Tag: Safari West

What do other people do on the weekend?

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Who's saving beavers now? May 11, 2015

How was your Mother’s day? Thanks Rusty for the nice recap of your year of beaver watching in Napa. Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife aptly posted this on their Facebook page and I feel it’s something we should all see. If you’ve ever had your mother hold your chin while scrubbing something off your face that shouldn’t be there, you know EXACTLY how this feels.

Saturday night at Safari West saw a bouncing crowd gathered for the beaver talk, many families with young children including a few of the attentive serious kind, and a few of the boisterous crying kind. It pretty different than the last few talks I gave and I did my best to adapt. We had dinner in the lodge with Marie Martinez (in charge of carnivores) and Danny Cusimano director of education and research. He was a paleontologist finishing his thesis and talked about their work (currently doing a study on hand-rearing vs parental rearing) and looking at population successes. He also seemed very interested in hearing about our work and the primary challenges facing beaver in urban settings. A few others dashed in and out during our dinner, updating them both or asking questions. It was definitely a dynamic place to be.

After dinner we came back to our luxurious tent, sat on the beautiful deck and drank a glass of wine while the light dimmed and the animal sounds took over. All night we heard the whooping lemurs, grunting flamingos and lowing whatevers in the distance. It was wonderfully cold at night in those beautiful hills, and the beds were unbelievably comfortable and warm. We both slept like children.

In addition to the excellent overnight and jeep tour Safari West generously made a donation to Worth A Dam and presented a certificate for our silent auction. I made sure to bring a list of wildlife friends I thought would be great speakers for the future and we swapped stories and ideas for how to engage people about nature.

Then it was home to meet Greg Kerekes for an interview. He was hired by the Guadalupe RCD to produce five videos on urban wildlife. The first was on Grey Foxes which you can see here.

The next is supposed to be on beavers. I expected a ten minute interview but our conversation lasted nearly two hours. He hadn’t really known the Martinez story before and he found it very interesting. His wife had an injury that meant she couldn’t climb the stairs so she was waiting in the car outside the whole time! ( You might remember her as the dancing beaver from our festival two year’s ago.)

Greg said he was surprised that I never seemed to say “um” or seemed at a loss for word like the others he interviewed. (Ha – plenty of practice!) We talked about beaver challenges, beaver benefits, beaver nativity, beaver depredation and the history of Worth A Dam. They were excellent questions and he was a great listener but I was exhausted by the end. Not sure how much of our conversation will find it’s way into his short film, but he said he was interested in doing a bigger project too and it would help down the road.

Fortunately for me (and the people I work with in my day job!) I’m off today, so I can rest and enjoy NOT talking about beavers. Then I can start focusing on the festival. (Eek!) The application that Lory was kind enough to fill out (all 19 pages of it) goes to the city just as soon as I can get the event insurance taken care of.

You’re not listening….

heidi08 City Reports, Creative Solutions November 20, 2015

I’m off tonight to give my third beaver talk in six weeks, which is a little more than I bargained for when I accepted this remarkable gig. Besides preparing and adapting there’s been other beaver demands. Requests for interviews, help getting the word out, connecting professionals who should know each other but don’t, and generally pushing beaver chess pieces around the board. Just last week I talked to a producer from Oregon Public Radio about an Urban beaver project they’re working on, and introduced a woman from the laplands (who was the first to document beaver sign in her country) to the researcher from Norway who’s studying this.

It’s been a journey.

Which might explain why I’m feeling a little beaver-fatigued at the moment. And thinking about all the time I spend talking to people who don’t listen anyway. I never really noticed it so obviously before. But there are people (ahem, men) who have an idea of what they know is true, and even when I tell them with video and research the opposite they STILL think it’s true. It’s stunning that you can say something very clearly and a second later someone can ask whether the opposite is the case.

Just look at this comment from the man who hosted me at the salmon talk at SARSAS two weeks ago. At the time he asked about dams blocking passage, and I and others explained why this was not an issue. In fact there was a very knowledgeable chorus from fish biologists on the topic all saying the same thing. I sent him the great article from Oregon yesterday, and HERE was his comment.

James Haufler says:

Please let me know how many salmon are able to get up over, around or through the beaver dam when they come upstream to spawn later this year.

Argh. I was just there! Talking about this very thing. Why did I spend four weeks preparing and get up at 6 and drive to Auburn so you could have the opportunity to NOT listen to me? Couldn’t I have just stayed in bed if we all wanted for that to happen? Unpreturbed by the question, the author gave a really beautiful answer in response.

