IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST: Beaver sightings are not all that uncommon along Alhambra Creek in Martinez — especially during the city’s annual Beaver Festival, which took place last weekend — so it takes something larger than life to turn heads. Leave it to Bob Rust to answer the challenge.
Rust, an environmental scientist by trade, has been moonlighting as the festival’s unofficial artist in residence for several years, surprising audiences with his whimsical creations that have ranged from beaver-shaped loaves of bread to a mechanical beaver tail to a giant inflatable beaver reminiscent of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. For this year’s festival, Rust made a grand entrance on what might best be described as a “beaver mobile.” He started with a low-slung adult tricycle that he picked up used, then covered it in a papier mâché shell that he painted in appropriate shades of brown, attaching a huge tail that dragged noisily on the ground as he pedaled around the festival grounds, all while hidden within the faux beaver’s mighty belly.
Rust, who last year crafted a beaver out of wattle and daub as the festival was in progress, is no stranger to taking his creations from concept to completion on short notice. He spent about a week on the beaver mobile, and was still putting the finishing touches on it that Saturday morning. He said he was painting the critter’s white teeth at 10:15 a.m. and needed to get it to the festival by 10:30.
Rust has more than a passing interest in beavers. An avid kayaker, he usually tries to take his boat onto Alhambra Creek prior to festival weekend to remove trash or other unsightly debris.
No telling what he might do for an encore at next year’s festival, but he is intrigued by the idea of bringing back his beaver bread — baked in a beaver-shaped oven. Stay tuned …
The beavers are SO lucky to have a hero like this working for them! Thanks Bob!
There can be fewer more-Canadian endeavours than sending a beaver to Mars, but a Canadian technology company with a Newfoundland connection plans to do just that.
I thought immediately of Laika, the stray dog captured by the Russian to stuff into Sputnik in 1957. They said she died painlessly in orbit, but it was recently reported in the BBC that she died just a few hours after blast off of panic and overheating.
There was NO WAY I was going to let this be repeated with a beaver. Before I chained myself to a missile, I decided to read the next paragraph.
“Beaver” is actually the name of a micro-rover that Thoth Technologies Inc. wants to send to Mars in 2018. The company and Northern Light Canadian Mission to Mars, as it is called, is being led by St. John’s native Caroline Roberts and her husband, Ben Quine. Roberts is the daughter of former lieutenant governor Ed Roberts, whom she says named the rover.
Well, okay then.
Actually it makes perfect sense, since Popular Science already reported in 1930 that beavers had dug the canals on the surface of Mars. I know because Michael Pollock gave me the article framed at our first working beaver meeting in 2011 and it proudly hangs in my dining room.
Now don’t you feel better?
Yesterday, I got an email out of the blue from Beaver friend and supporter Robert Rust. He said he had a bunch of old beaver books he’d like to give me and asked if he could drop them off. Just so you know who we’re talking about, Bob is the creative genius behind the mechanical tail-slapping beaver this year, AND the giant inflatable beaver a few years before that.
Bob taught science to lots of kids in Martinez, and kayaked the creeks for years cleaning out trash and tires. He is a complete indirecatable genius, smart enough to invent anything, connected to everything, but living entirely by his own rules. I expected him to drop off dog-eared copies from his youth or college days. Instead he bicycled up to my porch with three perfect first edition copies of beaver giants that left me speechless.
One was a copy of the 1937 Beaver Pioneers signed by both authors. One was the 1947 first edition of the several times reprinted “One Day at Teton Marsh” by Sally Carrighar (complete with gorgous woodcuts in every chapter) And the third was an original Grinnell’s fur-bearing mammals of CA. No I’m not kidding. There was also a fun copy of “the Beaver is eating my Canoe” just to round out the day.
How excited am I? Back when this all started someone bought me a signed first edition by Grey Owl and I thought I was in heaven. Now I’m sure of it.
I’m a sucker for old books. One time when Jon and I were in Norwich, England we visited an used book store and asked about older books. The grey-haired owner smiled and took us across the street down these stone stairs into a trove of 15th century manuscripts and said we could explore at our leisure, locking the door behind him on his way back to the shop. I swear there was a hand copied Iliad. Now thank goodness we were so poor that we could only afford three slim volumes or I would now be the proud owner of an entire book store. One of the books we bought was a personal almanac from the 1600’s that told you when to plant crops and had personal pages for notes that some grandson had scribbled on in the 1800’s. One of the books was a volume on how to raise a good wife from the 1700’s. I could not resist when I read how girl children should be praised for being compliant and dull. And frowned upon for any signs of creativity. Ahhh.
But these treasures PALE in comparison to original works about beavers! Thank you SO MUCH BOB for your generous contribution to Worth A Dam and beavers over the years. Everything you’ve done for us has been surprising, and this is no exception. You can bet I’ll be sending over a care package this afternoon. Right after I’m done re-reading.
It rained and it pouredFor forty daysie, daysiesIt rained and it pouredFor forty daysie, daysiesAlmost drove those animals crazy, crazies,Children of the Lord
Yesterday’s incredible rain nearly erased all sign of the beavers in Alhambra Creek. All the dams were washed away, the filter to Skips flow device was seen floating down stream, and by evening the lodge was merely a hole where beavers used to live. City officials stood cheerfully on the bridge and watched the excellent work their sheetpile did at protecting a single property owner, and news media frantically telephoned to ask if the beavers had washed out to sea. A nice article from Lisa White at the Contra Costa Times here. Good summary from the Bay City News Group, too.
