Calls to end Culls

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Environmental, What's killing beavers now? February 13, 2016

The battle to grant protection to the beavers in Scotland just got big supply of ammunition. It comes in the form of a dramatic letter on their behalf from the Royal Zoological Society and the National Trust for Scotland and is rightly showcased by the BBC.

‘Urgent’ call for Scots beavers to be recognised as native species

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust “strongly advocate” recognising the animals as natural residents.

The groups voiced fears about ongoing culling of wild beavers in Tayside. The Scottish government has said it will “take time to consider the issue carefully” before making a decision.

The RZSS and Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) have joined the National Trust for Scotland in calling for the mammals to be legitimised as a resident, native species of Scotland.

A joint statement from chief executives Chris West and Jonny Hughes said there was “particular urgency” with beavers on Tayside being culled and the need to introduce more of the animals in Knapdale to ensure long-term viability of the population.

They said: “The decision has now become urgent as animals are being indiscriminately culled on Tayside.

“The indiscriminate nature of this culling has led to well-publicised animal welfare concerns, and in the medium term, could threaten the existence of local populations.

“Scientific evidence shows that the return of the beaver will help to restore our depleted wetland ecosystems and bring a range of other social, economic and environmental benefits.

Whoo hooo! Well done RZSS and SWT! And well done trigger-happy farmers who are forcing this issue into such a painful public spotlight that the beavers are going to be safer than they would have been if you had just kept your mouths (and guns) shut. I’m imagining that what the Scottish farmers need is an old burly farmer who slaps one upside the head and cries “IDIOT! Now everyone is going to be talking about what we have a right to do on our own land!” And he’d be right. I hope this pushes the protection issue before the election. You can’t just not do your job because you’re waiting for it to be someone else’s job

Lots of excitement on our own “Culling Agency” front, with a scathing 7 page article in Harpers about the USDA and a review of it in National Georgraphic!!! If the irresponsible wildlife management reported by our friend Thomas Knudson way back in the day doesn’t get some traction NOW I would be very surprised. I didn’t actually read anything newly uncovered, becauseKnudson did such a thorough award-winning job already. There were parts, though, that the paper didn’t print but were available as supportive materials – and reading it again by new eyes is going to matter.

I hope.

The Rogue Agency

Peter DeFazio, a Democratic congressman from Oregon, has repeatedly called for a congressional investigation of Wildlife Services, describing it as a “rogue agency” that is “secretive” and “unaccountable.” He said that he considers the lethal control program a “wasteful subsidy” and has called the agency’s practices “cruel and inhumane.” DeFazio has proposed legislation to reduce government funding for lethal control, but Congress, under pressure from the livestock industry, rejected these attempts at reform.

“We have seen a host of credible leaked information from credible former employees about the inhumane practices,” DeFazio told me recently. He said he has asked Wildlife Services for “detailed numbers about finances and operations, and they won’t give us this information. I’ve served on the Homeland Security Committee, and Wildlife Services is more difficult to get information from than our intelligence agencies.”

This Government Agency’s Job Is to Kill Wildlife

Wildlife Services is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it specializes in killing wild animals that threaten livestock—especially predators such as coyotes, wolves, and cougars. Outside the ranching community, few have heard of Wildlife Services.

Since 2000, the agency has killed at least two million mammals and 15 million birds. Although it’s main focus is predator control in the West, Wildlife Services also does things like bird control nationwide at airports to prevent crashes and feral pig control in the South.

Reporter Christopher Ketcham’s investigation, out this month in Harper’s Magazine, doesn’t mince words. The article is called “The Rogue Agency: A USDA program that tortures dogs and kills endangered species.” Ketcham exposes Wildlife Service’s use of poisoned bait, neck snares, leghold traps (which are banned in 80 countries), aerial gunning, and cyanide traps to go after animals that have attacked, or allegedly attacked, livestock grazing on public lands. Ketcham’s sources—former Wildlife Services trappers—told him they’ve witnessed or participated in these practices themselves and that they go on to this day.

One final morsel of delight was sent to me yesterday without explanation by USFS Kent Woodruff. Check this out and think about how very smart we used to be.

How does your wildlife grow?

