you BOTH.

This is another story that brightened my eye during the dark days. I saved it for you.

An unlikely pairing

Back in the fall of 2014, when beavers first showed up in a ravine next to homes in the Bolton area, the question on everyone’s mind was how to deal with the creatures: Should they be driven away to avoid potential property damage, or accepted as a new and potentially beneficial addition to the neighborhood?

The answer was obvious to residents in the immediate vicinity of the beavers, and they eventually formed the group B.E.A.V., which stands for “Beaver Environmental Advocacy Volunteers.” In the months since the group was formed, B.E.A.V. members have helped educate residents on what it means to have beavers in a neighborhood — beyond the obvious tree-chomping problems — and hosted informational sessions with experts like Susan Barnes from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This summer, their focus turned from education to concrete action. As it became clear that invasive plant species were creating problems for the beavers, the group decided that human intervention wouldn’t do the trick.

They needed goats.

“We assessed the health of the habitat in the ravine,” B.E.A.V. founder Peggy Watters said. “There’s a lot of invasive species down there, so our chance of being able to plant things for the beaver to keep him in the ravine was going to be difficult.

“Goats were a good alternative.”

And so it was that 34 goats arrived at the ravine between Holly and Sinclair Street June 29 for a week-long feast. The goats were rented from Yoder Goats, which in the past has provided similar services for West Linn’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“(The goats) take it all down, eat it and fertilize it while they eat it,” Watters said. “What efficient little munchers they are.”

Beyond providing a crucial service to the beaver habitat, the goats also proved to be a popular attraction around the neighborhood. B.E.A.V. hosted a special ceremony June 29 to mark the goats’ arrival, and volunteers helped create a path for the goats to follow from their trailer down into the ravine. Over the course of the next week, adults and children alike stopped by to visit with the goats and watch them “work.”

“It’s been fun to open all of our backyards and invite people back to hang out with the goats,” Watters said. “That whole community connection experience, it’s one of those experiences I think we’ve lost over the years. (The project) has been nice in many more ways than just clearing the ravine.”

Now that the goats have done their work, Watters said it will be up to B.E.A.V. members to take the next step.

“Our work isn’t done yet,” Watters said. “At our next meeting on July 13, we’ll be assessing how the goats did, and what do we do now?

Later this month, on July 18, B.E.A.V. is set to host a potluck gathering for neighbors who are interested in learning more about the beavers and their habitat.

How much do you love this story? And B.E.A.V.? I feel a great burst of affection for them and their ability to use wildlife to engage the community. And now they are holding a potluck? Apparently they can win the hearts of the politicians, the neighbors and the press! I can tell you right now why they were successful. Just let me know when they’re planning a beaver festival?

Speaking of the beaver festival, I just found out that we received a grant from the city for this summer’s event. Which means we have 3 civic financial sponsors this year. Take a moment to consider that, will you? Only 8 years after forcing them to do the right thing, Worth A Dam gets supported! This means our fullest ever support page.

Pass me a handkerchief, will you. This is so sudden.

Best. Beaver. News. Ever.

heidi08 Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? October 4, 2014

Way back when Martinez was scrambling to save our beavers, several frantic and well-meaning people called Fish and Game and said earnestly, “I saw this TV program about some pipe they put in the water that prevents flooding, do you guys do that or know anyone who does?” Literally the question was asked 15 times by 15 different people. And to a man, every single answer came back;

“Oh those things never work.”

Flash forward to 2014 where we recently learned that beavers were causing a problem in Sonoma. Through several carefully placed contacts we were able to discover on whose property they were eating grapevines and contact the Fish and Game warden who had been asked for a depredation permit. Guess what she said. Go ahead, guess!

She said “I didn’t issue a permit and I sent them to Mike Callahan’s website.”

And before you say, “Wow that’s great that Mike has an put up such an informative website”, I will remind you that 7 years ago when our beavers were slated for killing he had pretty much the same informative website. It was one of three places on the entire internet that talked about beaver mitigation. The information was out there in 2007. The difference is that we flooded the market with information. The game changer was that Martinez made livingco-existence a household name, and has proven to CDFG for 7 years that these devices work.

The playing field has now changed so much that CDFG preaches flow devices to land-owners. Thinking, about it all I remember that when we were in Utah Mary Obrien said wisely that real change happened on a slower scale than her Whitman students could imagine. In her experience it almost aways took at least 7 years. Honestly, she said that. 7 years ago they said it couldn’t be done, and we did it. I like to think Worth A Dam played some part in the change that made beaver mitigation a real option. So congratulations to all of you reading this website. You helped tip the scale.

So ’ere ’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your ’ome in the Soudan;
You ’re a pore benighted ’eathen but a first-class fightin’ man;
An’ ’ere ’s to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your ’ayrick ’ead of ’air—
You big black boundin’ beggar—for you broke a British square!

