IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES: IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES

heidi08 Beavers May 22, 2020

There’s no denying it anymore. I have a strange life. A beaver life. I spend three days in a mad dash to save some doomed beavers and am elated to see the effort accurately reflected in a fantastic article in the East Bay Times by Judy Prieve.. Normal people, of course, would just be saddened at the outcome. And I am too. But I am far past normal. And I see all the shades of gray that make this tragedy a step forward.

Even the title is a step forward. Yesterday this article was posted with the [mis]lead “Euthanizing beavers living in East Bay creek causes concern. Today it has a much better headline.

Hackles raised after county-hired trapper kills two pesky beavers

A county-hired trapper’s shooting of two beavers in an eastern Contra Costa County creek has triggered a backlash from animal lovers and spurred area leaders to look for ways to help the critters co-exist with humans.

Because the beavers were building dams in Oakley’s Marsh Creek and possibly eroding the waterway’s banks and gnawing on Creekside Park’s trees, officials from the Contra Costa County Flood Control Division asked the the California Department of Fish and Wildlife several weeks ago for permission to get rid of them.

The state agency issued the county permits to kill up to five beavers in the coming year, according to Allison Knapp, assistant director of county public works, which oversees flood control.

The county contracted a trapper who shot the two beavers on site, she said. Their mud-and-stick handiwork also was destroyed because they could cause the creek to flood in the rainy season, she added.

The killing didn’t sit well with Heidi Perryman of Martinez, the founder of Worth a Dam, a nonprofit focused on raising awareness for the need to protect wildlife and preserve healthy environments and ecosystems.

“I think it’s a tragedy because this is a public area, inside a park, two blocks from an elementary school,” Perryman said. “It could have been an opportunity to educate and inform and really solve this differently, but that didn’t happen.”

Gosh. That’s a pretty good way to lay out the conflict, isn’t it You can just tell which side is going to win down the line,

The beavers’ demise two weeks ago also came as a shock to Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis of Oakley, former executive director of Friends of Marsh Creek, who said Wednesday she had learned about it only a few days ago.

“With my background in creeks and restoration, I was particularly upset,” Burgis said. “This is not consistent with what flood control does.”

Burgis said Oakley city officials initially notified the county’s flood control when they learned of the dam, but after hearing what happened she told Knapp “this needs to stop immediately.”

Knapp said the channels were designed for flood protection and anything obstructing the creek could diminish its capacity and erode the banks.

“Our duty is to protect the health and safety for residents around. Our goal is flood protection,” she said. “… But this is an unfortunate situation that did happen.”

She said in the future the agency will “look for other ways” to deal with such situations, work with community groups and pursue grants to expand the creek’s flood protection capacity.

I know what you’re thinking, It’s too late for these poor beavers. Why can’t they ever do the right thing earlier? And you’re right. It shouldn’t have been too late. But it is rare that anything like this makes its way into the paper and changes hearts and policy, We have to see this for a victory of sorts,

Sarah Puckett, an American Rivers nonprofit consultant who helped widen the creek in 2012 and is now working to restore another portion a few miles away, admitted beavers can cause damage, but said there are ways to reduce that.

“There are a lot of things you can do to work with the beavers so that they cause less damage for both flooding and trees in order to make it a more friendly environment for everyone,” she said.

Burgis agreed and plans to meet with flood control, Perryman and others to discuss how to co-exist with the beavers and “allow for the most naturalization of the creek.”

Ohhh my goodness. I got a call from her office yesterday to arrange a conference call soon. So it’s really happening.

Perryman said moving or destroying them won’t solve the problem. Moving them from their habitat is illegal and if you kill the beavers, others will simply move in as long as the environment remains untouched, she explained.

“Beavers are a really great way to teach about ecosystems and habitat and really how species get involved with each other and they are really important to wildlife in all kinds of ways,” Perryman said. “They change the food available to fish, they change the fish available to birds and the mammals and that’s really what we saw in Martinez and what could be seen in Oakley if they were able to do it differently.”

Satisfied smile to be given the last word. That so rarely happens, Sometimes things really come together and I say just the right thing. It’s kind of a crap shoot. You never know what will stick with a reporter. And Judy was new, I hadn’t worked with her before and she wasn’t happy originally to be stuck with this story. But boy did she do a great job,

Final comfort? Email this morning from Colin Coffey who is on the board of directors for EBRPD and was involved with the fast moving email chain that followed this unhappy event while we were trying to stop it all from happening. He liked the article too.

I have been sharing all of this with the management of EBRPD and Mike Moran at Big Break. I sent a note to Diane Burgis yesterday thanking her for her intervention to stop this from happening again. Clearly the model for these situations is the Martinez Beavers response and organization. If it were within EBRPD jurisdiction our stewardship people would have never let this happen. I have been attending the Martinez Beaver Festival for the last 10 years as an EBRPD ambassador and am well aware of the work you folks have done. Thank you for your efforts for the Marsh Creek Beavers.

