No falling pianos so far, and I’m pretty happy about it. Today is going to be a great day to get everyone up to date on all the beaver good news for the week.
One not quite beaver-related piece of good news is that I enrolled in the Jane Goodall master class on conservation as an early birthday present. How exciting does this sound? 26 video lectures and a host of smart classmates to connect with. It starts in the fall and I’m sure I’ll be soo much better at saving beavers when it does. If you’re interested in being my classmate go here to register: It costs less than a latte a class, so I’m pretty sure we can afford it.
The second piece of fun news comes from Sara Aycock who donated so generously to the silent auction the framed pictures of her charming Victorian animal characters. The book is nearer to launch and looks wonderful. It even is introduced with a quote from John Muir! Not to mention the illustration of our very favorite character, Mr. Beaverton.
If you cannot wait until the silent auction and must have some of her charming artwork in your home right NOW, I don’t blame you. We could barely resist ripping the ancestors off the hallway wall and replacing them with her donations! Go to her etsy shop here and browse the wonders.
More good news in the form of a much-beloved donation from Safari West. Their package includes the irresistible dinner at the Africa-inspired lodge and overnight for two in one of their luxury tents surrounded by wildlife that you aren’t used to hearing amid the stunning oaks, breakfast at the lodge and a jeep safari to see their glorious wild wonders the following day. Safari West is one of the most sought after items in our auction, and with very good reason. You will not forget even a single moment of your trip there. And at a value over 500 dollars, you should be highly motivated to outbid your neighbors. We are SO grateful for their wonderful support.
Safari West is a huge supporter of conservation, run by enormously good people who have always been big supporters of beavers. Their glorious retreat is the experience of a lifetime. Truly.
The last 24 hours were very good for beavers, and their advocates. The drive to Safari West is always such a delight – we went up through Napa- past the wine train and countless tasting rooms, and came down by the way of 101 where we stopped off at artist Molly Eckert’s magical home in Sebastopol. (More about that later.) In between we stopped off at Safari West where Marie Martinez personally greeted us and showed us to our room before bringing us a $1000.00 donation to Worth A Dam from the foundation.
In the evening we had dinner at the staff table an got to chat about beavers and hoovestock, and hear about the baby giraffes and wildebeasts born this season, all while sharing a fanciful and rugged buffet cooked by their expert chefs. There was even a coloful sign announcing my talk in the courtyard. Then we headed into elephant room to set up my presentation, which was attended by available staff, curious guests and families with children. One very nice asian family spanned three generations at the table, with the children and grandma asking about the beavers afterwards.
There were thank yous and questions followed by a nice glass of wine on our open porch listening to flamingos, hornbills, night shrieks set their paces to the african drummer who played for an hour or so by the fire. It was windy and colder than you can imagine but the sky was crisp with stars and we slept like kings directly under the big dipper in our thickly covered tent.
There was no Wifi in the tents so I tried to stay in bed as long as I could, where it was warm. Before seven we had coffee and bagels on the deck again. Later we explored the bird enclosures busy with brightly colored wings, displaying, flying and courting. Some porcupines were excitedly waiting for breakfast and a kookaburra was hiding in the bushes behind them. Woodstorks and spoonbills shook their prodigious beaks at the water. There was a large nest in the upper treetops guarded by scarlet ibis, and we learned that the flamingoes were trying once again to lay eggs because the last clutches were unsuccessful. The iconic rugged vehicles were lining up to take guests on their adventure through the back country and many animals there when we stolled over to visit the lemur island, moated by hungry fish, and met the a sweet family who had attended my talk and still ha questions about the beavers. Then we packed up from our short stay, slipped onto the road and came back through 101 this time.
We were headed to artist Molly Eckert’s home to pick up her donation to the silent auction. It was an easy drive off 12 past Guerneville to her eclectic home at the end of a wooded lane. She met us saying they had just finished some yard work and invited us in. The entry way was adorned with a line of perfectly round stones, every wall was covered in her art, and the ceiling shafted with brilliant skylights that made the home burst with light.
She gave us 10 copies of the 1988 poster she made for Point Reyes, and delighted us with stories of how this once happened before photo shop so she had to insert all the individually painted wildlife by hand. We sat in her living room chatting with her and her very nice husband while she signed every last one. Our hosts were eager to hear the beaver story, and heartened by the public response. She admitted ruefully that she had not yet turned her artistic skills to beavers, but her husband showed us some sketches she had done of animated prairie dogs playing instruments that were so enchanting I could barely keep from stealing them and saying “you MUST do this for beavers, beavers, beavers!” Instead we showed her the ecosystem poster and the children’s banner and they were very impressed. Her husband was an elementary school teacher, and a big admirer of the children’s artwork and Fro’s sewing skills.
I would be very surprised if beavers were not in her future, at least! She was looking at the newsletter intently when we left. Fingers crossed.
Other additions to the silent auction this week came from the Oakland Zoo (two adults and two children, plus free parking!) and the California Academy of Science (4 tickets!), which have both been wonderful supporters of the beavers in the past and are fantastic ways to keep yourself and your family curious and learning during the long summer months.
Six Flags unfortunately declined to donate but forget them anyway. There will be plenty to entertain!
Mom and Junior: Rusty Cohn
Finally I heard from Rusty Cohn of Napa that he saw three beavers last night for the first time in a long while. In addition to their being a definite size difference in these beavers there is something else you should take note of. Happy Mother’s Day everyone!
Because Safari tents don’t have WIFI. Heidi is driving home today after teaching all the happy campers about beavers the night before. I’m sure they’ll be lots to share. And if you’ve never stayed at Safari West and taken their adventure, you really should!
