Valley of the Moon Lecture

“What a coincidence!” Mrs. Hale exclaimed. “For this is the Valley of the Moon.” “I know it,” Saxon said with quiet confidence. “It has everything we wanted.” “But you don’t understand, my dear. This is the Valley of the Moon. This is Sonoma Valley. Sonoma is an Indian word, and means the Valley of the Moon. That was what the Indians called it for untold ages before the first white men came. We, who love it, still so call it.”

Jack Lonon: The Valley of the Moon

So I’m off to Jack London country this week, apparently the Miwok and Pomo thought the moon (or moons) rose from this region. Makes sense to me. I spent yesterday coaxing my Martinez Beaver presentation from its whittled 40 minutes-slot in Oregon into the 90 minutes I’ll have in Sonoma. I hope to spread the beaver gospel to the curious and disbelieving in attendance. I hear it will be a challenge. A few years back some very California beavers ate the grapevines in the area and caused quite a stir among the community. The reporter from the tribune and Tom Rusert my host asked me specifically to address issue this so I spent some time on the conundrum and did some investigations while I had the chance!

At the conference Leonard Houston and the Oregon folk said exclusion fencing > Mike Callahan offered the idea of electric fencing installed at a 6 inch height> Skip Lisle by email suggested maybe having it on a solar panel>and Brock Dolman said that solar paneled livestock fencing was used all the time. He pointed out that electric wire comes in different thicknesses for the different livestock you’re trying to control, and recommended poultry wire for beavers. Everyone liked this idea provided that care was taken to watch that beavers, who do not climb, don’t dig under the fence!

So there you have it. The benefit of many experts in one room. Hopefully we can persuade a few brave and humane souls to try it out.

Speaking of experts at the conference, Dr. Ursula Bechert, DVM, Ph.D. from Oregon State University asked me to post the description of her upcoming study using beavers as an indicator species to measure Persistent Organic Pollutants at higher elevations, where they are observed to accumulate. Beavers are studied because they are exposed twice (land and water) and provide a useful read of the data available. Hmmm I knew beavers had a harder job than humans! On a related note I heard from Dr. Glynnis Hood yesterday that she was pleased with the article in the Globe and Mail but disappointed that the temperature in Alberta that day was -36C degrees. (!!!) I think I will stop complaining right away. Still I’m thinking she may have to add some seasonal soap-bubble experiments to her extensive beaver research.

Look what showed up in the comment section for Gary Bogue’s recent article on the Martinez Beavers! A guide to living with beavers from the Born Free Foundation. Click on the thumbnails below to read it or on the logo to download your own copy.

This was a collaboration with Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife and does a good job introducing concepts about flow devices and beaver benefits. I’m not sure the “frequently asked questions” are the three I would have chosen. (What about smell? Really? I’ve read well over three thousand beaver complaints and honestly the issue of smell has never really comes up.) I would have stayed with with FISH PASSAGE, mosquitoes, flooding, trees and overpopulation.

But that’s just me.

Still its another excellent resource to distribute and I’ll add pile.

I sent the article in the East Bay Express Blog to the Niels Udsen, co-owner of Castoro Cellars and 2010 ‘wine industry person of the year’. He made a generous donation to the Silent Auction last year and I wanted to let him know what we were up to. He wrote back, “Dam, that’s fine reading!”