That was a fairly bizarre day. I started it with a 2 hour interview with grad student Zane Eddy about the beavers in Martinez and I finished it with a live viewing of Beaver Believers hosted by BeaverWorks in Oregon.
Did I ever do anything else with my life? I can’t remember,
Anyway there interview with Zane was fun, just a little PTSD inducing. Mostly interesting to think about why Martinez turned out differently than most beaver tales. He wonders whether its something to do with John Muir’s influence on all our emerging spirits. I don’t know. I guess its as good a theory as any. This is what the “Human Dimension’ page has to say about the project at Humboldt State.
Zane Eddy
Project: On the management of urban beavers in Martinez, CA
- Beavers provide a myriad of ecosystem benefits that can help to mitigate the damaging effects of climate change, but when they come into contact with humans, they are often viewed as a nuisance. In California, the most common management solution is lethal management, but in 2007, Martinez, CA, decided to coexist with a family of beavers that had moved into the Alhambra Creek that runs through town. My research examines the various management decisions considered by city managers and how these management decisions relate to statewide policy.
Nice to talk to someone who had watched the meetings and could comment “Public comment just kept coming like a wave!”. And also agree that Mary Tappel’s cardboard presentation at the april meeting was kind of bizarre. Anyway, he’s off to talk to others now, Fro and Igor and Cassy Campbell. Let the beaver story be told. He had a phrase for what I was in the story. I was struck by it and immediately forgot it after we talked. Something that means I was a key mover of information and the story. It’s a little overwhelming to think about it,, which is why it probably fell right out of my hear.
Speaking of key movers, this clip is from Jim and Judy Atkinson of Port Moody BC. I had told her that one thing I had never seen was a flow device doing its job underwater. And she braved lots and lots of cottonwood fluff to give it a try with the go pro.
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Isn’t that cool? Don’t you just expect to see a mermaid swimming by?
At the end of the day I got to go to the movies on my couch and attend the zoom Beaver Works meeting meeting folks involved in beaver restoration in East Oregon and watching Sarah’s great film: The Beaver Believers, I had forgotten how soon after the stark fire it was filmed in Washington and Kent Woodruff comes across much more alarmed and heartbroken than I’ve seen him. There is a wonderful healing clip though of him watching beavers emerge in their beautiful pond that survived the fire and it is just so beautiful to watch him watching them. Been there done that, you know?
Mary Obrien and Suzanne were awesome in their roles and of course Sherri stole the show. Martinez was a tiny admirable segment at the end, and I didn’t suck, so that was a relief. All in all I was really happy that its making the film festival rounds and getting itself seen far and wide.
Now I have three days left to finish four more slides and get ready for the meeting monday, Hearts and minds baby. Lets hope we win some over.
