Autumn watching Beavers

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and climate change, Beavers and Forests, Beavers and Ice, Beavers elsewhere, Who's saving beavers now? October 28, 2017

You’ll be happy to know that the beavers in Hope Valley on the west fork of the carson river are doing just fine. We counted 7 dams yesterday in the cool clear flat water edged by leafless aspen and tamarack. It looks like nobody is messing with their idyllic lifestyle in the curvy shallows of the carson and we were happy about that! I’m sure they’re hard at work in these last warm autumn days to stock up that food cache for the winter. Good luck!

It is also very good news for us that one of our best beaver buddies in the UK is very tech savvy and made sure the complete autumn watch episode on the Cornish beavers was online and shareable. I’m not thanking them by name because the BBC frowns on this sort of thing! This is a rare treat so even if you never ever watch any video I post WATCH THIS! Trust me.

Wasn’t that amazing? They are being so smart about this, with the baseline study and the careful followup! Hurray for the farmer who had the sense to step into the forefront of this issue and allow his land to be reborn.

You never know where unexpected beaver friends will come from next. Here’s a fine defense of Heron pond from the Cabinet Press in New Hampshire! The author, Suzanne Fournier, is not at all happy with the actions of the conservation commission in charge.

Anti-conservation move must be opposed

The Milford Conservation Commission voted on Oct. 12 to lower Heron Pond by a foot! It’s quite an arbitrary decision, motivated not by what’s in the best interest of the pond and the threatened and endangered wildlife it sustains, but by vague expressions from the Public Works Director that the water is high enough already.

In summer 2014, Director Riendeau’s crew destructively lowered Heron Pond by four feet, absent a real emergency. The beavers eventually repaired the breached dam.

In fall 2014, along the Rail Trail, the CC had beaver pipes installed so low down that three ponds were drained of much of their water, one of them the lovely place called Dickerman’s Pond.

The CC members should be educating themselves more about the value and functions of a healthy wetland like Heron Pond that actually plays a major role in flood prevention.

They would also learn that drawing down Heron Pond with its Blanding’s and spotted turtles during the fall violates the directives in the N.H. Wildlife Action Plan that says turtles would likely die.

This anti-conservation move on the part of the CC must be opposed by all who care about wetlands and wildlife.

Nicely put! I honestly think this is a historic first for beaver reporting. Never before have I seen any paper or person complain about a flow device installed TOO LOW so that too much water drains away. Even in Martinez we didn’t complain about that because we were too grateful the pond and the beavers got to stay at all! Keep the pressure on, Suzanne. We think you’re doing ponds a great service!

Defending your Beavers

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Who's saving beavers now? October 23, 2014

Beaver habitat topic of concern

Now after yesterday’s horrors, any sane person reading this headline from The Cabinet in Milford, New Hampshire, would obviously suspect that the concerns were mosquitoes, flooding or giardiasis. But any sane person would be WRONG because this is actually the exceedingly rare and absolutely best kind of concern.

MILFORD – Residents were back before selectmen last week to complain about the breaching of a beaver dam at Heron Pond. It was the second time since the Department of Public Works breached the dam in August that residents, lead by local environmental activist Suzanne Fournier, went to a selectmen’s meeting.

Fournier said removing part of the dam, which was done by hand, resulted in mud flats and harmed many kinds of wildlife.

Ahh Suzanne! We read about her almost exactly a month ago – the last time they did this. Apparently they haven’t learned much although Suzanne has been doing her homework. The good news is that this time school is back in session and she brought friends.

Several other residents went to the microphone at the Oct. 13 Board of Selectmen’s meeting to say they were unhappy with the dam breaching, including Suzanne Schedin, a teacher at Heron Pond School, who said the town should reconsider the decisions made 14 years ago when the 270-acre Brox property was purchased to see if development is a good idea.

Chairman Gary Daniels conceded that town officials should have involved the Conservation Commission in its decision about dam breaching, and Audrey Frazier, commission chairwoman asked the board if they could be informed the next time work is done to the pond.

Have you noticed how development is always lurking in the wings? The article describes how the selectman responded with the usual weaseling, saying the pond had just been altered, not drained and they shouldn’t worry so much and “Work together for the town.” Grr. But if I were one of these very select group of men I would pay attention to the fact the Blue Heron School is an elementary and if they’re not very, very careful they will wind up at the next meeting with a room full of these: (The original weasel deflectors).

(That reminds me, I have to send an email to some teachers.)

