Tag: Skip Lisle

Last night, on the footbridge, I loved you best of all!

heidi08 City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Festival, Friends of Martinez Beavers, kits, Who's saving beavers now? November 16, 2014

I love her, in the springtime

And I love her in the fall,

But last night, on the back porch

I loved her best of all!

These shocking lyrics reflecting the moral depravity of our youth were published in 1923, some 89 years ago, before video games and ‘R’ movies. Maybe the fact that our house had already been around for a quarter of a century before the song was recorded had something to do with why, when I went to see the beavers last night, this was the soundtrack I heard in my head.

You see, our kit, (the 2014) model, has been living at Ward Street since August. And I’ve been getting more and more worried about his truant little runaway self. I talked with our experts, who had not seen it before but told me not to worry, advice impossible to follow. Beavers are very social animals, and they need face time with their parents learning beaver things for upwards of 24 months before they’re ready to hitch off on their own.

So guess what I saw from the footbridge last night, with Lory and Jon?

Our twentieth kit, climbing on mom’s tail, crunching on snacks, with 2 or three other beavers! (Maybe even dad?) Swimming, chewing, whining and acting like his little kitself again! I can’t tell you how much lighter our three moods were as we walked eventually back to our cars. The beaver family is together and everything’s right with the world.

Now that we’re all in good moods, I will show you this treat that I stumbled upon yesterday. Look who has a new website! Now there are three great beaver resources to share with folks who want new ways to solve problems!

We are a company dedicated to protecting our land and infrastructure, as well as allowing for creative remedies that improve habitats and end wasteful killing and spending. Our technology and practices are state-of-the-art, and have been employed domestically as well as internationally to mitigate the growing problems presented by the beaver population.

Finally! Skip Lisle’s website has hit the internet(s) running! Complete with great information and awesome photos showing off his skill. Go explore the sight, its lots of fun. I couldn’t be happier, although it was a little surprising to find this:

Skip Lisle offers that rare combination of “can-do” competence, creativity, and courtesy. He ably tamed our beavers with promptness and professionalism. Our California town, Martinez, still fondly remembers the man from Vermont, and his solution to save our Downtown!

Mark Ross

Vice Mayor

Martinez, California, USA

A testimonial from Mark Ross and nothing whatsoever from Worth A Dam? I suppose a vice mayor is slightly better advertising than a child psychologist, but it’s silly to overlook the beavers’ de facto press secretary. Well, the cat’s outta the bag now, I made sure everyone saw this yesterday, its on our beaver links, and in the future I will make sure that everyone knows your skills have a great website to promote them!

Too much good news?Guess what arrived in the mail yesterday. Approval from the Martinez Community Foundation for our grant application for the festival VIII art project! They paid 100% of the amount requested. No fooling, money from Martinez, for the beaver festival. I’m still pinching myself.

Thank you Martinez Community Foundation for helping us teach children about ecosystems at the beaver festival! And thank you artist FRO Butler who will be doing the lion’s share of the work, prepping and painting the canvas, purchasing the materials, and supervising the eager artists. I can’t wait till the whole thing comes together and we can use it at our displays in the future!

Utah Beavers Beckon

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's saving beavers now? August 31, 2014

Mary Obrien was the first beaver idol I ever had. It was 2009 when I read the article in High Country News that described her eloquently preaching the beaver gospel and advocating for their many benefits. I was starstruck to meet her in person at the State of the Beaver Conference in 2011 and thrilled when she came to our festival the following year. It was Mary who talked the documentary crew into including Martinez last year. And Mary who flew out to attend the Salmonid Restoration Conference workshop on steelhead and beaver, coming to dinner at the house we rented in Santa Barbara with the other beaver wizards.

Think I’m exaggerating about her importance? Here’s a description of Mary from Scientific American.

One five-star general in the campaign to save nature is Dr. Mary O’Brien, and she has a thing for beaver, the championing of which she has completely converted me to. In the first place, the quest for beaver has arguably had more impact on American history than the pursuit of any other single natural resource, its influence lasting well over 200 years. Sixty million or so beaver populated North America before 1600, and had a huge effect on the hydrology of the landscape – beaver dams stored water, slowed its flow and rate of evaporation, slowed erosion and supported a wealth of fish and bird species. In fact, the extermination of beaver from North America arguably marks the point at which our landscapes began to buckle and slide down the ruinous course we find them on now. Especially in the West, where water has always been an enormous issue and will become more important as climate change affects it, there is a real imperative to put beaver back on the waterways.