What wasn’t erased, though, was the place the beavers maintain in the hearts of the community. Supporters flocked to the creekside in droves, ambling up and down the banks with cameras. Robert Rust filmed an adult beaver in the afternoon after the lodge was flooded, and looking at the footage it is clear this was Dad. Bob saw at least two other kits hunkered near the black berry bushes, which was enormously comforting for supporters. Whatever happens the family is together, and whether they decide to start over or shake the dust from this complicated little town, we cannot know.
Where the lodge used to be
There are more bank holes they could have hunkered for the day. Or dad could easily dig a new one. The habitat is hardly hospitable, but I can’t imagine the Carquinez strait looks any better. Worth A Dam asks for your help keeping watch. Look around Grangers and near the creek for beaver sign – chewing, footprints, etc. We’ll do what we can to figure out what happens. What we know for sure is that our beavers didn’t ‘wash away’. Bob’s footage of Dad’s strong swimming proves that. He even filmed a muskrat swimming against the current so our kits will have no problem in that department. They might decide to leave, but it won’t be because they were whooshed out to sea.
What we don’t know is what will happen next.
(But if by some chance we happen to have beavers when this is finished, they are the best dam beavers in the world and I personally will never doubt them again.)
Words of wisdom:
Gary Bogue: (Animal columnist)
REALLY sorry about the loss of the dam … but very happy the beavers appear to be OK. They’ll rebuild, I’m sure. Please keep me posted. In fact, a short e-mail outlining what happened that I could run in my column so my readers know what happened would be good … that way we could let them know and give your organization a subtle plug in the process. /Gary
Mike Callahan: (Beaver solutions)
As you know by now, beavers are very resourceful and determined. They will rebuild.
Jeff Alvarez (The Wildlife project)
The strength of an animal to survive and persist is second to nothing I know. I don’t believe that these beavers have a sense of loss or fear of stochastic events in the same way that we do. Spending the night in the water or on the bank doesn’t have the same risk as if these beavers were exposed to significant predators. My seemingly emotionless (yet not so at all) guess is that they will see the debris that has washed down the stream as a great source of materials from which to rebuild. Until then, I suspect that they might move around to various secondary bank holes.
Joe Cannon: The Lands Council Beaver Project
oh noooooo! so sorry to hear that! We all know they relentlessly return to places they like, so I’m betting they’ll start setting up shop in their old haunt before we know it. I wish I could send an aspen bouquet to encourage them back! I’ll stay tuned to the site, and let me know if I can support in any way.
Leonard & Lois Houston: Beaver Advocacy Committee South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership
pretty scary when they are flooded the fact they remain is very encouraging sometimes they disappear for days during runoff events but seem to always return, beavers usually continue to use the same site until food supplies are exhausted or dams fill with sediment don’t seem to be the case here so unlikely they will move on.
Craig Cannon: (TV News Stringer East San Francisco Bay Area)
How quick we forget about our furry little treasures just down the road. I videotaped for broadcast, the town and creek flooding. Having lived in the Sierra, I had no doubt the Beavers would come through it. It was just heartwarming seeing the little kids, families, and friends of the beavers, standing in the rain at the creek, with worry, and concern, all rooting for the beavers. I even interviewed Steve Weir, who was anxiously watching the creek, in the area of the former dam. Even in a hardened job like mine, there is something about those beavers that amazes me, and my son. I look forward to the re-build, if we are so blessed. I look at this as a cleansing of the creek. All the man made impurities gone now, the beavers have a fresh place to re-build and prosper. I wish them all the best.
Joanna Chaves:(supporter)
I love the Martinez Beavers and I have fond memories of the stories my mother told me of how the beaver came to be. I love the beaver and since I was a child that was what friends would call me. Of course, I am older now and just appreciate this kindly and beautiful creature. I am so happy there is this organization to make sure the Martinez beavers are looked after. Thanks, Joanna Chavez
Do you remember Robert Rust? He’s the kindly beaver friend who took that photo of mom in 2006, baked the beaver bread for the festival, and regularly removes tires from the creek. I got an email from him yesterday saying that he cleaned the west bank of the creek all the way from the park to the train tracks, and removed many bottles & cans, a large roll of carpet, piles of plastic bags, cardboard and abandoned clothing.
Look how lovely the place looks now! This is the third dam behind the corp yard, a ways down stream. If you’ve never been to see it, visit now while it has had its spring (autumn?) cleaning. The dam is looking more successful lately, and was actually holding back water last night. If you see Robert (aka: Bob the tire guy) THANK HIM!
(On a more personal gratitude note, I owe him an even bigger thanks! I was on the bridge last night enjoying beavers, and then pulled myself away to go check out his handiwork. Thus I escaped the storm of angry yellow jackets chasing the boy across the bridge. Can you imagine how lucky I feel?)
Rust, an environmental scientist by trade, has been moonlighting as the festival’s unofficial artist in residence for several years, surprising audiences with his whimsical creations that have ranged from beaver-shaped loaves of bread to a mechanical beaver tail to a giant inflatable beaver reminiscent of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.
I thought immediately of Laika, the stray dog captured by the Russian to stuff into Sputnik in 1957. They said she died painlessly in orbit, but it was recently 