Bonnie Henderson says:

Thompson Creek has long had the largest run of spawning salmon among all of the Neawanna Creek tributaries and has also had beaver dams as a part of its ecology. The dams make ponds that create wonderful calm-water nursery grounds for baby salmon to grow in, and by the time the rains come and the spawners return, the water overtops the dam readily and fish can jump it and find little overflow channels around it. So I think that 100% of the Thompson Creek spawners get past the beaver dams to spawn. And this year, most of the dams are on the off-channel wetland areas so are not in the path of spawners at all. (Answered by Katie Voelke)

So do you think James will ask this question again in five minutes? Or do you think having a fish expert packs more power than a beaver expert and he’s finally seen the light? And I don’t want to pick on James. It happens ALL the time. People’s minds are made up before you talk to them. And Damascus moments happen less often than you might think.

It’s not just about fish issues. People have ideas about population expansion, tree felling, and flooding that are impervious to what you might say to the contrary. If I say “We’ve had 20 kits born in Alhambra Creek over the years and our current population is 3”. It is not at all uncommon for a listener to nod and then say “so you have too many beavers now, right?”

Sometimes you can get them to stop talking about their very firm opinions just long enough to listen to your presentation, but sometimes you can’t. And they mumble to a friend through the whole thing. And then when you’re done they raise their hand in what appears to be a question, but is really just an opportunity to disagree with you in a public way, parasitically exploiting the attention of the group you assembled.

(Do I sound bitter?)

I have one more talk after tonight but that’s not until June and should be a good crowd. The Friends of San Pedro Visitor’s Center in Pacifica who specifically want beavers in their park as soon as possible. And tonight I will get to sit in the tent and listen to animals calling at Safari West, so that’s easy enough. But it’s surprising how long it takes to change minds though. Even with good video and pithy facts and 8 years more experience behind you.

To be honest, that was my strongest feeling when I was on the beaver subcommittee. Just disbelief that it took so LONG. That even if I said the right thing, in the right way, to the right people, over and over. They still didn’t change their minds. Did my city eventually change its mind about beavers? I don’t think they did. I think that changed their minds about how easy it would be to keep saying “no” to the voters. And the flow device seemed to work, and has seemed to work for seven years. But I don’t think really anyone’s mind was changed. I’m not sure if they moved to a new city they would ever consider this again, or if new beavers moved into another creek they would show anything resembling a learning curve.

This work is a marathon, not a sprint. Brock Evans famous quote is

“Endless Pressure, Endlessly Applied“

Not “adequate pressure applied for a little while.”

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Cheryl and Lory are tabling at the Wildbirds Event today in Pleasant Hill, and we are off to Santa Rosa for the big night. I feel like seeing something wonderful and I’m happy to share. So here’s a rescue video from Wild Heart Ranch in Oklahoma. The doting voice you here is that of Annette King Tucker who is the heart and soul of the operation. I especially love what the kit does around 38 seconds. Ahh!

Safari overnight 179 — Heidi Perryman & Marie Martinez (Carnivores Dept at Safari West)

Getting ready for Beaver Mother’s Day

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? May 4, 2015

What a headline!

5 pesky animals you might see this spring around Calgary

Spring is here, and BBQs and flowering gardens await. But just as we are waking up from our — albeit mild — winter slump, so is nature. So be prepared to see some furry, not-so-welcome visitors.

While it’s unlikely for someone to have a problem beaver in their backyard, the critters still can cause problems with their tendency to flood an area. To create their homes, beavers will build dams that block water flow, sometimes flooding pathways and other public infrastructure. There is also the issue of tree management, since their food of choice is bark and leaves. Calgary Parks management deals with this by wrapping wire around trees, to stop them from chomping on them. Also, since the flood in 2013, the beaver’s environment has changed, and can now be seen in places they weren’t before.

When near a beaver dam, be sure to keep your distance if you see a beaver. These are territorial animals, and though they will leave you be if you extend the same courtesy, they have been known to attack dogs and humans and to hold up traffic.

Seriously? Keep your distance because beavers might bite or hold up traffic? You know I’m a busy woman, it’s Monday and I have to get ready for another presentation. But this is too good to resist. I literally can’t help myself.

There are more things to mock in the article, but this is most glaring. Now we have other things to talk about. Greg Kerekes from the Urban Wildlife Research project in San Jose is coming to interviewme for a short film about urban wildlife this weekend. I mention it because he went to Lexington Reservoir this weekend and took this amazing photo of a beaver moving a kit:

moving jr — Beaver moving kit – photo Greg Kerekes

Look at that adorable face! When I first saw it it almost looked like a koala bear! Greg a great job of sitting patiently and even waited behind a blind to get this shot. In Martinez, our new mother has moved the kits every year but we’ve never gotten lucky enough to film it.

Yet?

Saturday we’re off to Safari West where I’ll be presenting after dinner to the families staying there. Then we get to stay overnight in the luxury tents and tour in the morning. Since Sunday’s mother’s day I’m going to talk about beaver mothers and the way that beavers act as “Fairy Godmothers” to the creeks. I had a lot of fun making this, and any excuse to download new fonts makes me happy!