Beam. So that means that any beaver in the East Bay Regional Park District has a fighting chance. Thanks to Colin and our first dear supporter in Martinez the departed Ted Radke who watched out or our beavers from the start. Back when Martinez was being stupid the beaver “EXPERT” reporters would talk to was Mary Tappel who filled their minds with rubbish that took hours to undo. She once told the Gazette that beavers breed for 50 years. And now the out of town expert they seek out is ME.

That’s feels like something to be proud of.

And I have something very special for you if your hearts need comforting. From a beaver friend in rehab in Minnesota. It will make your heart light and ready for the next battle.

Beavers created community

heidi08 City Reports, Environmental August 30, 2016

12 BEAVERS IN BEAVER DAM

The Daily Citizen in Wisconsin released a series of 12 photos chosen to represent the beavers of ‘beaver dam’ which is just outside Milwaukee. I think their beaver imagery leaves a lot to be desired but I was impressed with the fireman who looks more hound than beaver.

Lory wrote last night that her neighbor, Martinez lion and former EBRP ward supervisor Ted Radke had died. Ted was a champion and one of our first official beaver supporters. Many years ago he invited myself and Igor to present at the 70th anniversary of the EBRP and I wrote about it here:

Ted has high regard in my book, as he was one of the first “big names” to show support for the beavers. I read in an EBRP newsletter nearly two years ago that he had shown my beaver videos to the board, and quickly wrote him in appreciation. I got back a lovely handwritten card, thanking me for my work and saying that he and his wife, Kathy enjoyed visiting the beavers from time to time. I was so tickled the card went straight into the scrapbook. One farmer’s market Sunday he strolled by and flipped through the book appreciatively, and was startled to find his own handwriting. (It had to go in the book, was all I could say. Honestly his support was the first indication I got that we might prevail.)

I am more than a little grateful for his help over the years, and saddened by this passing. The list of former beaver champions that have died is getting longer and it’s startling to think about how long this story has been playing out. The original beaver mother died, the original beaver father probably died, and some of their early supporters too. Still, the story marches on.

It comforts me that his bright, honest environmental lawyer son, chairs the PRMCC that has been called many times the best governing body in Martinez. He was clearly raised to respect the city his father loved. It’s the group that approved the mural, all the festivals, and that we see the most of. Ted we will miss you, but your spirit will live on.

How to encourage Monogamy in your Valentine

heidi08 Educational, Environmental February 13, 2009

Thinking your love should be true to you forever? Beavers agree. They take a single mate and stay faithful for the duration of their lives. Although after a mate dies they may seek another, they are not tempted nor do they wander during the 5-10 years they stay together. Beavers have such demanding lives (raising kits, building and maintaining dams) that they don’t have time to squander on recurrent courtship. They make a choice and stick with it, and they are understandably careful about that choice. Sharon Brown of Beavers Wetlands and Wildlife, writes that rejecting a “unsuitable” suitor is definately part of a beavers life experience. They pick carefully and then honor their decision with a lifetime of hard work.

Why am I telling you this with a large 75 in the corner?

You may have heard about it being the 75th anniversary of our East Bay Regional Parks. Think about that for a moment. In 1934 while Hitler was sending out the long knives and American was terrified about the great depression and the huddled masses were hoping the recently elected FDR could bring them out of it, public lands were being set aside for our use today. (It’s no secret that public land is often most easily purchased during a tanking economy, and all the wild creatures that depend on EBRP may thank you very much for your recession if the trend holds). Still, the ability to see down the road to a time when there would be few farms and wild spaces in Contra Costa, required real vision. What will Californians need 75 years from now? What will be in short supply, besides clean water and moderate temperatures?

So on Valentines Day, EBRP will be celebrating at the Martinez-Contra Costa Museum, (the one on Main Street, not Escobar) with our own ward 7 member of the Board of Directors, Ted Radke. Ted will say a few words, thank some friends and then lead a walk from the museum, through the beavers and down to Grangers Wharf. He invited myself and Igor Skaredoff to come along and talk beavers and watershed.

You can bet I’ll be mentioning monogamy.

Ted has high regard in my book, as he was one of the first “big names” to show support for the beavers. I read in an EBRP newsletter nearly two years ago that he had shown my beaver videos to the board, and quickly wrote him in appreciation. I got back a lovely handwritten card, thanking me for my work and saying that he and his wife, Kathy enjoyed visiting the beavers from time to time. I was so tickled the card went straight into the scrapbook. One farmer’s market Sunday he strolled by and flipped through the book appreciatively, and was startled to find his own handwriting.

(It had to go in the book, was all I could say. Honestly his support was the first indication I got that we might prevail.)

So if you’re around Saturday, and looking to encourage a little monogamy in your loved one, you might drop by. I think the walk will begin around three, and the presence of many beaver supporters can only a good thing. Remember that our two yearlings will soon become “Dispersers” and the odds of their ending up in EBRP lands are pretty high.

Always make nice with your potential landlords, is my motto.