Rudyard Kipling

Utah Beavers Beckon

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's saving beavers now? August 31, 2014

Mary Obrien was the first beaver idol I ever had. It was 2009 when I read the article in High Country News that described her eloquently preaching the beaver gospel and advocating for their many benefits. I was starstruck to meet her in person at the State of the Beaver Conference in 2011 and thrilled when she came to our festival the following year. It was Mary who talked the documentary crew into including Martinez last year. And Mary who flew out to attend the Salmonid Restoration Conference workshop on steelhead and beaver, coming to dinner at the house we rented in Santa Barbara with the other beaver wizards.

Think I’m exaggerating about her importance? Here’s a description of Mary from Scientific American.

One five-star general in the campaign to save nature is Dr. Mary O’Brien, and she has a thing for beaver, the championing of which she has completely converted me to. In the first place, the quest for beaver has arguably had more impact on American history than the pursuit of any other single natural resource, its influence lasting well over 200 years. Sixty million or so beaver populated North America before 1600, and had a huge effect on the hydrology of the landscape – beaver dams stored water, slowed its flow and rate of evaporation, slowed erosion and supported a wealth of fish and bird species. In fact, the extermination of beaver from North America arguably marks the point at which our landscapes began to buckle and slide down the ruinous course we find them on now. Especially in the West, where water has always been an enormous issue and will become more important as climate change affects it, there is a real imperative to put beaver back on the waterways.

So when she asked me after my presentation at the conference whether I’d be willing to come to Utah and present at their festival this year if they payed my expenses I was very, very surprised. Like kinda if Santa asked you to help pick out your presents for next year, surprised. The kind where you don’t really want to mention or think about it just in case it doesn’t happen. Mary’s a busy woman and has five million things to do at any given moment, so I thought she might change her mind or forget about it.

She didn’t forget. She wrote me the week of our beaver festival and said “Are you coming?” So on the last weekend of September we are officially flying to Cedar City on Friday and getting picked up by her students to stay at a hotel in St. George where the festival is. Saturday morning we go to the event where I will present twice in an auditorium at the Nature Center on our urban beavers, and generally enjoy the day. Sunday morning I’ll present to her students on the research we did for the historic prevalence papers. And Monday we fly home. She sent the almost completed poster yesterday which needed a time change, but I couldn’t wait to share so I patched it myself just to show you.

Remember, that there was no Utah Beaver Festival until there was a Martinez Beaver Festival. And there never would have been a Martinez Festival if our city had conceded gracefully and said “OK you win, we’ll protect the beavers.”

I guess we should really thank them for being so encouragingly stubborn?

And as for Utah, home of the first beaver relocation plan to restore upper watersheds, a statewide USFS beaver management plan, who brought in Skip Lisle, Sherri Tippie and Mike Callahan to teach the basics, and who still had time to commission the “Economic Services of Beaver” paper, Utah of the adorable beavers in towels photos after the famous Willard Bay Crude Oil spill – That Beehive state had better get ready.

Because I think Martinez is going to rock their world.

“He started it!”

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Who's Killing Beavers Now? June 3, 2014

Beaver to Blame for Easthampton Flood

Easthampton, Mass. (WGGB)- There is a flood in one Easthampton yard, and the city says wildlife is to blame. It’s the result of a clogged culvert that flows under South Street.

“I haven’t dared go over there,” sams homeowner Dan Laflamme as he points to his backyard.

Laflamme has lived in his Crescent Street home for almost 30 years. The city says that beavers are the cause of problem because they keep blocking the culvert with debris. Now special permission is needed to clean it up;approval from the Conservation Commission that the City Engineer, Jim Gracia says they received this morning.The city says that beavers are the cause of problem because they keep blocking the culvert with debris. Now special permission is needed to clean it up;approval from the Conservation Commission that the City Engineer, Jim Gracia says they received this morning.After returning from Florida a few days ago, he came home to more than half of his property under water.

“There’s about 3 acres,” Says Laflamme. “And how much do you think is underwater now?” asks ABC40′s Brittany Decker. “About 2 acres,” he responds.

The city says that beavers are the cause of problem because they keep blocking the culvert with debris. Now special permission is needed to clean it up; approval from the Conservation Commission that the City Engineer, Jim Gracia says they received this morning.

Today I finally realized that when cities, highway authorities or cable companies say “Beavers are to Blame”, they aren’t looking for an excuse to kill the animals because they hate them. The beavers are entirely incidental and don’t actually matter at all.

What they are really saying is “It’s not our fault!”

It finally dawned on me when I realized that the incident involving Mr. Laflamme’s floating property is about three miles from Beaver Solutions. That’s right, Martinez could bring in an expert 3000 miles to solve a problem and Easthampton couldn’t manage three.

The misguided mayor of Easthampton is Karen Cadieux and Mike Callahan says she has his business card. She needs the proper motivation to solve this particular problem. You just know the special permission they just got from the Conservation Commission was not in fact to conserve anything, but was to trap – Either shelling out $$$ for some live trapping (which under MA law will still result in dead beavers) or going to the health department for an exemption to use some conibears to kill them faster and cheaper.

I’m thinking Ms. Cadieux needs a few emails to point her in the right direction. Won’t you help me set her straight by politely reminding her that her neighbor could solve this problem for the long term and save Easthampton money?

mayor@easthampton.org

Remember it’s June which means dead adult beavers will leave young kits behind.