So when she asked me after my presentation at the conference whether I’d be willing to come to Utah and present at their festival this year if they payed my expenses I was very, very surprised. Like kinda if Santa asked you to help pick out your presents for next year, surprised. The kind where you don’t really want to mention or think about it just in case it doesn’t happen. Mary’s a busy woman and has five million things to do at any given moment, so I thought she might change her mind or forget about it.

She didn’t forget. She wrote me the week of our beaver festival and said “Are you coming?” So on the last weekend of September we are officially flying to Cedar City on Friday and getting picked up by her students to stay at a hotel in St. George where the festival is. Saturday morning we go to the event where I will present twice in an auditorium at the Nature Center on our urban beavers, and generally enjoy the day. Sunday morning I’ll present to her students on the research we did for the historic prevalence papers. And Monday we fly home. She sent the almost completed poster yesterday which needed a time change, but I couldn’t wait to share so I patched it myself just to show you.

Remember, that there was no Utah Beaver Festival until there was a Martinez Beaver Festival. And there never would have been a Martinez Festival if our city had conceded gracefully and said “OK you win, we’ll protect the beavers.”

I guess we should really thank them for being so encouragingly stubborn?

And as for Utah, home of the first beaver relocation plan to restore upper watersheds, a statewide USFS beaver management plan, who brought in Skip Lisle, Sherri Tippie and Mike Callahan to teach the basics, and who still had time to commission the “Economic Services of Beaver” paper, Utah of the adorable beavers in towels photos after the famous Willard Bay Crude Oil spill – That Beehive state had better get ready.

Because I think Martinez is going to rock their world.

Lee Metcalf gets a clue

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions May 29, 2014

Exactly a month ago, I posted about the wildlife refuge in Montana that was saying it was trapping beavers to protect their ducks. An advocacy group was arguing that this was yet another reason to ban traps in the state, and wrote letters to the editor and refuge. I wrote a detailed post about the issue here, and wrote them with information about how to solve this problem by bringing in local Amy Chadwork to work with Skip Lisle and install a beaver deceiver.

Guess what’s happening?

Trapping

Beaver deceiver FTW

To that end, Footloose is now in talks with the refuge to help install a non-lethal device called a “beaver deceiver”—a trapezoidal fence that angles out and away from the mouth of a culvert, discouraging beavers from damming. The design was developed by Vermont wildlife biologist Skip Lisle. Beaver deceivers have proven successful in protecting culverts in Washington state; Lisle also partnered with Missoula ecologist Amy Chadwick to install such a structure near Butte last year.

Poten adds that Footloose—which intends to push its own anti-trapping ballot initiative in 2016—may also help the Lee Metcalf refuge by installing fencing around several larger cottonwoods to protect them from beavers.

Not only is the reserve doing the right thing, (albeit reluctantly) the reporter is entirely accurate and well informed! Get the champagne, this sounds like a total victory! unless….

While Reed does feel a beaver deceiver could aid maintenance in certain areas, he says it won’t solve problems with beavers refuge-wide. The refuge’s mandate is to manage for migratory birds. It may not be his preferred option, but Reed says trapping “is a management option we’ll continue to evaluate.”

Ahhh, what was it that Hamlet said?

For virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it

Which basically means that Mr. Reed may look a little bit smarter about beavers when people are watching, but he’s still massively uninformed so keep his Montana feet to the fire.

Yesterday I dutifully made space for miles of new kit footage on my computer by installing not one, but two TBs of space. The beavers decided not to reward me with a kit yet, but they did think I was worthy of grooming footage, which I’ve never gotten in 7 years of beaver watching. So I’m pretty happy. In fact, eagle eye Jon just called me to announce that you can see teats in this footage, so that’s mom! Look above where her paw is.

The family is still in full force, and the secondary dam is amazingly maintained.

We counted six beavers last night- as many as four at once! They are obviously trying to secure the area, but two tail slaps meant no kits for us. There is so much traffic on the bridge, including two rottweilers, four bicycles and a baby, because the beavers are so visible. I was jealous for the lonely days of winter. I’m starting to wish there was a librarian saying SHHHHHH at each end because I don’t want anything to spook them!

Grooming on the dam – Photo Cheryl Reynolds 2014

Great news yesterday. Martinez Kiwanis generously sent a check for the beaver festival, and Hornblower cruises donated two dining cruises to our silent auction! I hope you’re saving up!

Make new friends, but keep the old….

