Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Tag: Rusty Cohn

Friendly photos

Beaver Behavior, Beavers and Birds, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? September 7, 2015
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—
 Robert Louis Stevenson (The Swing)

You won’t wonder at all why I started this post with that particular poem of my childhood when you see this recent photo of the Napatopia beaver habitat. Guess who went out and purchased a drone? This photo was taken at 105 feet.

Just to get you oriented the green part is Tulocay creek, and to the left of that is the Westin Suites and parking lot. The water flows towards the bridge. About a third up on the left is that beautiful lodge of theirs smartly anchored to the dead tree. About a third from the end near the bridge you can see a stand of tulles where the dam is. And then the mostly dry creek continues on with plant and brush growth after that.

Beaver dam from 105 feet
Tulocay beaver pond at 105 feet: Rusty Cohn

This really shows the many benefits that an urban beaver pond can give to a constrained city creek. Flora, Fauna and biodiversity boosts galore. Thanks Rusty, for sharing the results of your new toy with us. We only wish Martinez still had a dam we could talk you into photographing next!

Speaking of amazing photos not taken by us, this photo series was posted on Facebook this morning by Glenn Hori, an old friend of the Martinez Beavers. He wisely chose them in honor of Labor Day. He says they were taken on July 16. Such a hard working beaver! It breaks my heart to think these photos are Jr. bravely doing her job right up until the end. But it’s good to remember what a fantastic craftsman she was. (Click twice on the photos to enlarge.)

I’ve got one more picture to share, and that is the result of many hours labor on my part. I made this as a graphic to use with Audubon, starting with the silhouettes of our beavers and adding everything else in layers. I can’t begin to describe to you the amount of work something like this takes with my hokey little graphics program, but I’m proud of the result. How many bird species do you recognize?

Audubon graphic

Beaver Stewards

Beaver Behavior, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Who's saving beavers now? July 29, 2015

That lovely article is in the Santa Cruz sentinel this morning, and debuted on the front page of the Contra Costa Times yesterday, which was fun. Especially when I think about the still-unhappy beaver grumblers who do things in Martinez like tell public works to rip out willow shoots before they grow or paint over beavers in a popular mural. Ahh memories!

I thought you’d want to see this fun morning of kit wrestling from Rusty Cohn in Napa.

We’ve only seen yearlings do this, so this is fun to find.  And  you deserved to read this poem from Deidre’s friend Marcy Beck who works with Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. (I’m thinking they need to exhibit at the beaver festival next year, by the way). Try reading it aloud because it has great sounds.

CaptureMarcy Beck

 

Napatopia and Ohiotopia?

Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? June 15, 2015
blue heron on lodge
Blue Heron on beaver lodge in Tulocay Creek: Rusty Cohn

CaptureBeavers set up home in downtown Napa

Downtown has some new residents, and they’re not the two-legged tourist variety.  Beavers have moved into Napa Creek and built at least two dams visible from the Pearl Street pedestrian bridge and from the parking lot behind the former Napa Firefighters Museum.

 “I think it’s great. It speaks to the health of the watershed,” said Shaun Horne, watershed and flood control resource specialist for the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

 “It’s a good sign for the creek,” Horne said. “The whole beaver population seems to be spreading. These creatures are recolonizing some of these areas that maybe didn’t have the best habitat prior to this.”

Beavers change creek hydrology for the better, Horne said. Dams pool water, which is good for fish, birds and other wildlife. Beaver dams can also help reverse channel deepening, provide nurseries for fish, increase habitat for small mammals, contribute to the establishment of new vegetation and improve downstream water quality by trapping sediment.

 Napan Rusty Cohn is a regular beaver watcher. He’s seen the animals and their work at Tulocay Creek near Soscol Avenue and other river areas in the city. He gave the new dam on Napa Creek a thumbs-up.

 “They did a nice job of building it,” Cohn said. He has yet to spot the downtown beavers, but he has a theory about where they came from.

More remarkable beaver wisdom from Napatopia, with Flood control saying how valuable beavers are and Rusty getting some smart quotes in. I can’t figure out thought why they didn’t run some of his great photos, or the news that there are three new kits in Tulocay creek. Reporters remain a mystery to me, but you are encouraged to solve the puzzle for yourself.

More good news from places that aren’t here. Brace yourself. This is surprising. The state of Ohio (OHIO?) Department of Transportation has apparently contracted with Mike Callahan to teach them to install flow devices to control beaver damming rather than killing them Here is proof they’re listening.

A Possible Beaver First!

Last week in Cincinnati the Ohio Dept. of Transportation hired me to train their personnel how to manage beaver problems with flow devices. Is anyone aware of another state Highway Dept. that has committed to building and installing flow devices themselves? I think Ohio may be the first! Here in Massachusetts the MassDOT is very supportive of flow devices but they contract with me to install them. Ohio wants to start doing flow devices themselves which I think is pretty cool!

All this came about due to local beaver advocate Karen Arnett being persistent and lobbying the ODOT to consider flow devices as an alternative to trapping. Her dogged efforts bore fruit and the beavers, humans and ecosystems of Ohio are bound to benefit.

The ODOT training included a PowerPoint presentation tailored to ODOT needs, and a hands-on flow device installation where many ODOT staff participated. The flow device install site is a highway retention pond where unfortunately beavers were trapped last year. Since new beavers are bound to relocate here ODOT wanted a flow device to protect the drainage structure and prevent the need to trap in the future. I was very impressed with the level of interest by ODOT staff and their willingness not only to do the work but also get in the water. See pictures. Kudos to ODOT as well as to Karen for getting ODOT interested in flow devices!

Karen contacted this website ages ago, and Beavers: Wetlands and Wildlife as well. She really did a stellar job of getting new ideas through thick skulls. And Mike did a great job convincing them once she got their attention. Great work team beaver!

Beavers: The future and the past

Beaver Behavior, Beaver Chewing, Beaver-themed merchandise, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? June 10, 2015