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Or should I say “Kit’s”?

**“Gave proof through the night, that our beavers were still there.”**

Picture proves beavers still thriving in Devon

In November the BBC reported the concerns of some local people that they had not had sightings of beavers on the River Otter for some weeks. This ‘disappearance’ was then reported by national newspapers. However, Devon Wildlife Trust has now come forward with evidence which shows that the beavers are still there, although they may have relocated their homes, known as lodges, along the river.

Devon Wildlife Trust is leading the River Otter Beaver Trial – a five year study of what is believed to be the first population of breeding beavers living wild in the English countryside for several centuries. The charity has said that it is currently monitoring four ‘active areas’ along the river where it has seen fresh evidence of the beavers’ presence.

Mark Elliott is the Trial’s manager and said:

“We knew the beavers had not ‘disappeared’ but it’s good to be able to report recent evidence showing that they are still active on the river. Beavers are mobile animals and it’s quite common for them to shift their lodges and feeding grounds. There’s lots of room for beavers on this river so it’s unsurprising that they have relocated from the places that we saw them last spring and summer.”

Whooo hoo! I’m a sucker for any story that has a chapter about missing beavers that suddenly show themselves to be doing just fine, thank you very much. Winter is a notoriously hard time to see beavers, whether they’re in Martinez or Napa or Devon. But it’s good to see sign, and it’s not very often that the media prints a photo of a beaver chewed tree with such joy. What a pleasure!

“As we move into the New Year and the daylight hours lengthen beavers will be active at dusk and dawn. If people do see them then it’s important they let us know so that we can get a clearer picture of the beavers’ numbers and locations.”

People with information can let the charity know if they see a beaver via email on beavers@devonwildlifetrust.org with details of the date, time, exact location and whether the beaver has a coloured ear tag.

The River Otter Beaver Trial receives no government funding. Devon Wildlife Trust is urging people to offer their support via its website

I’m pretty sure it’s good luck to drop a little coin in their beaver fountain and make a wish for Martinez beavers to show up too. In the mean time let’s just remember that beavers show themselves in mysterious ways and have a merry christmas!

Meanwhile the New Jersey whiners are still complaining about beavers. Apparently the free help they received from BWW and Beaver Solutions just wasn’t help-y enough. And they need more deadly assistance right away.

Beavers’ Dams Flood Toms River Neighborhood

“Killing animals because we find them inconvenient should not be an option. Beavers are clever, industrious, family-oriented animals and necessary to the ecosystem and we now know it is possible to live beside them without conflict,” said Veronica Van Hof, executive director of Unexpected Wildlife Refuge.

The two most widely-used trapping methods are inefficient and inhuman, she said. As a result of the meeting with officials, she learned the township will likely use a trap that drowns the beaver or another that crushes the animal, snapping its neck.

**Politicians Discussing Climate Change: Isaac Cordal**

Sometimes when you throw the drowning man a rope he says, no not THAT rope. I want the other one. To tell the truth, I’m not really hopeful for Tom’s River. They’re just going to keep pushing headlines that say “beavers are flooding us” until the day after Christmas when they can start trapping. But it’s good that Veronica is cutting her teeth so to speak. Now she needs to learn to stop saying nice things and start saying THIS WILL SAVE YOU MONEY. Which is also true and slightly harder to ignore.

Not that cities can’t choose to ignore anything they wish, of course.

This new short film will answer a lot of questions about what’s been going on near highway 37, it’s 5 days old and nicely made. We’re hoping they’re kind to beavers that show up. But the SLT has lots of beaver friends in their ranks. So I’m optimistic.

Enjoy.

Toms River’s dam dilemma

Leave it to the beavers.

Township Engineer Robert Chankalian points out a clogged drain. Beavers are wreaking havoc for residents along Lake Placid Drive and Oak Glen Road by clogging the drainage systems along the lake between the two roads. Toms River, NJ Wednesday, November 18, 2015 @dhoodhood (Photo: Doug Hood/Staff Photographer)

The industrious, brown-furred rodents have been building dams in Lake Placid here, and some residents say that flooding caused by the busy beavers threatens their yards and homes. Beavers have become a big problem in this part of Toms River — so much so that it’s already cost Toms River some $75,000 to $80,000 to put in drainage facilities to dissuade the beavers, but the efforts aren’t working, said Business Administrator Paul Shives.

“For the past three years, the width of the stream has widened four to five times,” Lake Placid Drive resident Anthony Gural said at a recent Township Council meeting. “It’s approximately seven feet from my property.”

Come on, just 75,000 to 80,000 to dissuade the beavers? They are very hard to dissuade. Is that ALL you can manage lying about? In Martinez we said beavers cost the cities hundreds of thousands, $375,000 to be exact. We even got a gullible reporter from the LA Times to repeat it. I mean its just a made up number. Why not make a big one?

Regardless of how much the oddly named Tom’s River has spent valiantly hiring backhoes or throwing keg parties to discourage the beavers, it just hasn’t worked. Awww. Lucky for them New Jersey happens to be the home of the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge. So newly minted director Veronica Van hof called her many beaver friends to the plate. This morning she announced that Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions will consult for free. And Owen Brown of Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife will pitch in if he needs a helper.

Their local Patch reports:

Beavers Vexing Toms River Resident

An animal group that operates a sanctuary was meeting informally with township officials on Monday in an attempt to convince officials not to kill the animals.

“More humane, compassionate and ethical methods of discouraging beavers from damming waterways and causing flooding exist. In the long run, these preferred methods are more successful and actually save money,” a member of the group Unexpected Wildlife Refuge, which takes particular interest in beavers.

I’d say they take a particular interest in beavers. The refuge was started by Hope Buyukmihci and her husband, with a special dedication to the animals. Here’s a favorite photo of Hope that should make her feelings fairly clear.

I would caution that the battle isn’t over yet, I mean just because the solution is offered there’s no telling if it will be accepted. And the rights of property owners versus the rights of beavers is never a fair fight. But I’m hopeful with all these good players involved there’s at least a chance for a Happy New Year.

In the mean time there was a LOVELY look at beavers on Wild Canada the other day, which I think I can share with you for a while. And before you say to yourself, beavers hrmph, who needs to see more of them, let me tell you that the beautiful documentary contains a NEVER BEFORE SEEN DISCOVERY of muskrat behavior in the beaver lodge. You will NOT believe it. The whole thing is excellent and the clip starts with great wolverine footage, which is pretty rare too. I’d watch it all the way through when you have time before it ceases to be available.