This lovely image is from the independent newspaper “Moonshine Ink”, covering Truckee and North Lake Tahoe. A letter to the editor caught my attention, outraged that a family of beavers had been killed near Kings Beach. Apparently the decision was defended with the timeless argument “Beavers aren’t native” to Lake Tahoe.
After the fit of apoplexy that resulted in my nearly swallowing my own keyboard, I coughed out a letter in response and then ran straight to our local historian to implore him to the wikipedia rescue. He kindly stopped what he was doing and dispatched a salient and heavily researched “ecology” piece pitched to all those SUV bumper stickers that read “Keep Tahoe Blue”. Check it out.
Beaver (Castor canadensis) were re-introduced to the Tahoe Basin by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U. S. Forest Service between 1934 and 1949. Descended from no more than nine individuals, 1987 beaver populations on the upper and lower Truckee River had reached a density of 0.72 colonies (3.5 beavers) per kilometer.[21] Despite controversy that beaver are not native to the area, the historic range of beaver included all areas of the United States, excepting southern Florida, and even reached the deserts bordering Mexico on the Rio Grande and Colorado Rivers.[22] Until recently, beaver were considered pests who caused flooding and impaired the passage of spawning trout and salmon. However, water levels in beaver dams can be easily controlled with flow devices;[23] and it has been shown that trout and salmon move freely across beaver dams.[24] In spite of the published literature, all of the beaver dams in Taylor Creek, which flows from Fallen Leaf Lake to Lake Tahoe, are destroyed annually each fall by the U. S. Forest Service in order for Kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) to spawn. A recent study of Taylor Creek showed that the beaver dam removal decreased wetland habitat, increased stream flow, and increased total phosphorus pollutants entering Lake Tahoe – all factors which negatively impact the clarity of the lake’s water.[25] In addition, beaver dams located in Ward Creek, located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, were also shown to decrease nutrients and sediments traveling downstream (United States Geologic Survey 2002). Beavers increase wetland areas which trap sediments and improve water quality. The presence of beaver dams has also been shown to either increase the number of fish, their size, or both, including a study of brook, rainbow and brown trout in Sagehen Creek, which flows into the Little Truckee River at an altitude of 5,800 feet and is a stream typical of the eastern slope of the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains.[26] Unfortunately, in November, 2009 a beaver family was caught in snares underwater and drowned in a King’s Beach, California stream when Placer County Fish and Game ordered their removal for fear that the beaver would cause flooding.[27]
Ahh it’s great when friends come to the rescue. Does anyone from the area have a photo of these beavers? He’s looking for a family portrait to add to the text. I know we have a beaver supporter in truckee, just can’t remember their name. If you’re reading this, write and remind me? In the meantime, my meager skills can only offer this:
