So yesterday I had a chance to meet with new beaver-friend Brock Dolman and walk him around the dams. He had fascinating questions and things to say about the flora and fauna in the area. One thing that has him particularly motivated at the moment is the reintroduction project for beavers in the Russian River Area. He would like to work with the salmon people to spread the news about beavers helping salmon, and use that as a foothold to get them viewed in a different way. Potential rather than Pest.
He obviously didn’t have to do much convincing with me!
Still, I wanted to make sure to show him the flow device and talk about its value, because after three years of following these stories, it is clear to me that the future of beavers is inextricably tied to the future of flow devices and culvert fences. People are going to complain and worry about water height. They are going to get upset about road flooding. Even if the salmon personally swam onto their doorstep, there will be no way to convince them to keep beavers without some proven management tools. The techniques may be out there, but having someone knowledgeable implement them makes the difference between a device that works and pays for itself many times over, and a failed installation that allows beaver-foes to say pedantically “those things never work”. (See Mary Tappel and the Entire Department of CA Fish & Game!)
So where are the professional installers? Well first and foremost is Skip Lisle of Vermont. He is the inventor of the “beaver deceiver” and learned his trade back with the Penobscot Nation where he discovered that beavers dislike trapezoidal shapes and won’t build dams against fences in that shape. Skip travels around the country and around the world doing installs, and training. He installed our successful flow device which will be 2 years old on Saturday.
In the late 90’s, Mike and Ruth Callahan attended a Humane Society workshop on beavers and formed the Pioneer Valley Wetland Volunteers. Mike trained with Skip Lisle and learned the ropes, gradually building a great demand for his skills around the State of Massachusetts. Eventually he quit the day job and started the business of Beaver Solutions. Mike Feels strongly that the best way to increase the beaver population is to teach more people about successful beaver management. He received an AWI grant last year to do just that. His DVD will be launched in the Spring.
Jake Jacobsen is the watershed steward for Stillaquamish county in Washington State. He teaches local property owners in his jurisdiction the ins and outs of beaver management. He also works with several non-profits around the area to teach the installation of flow devices and culvert blockers. In his spare time (?) Jake manages his own, international nonprofit, dedicated to protecting watersheds. Meanwhile, the savvy Washington state also boasts The Lands Council, with not one but two Vista Corp trainees learning the skills of beaver management. They are responsible for the Beaver solution video, and boast the very best beaver site on the web. (sniff)
Mary O’Brien is the Utah Forests Manager for the Grand Canyon Trust. She was the powerhouse behind the “Working Beaver Conference” and a major force for beaver advocacy in Utah. Remember, Utah’s State Department of Wildlife is introducing a state wide beaver management program this year, so they know their flow devices.
Ned Bruha (AKA: The Skunk Whisperer) is a rockstar of wildlife rescue out in Oklahoma where he uses humane methods to manage all kinds of wildlife problems. Ned has been particularly interested in communicating with Worth A Dam about beavers, and we recently put him in touch with Mike Callahan to get some flow device pointers.
Sharon & Owen Brown, of Beavers Wetlands & Wildlife, are trustees of the beaver sanctuary bequeathed by famous advocate Dorothy Richards in New York State. They are connected to all the beaver developments around the nation and are a wealth of information about flow devices and their installation.
Sarah Summerville is the trustee of the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, which is the inherited organization and lands of well know beaver advocate Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci. Sarah is a great beaver friend herself and has learned a thing or two about flow devices.
Last but certainly not least, Skip Hilliker is a former trapper and new found beaver management advocate in Connecticut. He is an employee of the Humane Society for that state, and spends the year doing beaver installations.
Okay, that should be a basic introduction. Here’s some footage to give you the idea.
