Scottish beavers – Worth A Dam

Git yer kilt an’ save the beavers!

heidi08 Beaver Chewing, Beaver News, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? February 10, 2016

Some mornings you just want to curl up with a mug of coffee and a bagel and savor articles like this. It wasn’t easy to get you the full text but I KNEW you would want to read it, and it’s much finer writing than anything I’m likely to say, so get comfortable. It was written by Jim Crumley for the Courier, the author of Nature’s architect, and considered by some to be the finest nature writing in Scotland – when you read this you will see why.

Ahh, does that describe our Martinez beaver controversy or WHAT? Nothing gets thought about more than whether or not some bit of nature should be allowed to do natural things. How true!

And beavers don’t VOTE. Did you get that? I am SO JEALOUS of Scotland. It gets writers like this AND really good beer. And castles. What do we get? Buffalo, Starbucks and primary elections. That’s what.

Shhh…we’re coming to my favorite part….about stakeholders.

“It permeates the official language like midges on a dam day on Mull“. Is it possible to fall in love with a column? For those of you that haven’t experienced the luxury of midges, let me say that once a million years ago Jon and I went for a delightful picnic on the Scottish countryside. and were very surprised to learn that while we were happily enjoying our treat, some tiny invisible insects were busy enjoying US. Midges stealth and strategy lies in the fact they are much smaller than mosquitoes – so they never get slapped as they should. Unlike mosquitoes – not all kinds bite. But they come in clouds and are VERY annoying. Mull is an island in Scotland. And accusing the government of counting as many stakeholders as there are midges on this wet island makes me very happy indeed.

“And look no further than the BUNGLING BRUTALITY of the badger cull”. Not only is this alliteration at its finest, Crumley cheerfully slashes his enemies with a stark oxymoron. Lots of bullies are happy to be called brutal, but but having your brutality described as ‘bungling’ changes the meaning entirely. Now instead of ‘pulling the wings off flies’ you are pulling the tail feathers off a chicken and everyone is looking at you and wondering why.

“Ambassadors of biodiversity“. Ahhh I love the way that sounds. Someone needs to read me this article every earth day in a thick Scotish brogue – I’m thinking maybe Frank Helling as John Muir.

33,000 signatures! How ironic! If the farmers had just put up with the beavers they would have probably gotten their way in earning the right to depredate problem beavers. Now this has created such a national and international stir they will never hear the end of it.

Beavers are as much Scots as the people themselves. LOVE IT!

This morning we’re off to the PRMCC again for more mural review with Mario’s most recent draft, and yesterday I was invited back to the SF Waterboard to give a talk. Apparently the planning division liked it so much beavers are being invited back for the Watershed division. Nice!

What RSPB really means…

heidi08 Beavers and Birds, Beavers elsewhere, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? June 19, 2014

Guess who is supporting the reintroduction of beavers in Scotland now? Only the biggest environmental organization in the country, that’s who.

RSPB favours further releases of beavers

RSPB Scotland offered some of its own 80 nature reserves as potential sites following last month’s conclusion of the Scottish Beaver Trial, run by Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, in Knapdale Forest in Argyll.

The beavers, which began to be introduced five years ago, now range over a territory equivalent to 120 football pitches. Between May 2009 and September 2010 16 Eurasian beavers were released in the woodland, near Lochgilphead.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management at RSPB Scotland, said: “Beavers are incredible mammals that have an important role to play in our countryside. We urge the Scottish Government to make way for further projects to bring this remarkable species back to our countryside.“

Not only is RSPB lending their support to beavers, they’re lending their extensive preserves all across the country! If the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds becomes the Regional Spokesmen for the Promotion of Beavers, hold onto your hats. We are in for an AWESOME year!

For those of you following along at home, let’s just review just some of the ways beavers help birds:

Increase fish and frog population which feeds water fowl
Augment invertebrate community to feed songbirds & waterfowl.
Restore plant complexity to benefit all birds.
Create flooded and dead trees for obligate nestors.
Promote coppicing to create dense and bushy new growth for nesting.

We should all be very happy that twitchers support beavers. It means not only can we expect the beavers in Scotland to be welcomed with open willow, we can bet we will see them soon in England. Thanks RSPB!

Gang Aft Agley

heidi08 Beaver News December 17, 2008

I’m truly sorry man’s dominion
Has broken Nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
An’ fellow mortal!

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=8VxnY_AR4-8&ytsession=AhjtlO7aZ6Lht04WuCuuZRcuiiCEV3_HEoorhihroqmgpncLrg9VPle168_2A2hm2BRHOpPWrW4JcWJUPn9sSKcFT3r1pEFhZ7djDNKdF6NO23gzsTBhmQK3tLKzDK8FtJCOjk0hZQbb2T6LYCPD0ilzXVgY8LfRxvSeYz_CDQl2SC8PWeFv5rQxEohZJPvmPZ-mSpmxcP94X_Haao0YVj07ZA1k7pIiXaD1q3v4xsIJFCXaLFB5wH0kH_R6xfv6Znb97Im5pzNNqLLOIK9BQKysY0rHHZH7odhzTirC7DzXjTztv8ifTDkscO7rX3EhleUoYScTKTuTaoZiF8NUVTcjyMuj_cah]

I thought Scottish beavers needed some Burns. This is a poem to a mouse but I bet he would have written it to a beaver if they hadn’t hunted them all. Thanks to our brave souls who heeded the cry for volunteers yesterday. It’s going to be a lot of fun. There’s still room for more, so if your resolution to 2009 is “Help Beavers More” (and whose isn’t?) drop us an email and join the party.