CASTOR CALIFORNIA CSI:

Yesterday was full beaver CSI day. With multiple CDFW scientists weighing in on the beaver with a hole in her tail and whether or not it was a bullet wound. At one point there was even discussion of whether the ‘entry’ and ‘exit’ of the possible bullet made sense with the wound. In the end I was informed that it was mostly likely damage from a radio tag that had ripped out and that in fact these had been used in California at various times.

Okay’ brace yourself for this, but Radio tags are affixed to the beavers tail after a hole is first made with a punch OR a power drill and provides researchers information about dispersal and habits. They generally occur higher up on the tail so the antenna has room to hang down, which one science officer said might have been why this one ripped out. It was remarkable to hear the wildlife biologist from FRESNO CDFW say that this had been done in California, because I didn’t know anyone in California thought beavers were worth studying certainly not anyone in Fresno!. But no one could say yet if it was currently or if it was happening where it was happening. They are looking into it and will let me know, Which would be very interesting indeed.

Because odds our our mother beaver in was an escapee. The missing piece!

Beaver supporters like us were all mortified to think of beavers living with holes in their tails or being drilled or punched even under sedation. At one point I heatedly observed that if researchers really wanted to know about where beavers go and what they do they should frickin’ WATCH them every day like we did in Martinez for 1o years. We recognized mother beaver by her tail markings. And they could too.

Vanessa Petro (who was very helpful all day and part of the DNA work in Oregon.) Has tagged many beavers over the years and knows what works and what the options were thought our recognizing mom by her tail was funny because sometimes when the researchers would ‘lose’ a tag through misplacement or accident they would still identify the beaver by the mark in its tail.

Well, of course they did. I thought and sent her this. Note the tail.

Martinez only has 142 years to go!

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Who's saving beavers now? October 21, 2015

This is a pretty exciting study. Especially for us here in beaver-forlorn Martinez. There are a lot of things it doesn’t do, like emphasize the ecological cost of removing beavers from creeks. But the part that I know will interest Worth A Dam is the fact that when she went back and analyzed this historical data, beavers favored maintaining their ponds in pretty much the same dam area.

U.P. study shows long-term impact of beaver ‘engineering’

Many of its engineering feats are still evident on the landscape after more than 150 years — longer than such other engineering marvels as the Eiffel Tower, the Mackinac Bridge, the Trans-Siberian Railroad and Toronto’s CN Tower have stood.

The proof is visible in the continued existence of dozens of Ishpeming-area beaver ponds first mapped in 1868, according to newly published research.

“This study shows remarkable consistency in beaver pond placement over the last 150 years, despite some land use changes that altered beaver habitats,” ecologist Carol Johnston wrote in the study. “This constancy is evidence of the beaver’s resilience and a reminder that beaver works have been altering the North American landscape for centuries.”

And in an interview, Johnston said a major lesson from the study is that beavers come back to the same spots on the landscape and reuse them time and time again. That means wildlife managers and public lands managers can expect beavers to return.

There are SO many things I love about this article but that last sentence is the money shot. If new beavers are drawn to ideal landscapes then getting rid of them every time isn’t the answer. Installing a working flow device will prevent family A from flooding your road. And family B, C, and D. Why don’t people realize that beavers chose those spots for a reason and, just like the thickly accented ex-govinator, “They’ll be BACK.”

Dr. Johnston misses a few details along the way, like here where she contradicts Michael Pollock’s earlier work and ignores his most recent work. For some reason, the region is CONVINCED that Western findings don’t apply to their unique special dams (or trout), so I’m not surprised she said this. Hmmm, maybe we could trap her and Pollock in a jar, shake it up and make them fight it out?

I know I’d watch.

Obviously the most important thing about this study is that it suggests that if beavers come back to the same area time and time again, this probably wasn’t the first time that beavers moved into Alhambra Creek. And it won’t be the last. In fact the odds are their dam was in nearly the same place! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me!

Now another word on the previously mentioned beaver genome project. This time from our friend Vanessa Petro in Oregon. She’s the assistant to Dr. Jimmy Taylor at USDA working on the project. She writes:

“Here’s why folks should “give a dam’” about this project:

1. This is the first to ever sequence the beaver genome!
2. It would greatly contribute to our existing knowledge of this species and aid in their future management worldwide!
3. We may gain insight into the beaver’s complex dam-building behavior.
4. Researchers would be able to examine the small scale genetic differences between individuals across various spatial and temporal scales.
5. We can make scientific history together!
Please support and help us spread the word about this campaign! If you’re looking for a chuckle, check out our recent campaign video (located on our website link) taken at a local dam site with our beaver expert and some very special guests.

Thanks for your support!

Folkmanis to the rescue! Support Vanessa and her adorable beaver helpers by going here and donating to this important work. They have 70 donors so far and need about 200 more. So pass it on, because beavers lives matter.

Vanessa Petro
Faculty Research Assistant
Dept. of Forest Ecosystems and Society
Oregon State University
321 Richardson Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331

And give it up for our delicate city workers who removed all the silt in the creek that was easy to reach. You can see from Lory’s photo here how much they left under the bridges where it was harder to use their toys. I’m sure that’s fine, because its not like our creek constricts around bridge areas during flooding anyway. Right?

Yet another reason to be happy about Dr. Johnson’s historic research. It means our city will only need to coexist with beavers another 142 years! They’ll be so relieved.

Friends in USDA places

heidi08 Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, Educational, Environmental, Who's saving beavers now? August 23, 2015

Learn about beaver at watershed meeting

COQUILLE — The Coquille Watershed Association will host Dr. Jimmy Taylor and Vanessa Petro from Oregon State University, who will present “Understanding Beaver in the Beaver State.”

The presentation will start at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24 in the Owen Building at 201 North Adams in Coquille.

Taylor is a project leader for the USDA’s National Wildlife Research Center and a faculty member in OSU’s College of Forestry. His presentation will include an overview of past and active beaver research studies in Oregon, as well as recommendations for managing landscapes that include beavers.

Petro is a faculty research assistant at Oregon State University and conducts field research with the USDA’s National Wildlife Research Center. She will present the preliminary results for the Oregon Coast Range American Beaver Genetics Study.

USDA has a pretty bad rap when it comes to beavers, or any living creature whatsoever really, but Jimmy Taylor is an exception, who has worked from the inside to promote and research flow devices, and who a million years ago helped me in fine tuning what to say to our city to let our beavers stay. (I’m not sure he would appreciate being called an exception, but this is my website and I can say it if I want to.) I did an interview with him a while back, which you can listen to here.