Here at beaver central I’ve been getting ready now for my upcoming presentation at Safari West on Mother’s Day. It’s usually a crowded, family bustle with coughing and crying and plenty of aaawww so I’m trying to make my talk less educational and more inclusive this year. My theme is that you don’t have to go to Africa to see Nature. It’s right in your own backyard, schoolyard, or city. In fact the nature all around you might be the nature that needs your help the most!
Here’s a fun clip I’ll be starting with before I talk about how Martinez helped the beavers.
I think the blossoming interest in urban wildlife is part of a much larger trend, daylighting creeks, replanting natives, and helping green cities. It makes good sense since it’s where we’re all going to spend most of our time. Just look at this great article from Vancouver.
The Vancouver Park Board biodiversity strategy is starting to take root, one year after the wide-ranging plan was approved to bring wildlife back to the city.
“There’s a social aspect to nature in the city — people want to be able to experience it as part of their daily lives,” said Nick Page, a biologist with the park board.
1. Salt marsh restoration in New Brighton Park
Vancouver has drastically altered its shoreline to make more space for industry and housing. But in New Brighton Park on Burrard Inlet, Port Metro Vancouver and the park board are working to remove fill that was placed there in the 1960s and restore a tidal salt marsh. The aim is to restore a habitat that once supported clam beds, juvenile salmon and shore birds.
4. Create wildlife corridors
To thrive, wildlife needs to be able to move around the city, Page said. So finding ways to make corridors through the city — like the still-under-design Arbutus Greenway — is also an important part of the strategy.
5. Return of the wild
One way to measure the success of biodiversity efforts is when animals come back to areas they left decades ago. Beavers are a common sight in Stanley Park — but recently they returned to Charleson Park in south False Creek. Page would like to see the return of smaller predators such as the American marten because that would signal the ecosystem is healthy enough to support the full food chain. He acknowledges humans and animals can come into conflict in the city. But “I think we can co-exist. Our alternatives are much more difficult and probably unsuccessful in terms of trying to manage or remove [animals].”
Vancouver is doing an excellent job thanks in part to this man who can definitely see the forest for the trees. Nick Park is exactly the kind of biologist we all want working in our cities, and we’re thrilled that he is a positive force for beavers in the region.
We should be working with biologists like Mr. Park to teach us to value what is right in front of us. Whether it’s baby ducks OR beavers. Say it with me now: “Because, in the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.”
(Baba Dioum, 1968.)
North American Beaver Castor canadensis Children watching beaver in urban environment Martinez, CA *Model release available – #Martinezbeavers_3
Last night we solemnly peered at the footbridge and un-tended dam and saw nothing. Even the cottonwood shoots at the base of the big trees had remained un-nibbled. We were depressed by the beaver-absence and headed glumly up to Ward street for a similar disappointment. Staring at the still creek and wishing vainly for ripples on the water something dark on the bank caught my eye in the dim light. New stump? Some transient’s backpack? Then the dark stump stood up and reached for a higher branch.
One of our two year olds!
Two Year-old Beaver – Photo: Cheryl Reynolds
Not sure what he was doing 10 feet outta the water by an old stump but I thought later about the scene from that documentary where the beaver was scent marking. Remember the beaver scooting up the bank to mark a grassy patch? It kinda looked like that. I thought how marking would make sense of he wants to find out who’s around or call another beaver for support. I didn’t see a scent mound mind you, just a beaver.
Which I was very happy about.
He toddled down the bank and slipped gracefully back into the water swimming about like a pro. We beamed made it home before dark. The orange glow from the Valley fire made everything suspenseful and unreal. I heard from Safari West that they are standing by just in case the fire takes a turn in their direction. It can’t go there! I thought about all their animals, some in pens and some ranging herds slipped in between overlapping canyons. I thought of those acres of beautiful oaks covering the hillside. I thought of the impossiblity of getting everything to safety.
Heidi & Marie Martinez: Director of Carnivores Safari West
No. It could not be allowed to happen. I was originally dismayed that the Valley fire was getting so much more press than the Butte fire even though it started later and was so much smaller.But it took 1000 homes yesterday, burning folks out in the middle of the night with unexpected speed. It did terrible things to so many, and I’m at least grateful it’s terrifying reach got the attention of everyone. Because it means that they will have a chance of shutting it down.
And preventing our very good friends at Safari West from ever needing protection.
Speaking of friends, I spent the weekend working on my article about beavers for the Sierra Foothill Audubon. I wasn’t entirely kind to Placer. It is still being read over for possible inclusion, but the vice president Willie Hall liked it and wants it in the next newsletter. He is a good friend of beavers. It turns out he’s watching a beaver pond a ways up from his house in Grass Valley, and enjoying the wildlife it brings. He was especially lucky to see this rare half hour. This particular visitor had obviously done his homework and read about the fish populations in beaver ponds.
If you cannot wait until the silent auction and must have some of her charming artwork in your home right NOW, I don’t blame you. We could barely resist ripping the ancestors off the hallway wall and replacing them with her donations! Go to her etsy shop here and browse the wonders.
More good news in the form of a much-beloved donation from Safari West. Their package includes the irresistible dinner at the Africa-inspired lodge and overnight for two in one of their luxury tents surrounded by wildlife that you aren’t used to hearing amid the stunning oaks, breakfast at the lodge and a jeep safari to see their glorious wild wonders the following day. Safari West is one of the most sought after items in our auction, and with very good reason. You will not forget even a single moment of your trip there. And at a value over 500 dollars, you should be highly motivated to outbid your neighbors. We are SO grateful for their wonderful support.
We were headed to 
uch more difficult and probably unsuccessful in terms of trying to manage or remove [animals].”