In the mean time, if you haven’t seen the scathing editorial from the Contra Costa times about one of our own ‘select men’ you really should read it. And I know this website isn’t supposed to be political but the endorsed candidate Mark Thompson is a friend of our beavers and came to the recent Beaver Safari. Incumbent Lara Delaney who is also endorsed, faught for a chance to be on the beaver sub-committee. And Gay Gerlack who is running for mayor spoke up for the beavers at the original meeting in November 2007.

Coincidence?

In the Shadow of greatness, there oft Stupid lies

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Massachusetts Trapping Law, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? October 23, 2014

I’m still scratching my head about this article on Port Orchard in Kitsap county. The area actually borders Kings and Snohomish counties which boast the most enduring record of progressive beaver management in the world. They are literally in throwing distance of better solutions everydirection they face. I recognize the reporters name because I’ve written about her glowing intelligent reporting on beavers before. And now this.

Persistent beavers frustrate county workers

PORT ORCHARD — It’s one dam problem that keeps coming back.

Kitsap County crews have been battling beavers for more than a month below the Long Lake Bridge near Port Orchard.

The persistent beavers keep rebuilding a dam, which the county removed last week for the third time since Aug. 8, according to Tony Carroll, with the county roads division.

Beavers can cause roads to flood, endangering drivers.

Trapping and removing the animals has been the county’s answer, until its certified, locally contracted trapper was hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, leaving the county without a trapper.

Now, the county is asking the department to help handle the beavers with a $15,000 contract through the end of the year.

So the previous county trapper loved his work so much that he got hired by USDA and now they are subcontracting the work out with a 15,000 a year contract. Hey, I bet you didn’t know that the old name for Kitsap county used to be SLAUGHTER county. Coincidence?

Typically, the county has about two or three beaver incidents a year when it can trap and remove beavers, according to Andrew Nelson, Kitsap County public works director.

So 5000 dollars a family? That’s your budget? Maybe I’m in the wrong line of work. I couldn’t believe the article didn’t at least mention flow devices, and then I got to this.

Beaver deceivers, specialized fencing to deter beavers and allow fish to migrate, have been placed in some areas to prevent the animals from building dams.

The county and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe teamed up in 2010 to place a beaver deceiver by a culvert along 288th Street in North Kitsap.

While the fencing is a deterrent, it’s not guaranteed to keep out beavers.

“Believe it or not, they still manage to build inside that culvert,” Carroll said.

Of course they do, those scheming beavers. with their cunning ways and wire-clippers. It couldn’t be that you put them in WRONG or anything, could it? You know, far be it from me be like the loyal republican who says, “Conservatism never fails, it can only BE failed” – but in this case the tools are automatically suspect. I want to see that beaver deceiver that failed. And Beaver Deceivers helping fish migration? I blame Mike Callahan for that. I knew his specially adapted flow devices would give people the wrong idea. And here’s proof.

For the record, they’re helping fish maneuver the flow device, not the dam.

________________________________________________________

On that note, we will say goodbye to the “you’ve got to be kidding me” in Kitsap story, and talked about our favorite topic. Citizens protecting beavers. This time in Milford, New Hampshire.

Breach of Milford beaver dam upsets some residents

MILFORD – A few residents joined environmental activist Suzanne Fournier Monday night as she continued to criticize town officials for breaching the dam at Heron Pond.

Fournier, who wrote in a letter to the editor of The Cabinet last week that removing part of the dam will harm many animal species, told selectmen someone should have consulted the town Conservation Commission and teachers at the nearby Heron Pond elementary school before the work was done.

“Many teachers are very upset about the loss of this beautiful pond,” she said, and the reasons given for the breach “are not credible.”

There were complaints about turtles and frogs and a ruined Great Blue Heron Rookery. The Conservation Commission who gave the orders has little to say for itself, but gosh, they’re thinking about using a flow device next time.

Selectmen did not respond to the comments, but Fred Elkind, the town’s environmental programs coordinator, said last week that no real harm was done to the dam or the pond by the breaching, which was done in August.

The Conservation Commission is looking into the possibility of installing a pipe and fence system, he said, that could help control beaver activity, as Fournier has suggested.

Now you’re thinking about following her advice? Now that you’ve tried every conceivable way to ruin things on your own? I think your body is laboring under a misnomer.

You should be called the “Destruction Commission”.

And Suzanne, Worth A Dam is VERY proud of you and your neighbors. Your next step is to get the kids in those classrooms and bring them on a fieldtrip to the ruined dam. It’s a science project on habitat and ecosystems. Have them all draw something that was harmed by the damaged wetlands. You know, the frogs and the fish and the blue herons. Invite the art teacher to cut them out and put them on a mural. And oh, call the media and invite them to photograph kids at the ruined dam.

That flow device will start looking better and better to those commissioners. I guarantee it.