Yesterday started lovely enough, with the usual sunrise and lighter morning air. But our hearts were quickly alarmed by a THUMP at 8:00. Followed by many regular sounding bangs like the hammer of Hephaestus on the anvil of doom. We recognized the sound of the pile drive from the horrible sheetpile drama lo these many years ago, and rushed to its source.
The crane was erected on the other side of the train bridge about 300 feet from where the beavers are living. After a little researching and checking with the city engineer I realized it was for the new bridge they’re building to the inter-modal facility down stream. They are looking to make traffic easier on all those soccer moms who drive chrissy to the game. Here’s a map of what they’re doing, the blue dot is the beaver home.
Immediately I started to panic. Apparently this phase of the work anchoring the pilings will take two weeks. Jon already said the dam was looking unkempt last week. What must that sound like when you’re right next door underground? Maybe this would drive them away, maybe they had already left. Jesus, I thought I was done worrying about beavers!
Yes our other beavers stayed through a much tougher time but they had four small youngsters to worry about packing along. Even if current mom was already pregnant it was certainly easier to travel with them all ‘on board’ so to speak.
Would they be gone already?
Jon and I had been watching the tide and saw that today was an ideal time to visit. So we braved the smoky predawn and headed downstream. There was a fire last night in the hills behind Rankin park and they were still guarding the embers when we drove down. I was ready for a doomed site with a broken dam and empty waters, and possibly scorched earth. Instead I saw this almost as soon as we arrived.
A beaver! Munching in that lovely untroubled way they have. A train whistle blasted and I thought the hammer of the pile driver might not be much worse. The beaver swam back and forth across the pond, and got in a little tussle with a raccoon that was crossing the dam. Then made a broad show of sitting possessively in the middle to indicate who was in charge.
I always forget how hardy and resilient beavers are! They put my pale courage entirely to shame. I think of that little disperser nursing a drip into a pond on the Guadalupe River and realize they are not afraid to commit. Even when the sky looks dark.
We didn’t just see one beaver this morning. We saw two. Here the smaller male is swimming up to see what the female (on the left) is eating and find out if she feels like sharing. Spoiler Alert: She does NOT.
How many times had I stood by the creek thinking the lyrics to our national anthem applied to beavers? A hundred? A hundred hundred?
“Gave proof thru the night, that our beaver was still there.“
I’m sure they’ll be more banging this morning, and I’m sure I’ll keep worrying whether they will finally have such big headaches and move out in a huff. But TODAY my heart is beaver-blessed and I only can think of this over and over.
More to smile about this morning from our old friend Skip Lisle and the great state of Vermont. This is such a well written article I’m tempted to post the whole thing. Go read it all, and sit grab the popcorn tor this cheerful beaver battle.
Stowe officials, residents argue about beaver trapping
Beavers be dammed, Stowe can agree, but there’s conflict over the best way to vanquish the varmints.Beavers build dams to ensure a supply of deep water, but those dams can change the flow of water through an ecosystem and, if they collapse, threaten public and private properties.
Galdenzi said trapping beavers leaves room for more beavers to take their places and can actually result in higher beaver reproduction rates, making the problem worse, not better.
“I want the select board to consider pursuing nonlethal means” of control, Galdenzi said.
Instead of traps, Protect Our Wildlife advocates use of Beaver Deceivers, trapezoidal devices that create a screen over culverts, allowing water to flow through even if beavers try to build a dam there.
Beaver Deceiver inventor Skip Lisle of Grafton says his device is a specialized kind of flow device.
“You’re basically controlling damming behavior by sneaking water away from beavers,” Lisle explained. “You’re controlling water levels with a combination of fences that keep beavers out and water in. It makes their presence irrelevant.”
Lisle says on average, it costs $2,500 per culvert for him to install a flow device.
“It’s a very good investment,” he said. “It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean and maintain a culvert without one. It’s the greatest investment I can imagine.”
“Trapping is not a long-term solution,” Aberth said. “More beavers will move in. Humane solutions make more sense.”
Whooohooohoo! Stowe steps up to beaver central! I could listen to these folks argue all day.
Oh and I’m posting this ‘just cuz’. Lots of people did an amazing job on the fire last night. But I’m going to wager the carquinez strait helped the most.