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers elsewhere, Creative Solutions, Educational May 10, 2014

Off to Wild Birds Unlimited Mother’s Day event this morning to make new beaver friends. Thought I’d put this together and bring it for our display so folks know what’s coming next week. There are new clips released to day here. Have fun. Meanwhile I just heard from Jari that her interview will air on animal house at noon today, which is 9 here. Catch the interview online WAMU here or catch it online later here

@JariOsborne talks about her new @PBSNature film “Leave it to Beavers” today at noon on @wamu885 and @wamuanimalhouse pic.twitter.com/gwCxV0ToZ6

I’ll be busy promoting how important birds are to beavers and plugging the documentary. I’m trying to prepare myself for the number of well-meaning phone calls and emails I will receive when it airs, telling me that there was ‘something about beavers the other night’. It’s evidence of a message getting out there, and it’s good that people think of me but to be honest, it kind of drives me a little insane that people wouldn’t think I know already.

The owner of Wild Birds Unlimited, Mike Elliot, is a generous host, and the exhibits get shade, drinks and pizza. Mike has already committed to the beaver festival, which is very nice of him. It should be a lovely and cheerful day. There was a blurb about it on Joan Morris earlier in the week, and it will be fun to see Gary Bogue again.

Amazing article from Vermont where there was a dam washout and road damage. The reporter talked to all the right people and still managed to make it a pro-beaver piece, quoting our old friend Skip Lisle, who I haven’t heard from in ages. Delighted to see he’s still doing God’s work and spreading the word aptly. Nice to see Patti Smith stick up for beavers too, wonder how the book launch went?

Want to reduce flooding? Leave it to beavers

Breaches can be avoided through the use of flow devices, which keep culverts open. Skip Lisle, a Grafton, Vt., resident, is known for inventing two beaver dam pipes that he said create “permanent leaks” in beaver dams and prevent reservoirs from getting too big. Lisle’s inventions — the Castor Master and The Beaver Deceiver — allow for a steady release of water. He told the Reformer a dam breach is usually a sign that beavers have left the area, because the animals constantly maintain the structures, which are in a never-ending state of decay. This decay that beavers are always working to counter causes dams to become uneven and erode in certain spots.

Great article, we need that reporter in California. Now we’re off to preach the beaver gospel to bird lovers. Should be a great day.

Wildlife Refuge Ducking Duties

heidi08 Beavers April 29, 2014

Our friends in Montana recently posted about some traps laid for beavers “in order to protect the ducks!” (As if beavers did anything but improve the lives of ducks!) They asked if I’d repost the story here. I would be shocked but I remember when a certain reservoir in Northern California got caught shooting beavers and defended its actions by saying it was protecting red-legged frogs. People lie about beavers all the time!

A dedicated trail volunteer of 3 years at Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge in Stevensville, Montana quit after discovering the intentional trapping of beaver. Why would this dry arid state, with shrinking wetlands impacting rare and endangered species, reduced water resources impacting big game browse, agriculture, irrigation, fisheries and natural fire breaks, exterminate beaver? They are perhaps the most critically necessary species able to create and rectify these dwindling resources.. Why not permit them to live out their vital role in the ecosystem and find safe haven in their refuge? Instead they are being purposefully trapped and killed at our wildlife refuge specifically designed to protect species! Please support I-169 Trap Free Montana Public Lands by going to www.trapfreemt.org

I would say its ironic for a wildlife refuge to trap beavers when their job is to provide a refuge for wildlife, but we know people make dam-fool decisions whenever and wherever the animals are involved. Do they have other options? Amy Chadwick has worked with Skip Lisle to install flow devices in Montana, so they should be able to solve any problem without trapping. Footloose is a large nonprofit in Montana that works to prevent trapping on public lands. Maybe they could help raise funds for it? Worth A Dam will make sure they have all the expert advice they need to solve whatever problem they have (or imagine they have). Why don’t you write them to tell them so here and make sure you mention that Martinez has lived successfully with beavers for 7 years. Next time, before they start trapping beavers, they should know that this is the only “beaver catcher” they really need.

To play along at home, print the PDF and fold your beaver catcher like this, and follow these steps, or better yet play with your local fish and game warden or politician!

• CHOOSE AN ANIMAL THAT BEAVERS HELP

• (EVEN) CHOOSE A REAL PROBLEM THAT BEAVERS CAN CAUSE

• (ODD) CHOOSE A SILLY PROBLEM THAT PEOPLE ARE WORRIED BEAVERS CAUSE.

• READ THE ANSWER!