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Video January 12, 2012

Isn’t that a beautiful front page? Chris Mclaughlin is a gardener-extraordinaire and the author of the Savvy plant, she used to be in charge of the wildlife blog for the examiner too and we became beaver buddies back in the Martinez drama days. Now she’s working with a team of others on an exciting new website called “Wildlife garden” which advocates redefining what makes a beautiful garden to include more natural appreciations.

Guess who wins recommendation in the new year?

Beavers as Master Builders of Wildlife Habitats

Turns out that North America’s largest rodent is extremely important for wildlife habitat restoration, as well as increasing bird populations. Beavers end up reviving natural stream function, repairing degraded streams, recharging local water tables, and creating wetlands that encourage the survival of numerous plant and bird species.

Chris! Welcome to the beaver-believer club! That’s beautiful, and am I blushing or beaming (or both!) when she advises readers at the end to learn more about beavers by visiting the WORTH A DAM website. She’s in the Sierras where beavers desperately need a few more well-placed friends, so I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Go read the whole beautiful article and see some adorable photos. But the money part?? Check out the comment from a reader three down.

Town Mouse says: January 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Great post! And let’s not forget that beavers do live in CA, even in large and busy towns! Have a look at the story of the Martinez beavers https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/ (now buried under other beaver-related news, but they really do have beavers, which you can watch while having supper downtown in summer.

Ahh TM! What a gallant comment! We so appreciate being remembered. Never mind that our story is “buried” under the tab on the menu bar reading “STORY” or that Chris herself linked to us in the article. But still, its dam sweet to read your remarks.

Speaking of our beavers, they have been doing some serious tree-targetting, finishing off the shining (rough barked) willow at Starbucks and another smooth barked morsel behind ward street, rounding the meal off with a hardy harvest of coppicing near the old lodge. January is tree month. It always has been. Maybe the tulle roots get bitter, or they need something harder to chew. Maybe they’re having a growth spurt?

Oh and if you haven’t seen this you really should. This preview of this charming National Geographic special is not to be missed – but after you watch it, beaver-savvy readers, see if you can spot the error.

I already wrote a host of suits about the mistake. Let’s see if we can get them to change the title!

Beavers in National Geographic

heidi08 Creative Solutions, Environmental September 9, 2009

No this isn’t the iris of a deeply attentive cyclops, its the graphic illustration of the relationship between species as illustrated by the Muir Web project envisioned by Eric Sanderson, an ecologist that works with the wildlife society at the Bronx zoo. He became interested in creating an accurate representation of what New York looked like 400 years ago, right down to the beavers and bogs, and this tool helped him understand the relationships. His hard work produced “the Manhatta Project” which was exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York and is featured in this month’s National Geographic.

The article begins with a discussion of the mysterious arrival of Jose, remember him? He was the beaver outside the Bronx zoo that was named after congressman Jose Serrano who pushed through 15 million in federal funds to support the river’s cleanup. I wrote about his appearance last year when his positive effect on birdlife was noted in Audubon magazine.

The article goes on to describe the Manhatta Project in detail, of which the creation if the Muir Web tool was just one piece. The idea is to better understand our ecological heritage and know what Henry Hudson saw when he first looked at Manhattan. The project has sponsored a flurry of attention, and the teaching curriculum is available online here. It even references our good buddy Bob Arnebeck.

Computer Generated Image (top) by Markley Boyer, Photograph by Robert Clark

Of course you’ve already guessed my favorite part of this article. Take a look at author Peter Miller’s description of a certain familiar landscape engineer.

Consider a beaver that lived at Times Square in 1609. If you grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him out of the web, you’d find lines connecting him to a slowly meandering stream, to the aspen trees he ate, and to the mud and twigs he used to build a lodge. Not only that, you’d also find lines to the bobcats, bears, and wolves that depended on him as prey and to the frogs, fish, and aquatic plants that lived in the pond he helped to create. “The beaver, it turns out, is a landscape architect, just like people,” Sanderson said. “You need him to flood the forest, which kills the trees that attract the woodpeckers that knock out cavities that wood ducks use for shelter.” Lifting a beaver out of the web disrupts scores of other residents, which demonstrates how important it can be to think about an ecosystem as a network.

Well gosh that’s nice to read in National Geographic, but frankly the city of Martinez figured that out all by itself! Go find your own copy because there’s a beaver graphic in there that will blow your mind!