Happy International beaver day! I asked Stacy Studebaker yesterday to post a reading of her wonderful book for the occasion and she said one was forthcoming so expect an addition soon. (I of course tried but my arms aren’t long enough to film and read at the same time.) In the meantime feel free to share Suzi Eszterhas wonderful photo far and wide. It’s about time we celebrate the beaver!

And just in time, the state of California has banned most federal wildlife trapping in our golden state. Which is a kind of good thing even though we all know most beaver trapping  isn’t federal and there will be plenty killed anyway, it doesn’t apply to our county and there is still plenty of wiggle room. But still. Hurray for today, right?

California Court Approves Ban on Federal Wildlife Poisoning, Trapping

SAN FRANCISCO— In response to a lawsuit filed by wildlife advocacy groups, a federal animal-killing program must restrict its use of bird-killing poisons in Northern California and stop setting strangulation snares and other traps in places like the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The agreement, approved today by a San Francisco federal court, also directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to analyze the environmental impacts of its killing of coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and other wildlife in California’s “Sacramento District.” This 10-county region covers Colusa, El Dorado, Lake, Marin, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

So the idea is if they have to actually evaluate the effects of their actions they will come to their senses? Or find it easier to just give in? This is the part we care about most.

The court order further ends most beaver-killing in waterways where endangered wildlife depends on beaver-created habitats.

 

Of course there’s a catch, right? There’s always a catch.

APHIS-Wildlife Services agrees not to engage in lethal beaver damage management in natural lakes, rivers, and streams within the Critical Habitat, as set forth by FWS, of the southwestern willow flycatcher, tidewater goby, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and Steelhead, except where beavers have blocked culverts, water control boxes, or other transportation crossings to the extent that fish passage is prevented.

So we the undersigned agree NOT to kill them EXCEPT for when we would want to kill them anyway for doing the rotten things that get beavers trapped in the first place. Oh and did you know fish passage was prevented by beavers? Well now its in a court document. It even specifies they can’t remove dams UNLESS they block fish passage.

Let’s not chill the champagne just yet. okay?

The whole ruling is here if you want to read all the fine print.It doesn’t include Contra Costa though. Some day our prince will come.

When I sat down this morning there was a beautiful pink moon setting. It reminded me of this look of one of my favorite places on earth that we used to spend the first part of every summer. The wildflowers will be insane this year.

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