“Made beavers” vs. “Beavers that have Got it Made”.

heidi08 Beavers, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? October 21, 2014

I came across this video the other day and thought you might find interesting too. It’s a fairly concise description of the fur trade – well, one PART of the fur trade. Calling HBC the fur trade is like calling Shell the oil industry. Remember that there were many other companies all doing the same thing at once.

It’s amazing any survived at all. Lets not think any more about ‘Made Beavers”. Let’s think about “beavers that have got it made”.

Wonderments of the East Bay Celebrating 80 years of EBRP

The East Bay Regional Parks abound in wonderments: animals, plants, sounds, geological formations, histories, and languages that stimulate our curiosity and expand our capacity for awe. In exquisite, lyrical essays, Sylvia Linsteadt and Malcolm Margolin—with help from their friends—revel in these wonderments.

Our complimentary copy arrived yesterday with 4 pages of the Martinez Beaver story. They declined to use Cheryl’s excellent photos (or my accurate writing, ahem) but gave a gallant tale of civic response and public interest. The story puts Martinez in a community-building light and says we had people from all over coming just to see our beavers. I remain fairly picky about the details. (If you’ll remember the original chapter had said Martinez brought in a “Team of engineers” to fix the flooding problem and I was terrified everyone would think it was expensively hard work saving beavers.) I managed to get that wording fixed, but sadly the chapter still said mom had three babies and we discovered the first ever tulle perch in Alhambra Creek, which makes me mortified that my name was dropped in the passage without a corresponding footnote saying, “Heidi never said this and didn’t write it.”

A reasonable woman would be content that it makes it clear that the beavers had a positive effect on our creek and grateful that they sent me a copy. I strive to be such a woman. I’m not worried about the idea of giving EBRP credit for our beavers, (since they’re on city land), because I crisply remember a lively conversation I had with park wizard Hulet Hornbeck before he died, where he told me that they had been working for 50 years to clean up the Marina so that the arrival of the beavers would even be possible. And since he was wise enough to see the beaver family as a compliment, I heartily believed him.

It’s a very nice looking book and a trove of local treasures. I know you want to pick up your own copy here, or wait for the silent auction!

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Now you’ve done your history homework you deserve a treat. R.E. from Napa sent this yesterday and it’s very lovely. I won’t even bother telling you to enjoy it, because I know you will.

And finally a HUGE thanks to our friends at Safari West. My niece just got married in the Redwoods and since my wedding present to her had been an overnight stay at our favorite wilderness adventure in the wine country, they made sure she and her new hubby had an awesome time. The highlight came last night when Kimberly Robertson met the couple after their tour and dinner to take them for a tower feeding that left my well-spoken niece speechless. Thanks so much Safari West for making so many people so happy, and don’t forget to remember them if you’re looking for the PERFECT special day for someone in your family!

On the big screen

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers May 12, 2014

Video: Beaver rescuer Sherri Tippie gets an overdue shout-out on PBS

Thirty years ago, when Sherri Tippie first got interested in trying to save a keystone species whose habitat was being wiped out by breakneck development up and down the Front Range, she was ridiculed by wildlife officials as a rank amateur. What, after all, could a hairdresser and former go-go dancer know about trapping and relocating beaver?

But over the last three decades Tippie has trapped, fed, cuddled, relocated and serenaded more beaver than anyone else on the planet. Wildlife agencies now routinely come to her for guidance and inspiration — as did the PBS program Nature, which airs a segment this week on the growing effort to reintroduce beaver to revitalize rivers across the West and features Tippie as one of the top crusaders for the species.

The hour-long segment, “Leave It to Beavers,” airs on Wednesday, May 14 (7 p.m. MDT on Rocky Mountain PBS, Channel 6). It’s long overdue recognition by one of the country’s top nature programs of Tippie’s work, which was the subject of my 2011 feature, also (predictably) titled “Leave It to Beaver.”

Nice to see Sherri once again getting the recognition she deserves! The author of the blog is a big fan of hers and wrote the huge article on her in Westwood a few years back. Remember it appeared with this great artwork, by Eleanor Grosch (which incidentally, will be featured in the silent auction this year). I think he was understandably a little smitten with her many charms. Now he’s promoting the upcoming documentary which had the good sense to put her in it!

Speaking of the silent auction, we received another enormously generous donation from Safari West this year, which I mention because Worth A Dam stalwarts Lory and Ron are off today to enjoy their winning bid from last year. Our friends at Safari West have promised a behind the scenes meet and greet, and I know they’re going to have a wonderful time. If you’re feeling jealous you should be. Why not bring your check book to the beaver festival and make sure you win this year’s prize!

Last night we counted 5 beavers and I thought you’d enjoy some Mother’s Day footage. This is mom with one of last year’s kits. Since our new mom doesn’t oblige Martinez by having a distinctive tail, we know it’s mom by the visible teats Cheryl saw when standing downstream. Oh and the very childish whine the younger beaver made when she approached! Mom’s on the right.