Sorry it’s a few days old, I can’t believe this magic escaped my google alerts! But thanks for Pat Russel bringing it to my attention.
Eager B.E.A.V.ers
It began with a birthday dinner.
Peggy Watters was celebrating alongside her husband, Mike, and friends from the neighborhood when Paul Spindel — the Watters’ next door neighbor — turned to her with a strange request.
For almost five years, Spindel, Watters and other neighbors had been dealing with beavers that had taken residence in the creek behind their homes in the Bolton area. Trees had been destroyed, at times chewed more than halfway through before being cut down, and the Watters were forced to install new barriers around their property after a beaver destroyed one of their pear trees.
But this wasn’t an adversarial relationship. The beavers could be a pain, but Watters, Spindel and fellow neighbor Marla Gaarenstroom were also fascinated by their presence and the domino effect it seemed to have on the ecology of the area.
And so it was that during this birthday dinner, about four months ago, Spindel made his request to Peggy Watters.
“I think you need to get a group going,” he said. “I think we need to do something about this.”
Watters agreed, and B.E.A.V. was born.
B.E.A.V., which stands for “Beaver Environmental Advocacy Volunteers,” is an eight-person group intended to help educate residents on what it means to have beavers in a neighborhood — beyond the obvious tree-chomping problems. On Sunday, B.E.A.V. will host an informational meeting at the West Linn Public Library with special guest Susan Barnes, a conservation biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Be still my heart! A husband who tells his wife to form a beaver group for her birthday! Could there honestly be a better present? To tell the truth this might be the best story I’ve ever read, and that’s saying something. I’m actually JEALOUS. Isn’t that wonderful? I’m thinking B.E.A.V. needs some complimentary Worth A Dam t-shirts stat and maybe a nice bottle of Castoro Cellars chardonnay to celebrate. Ooh how about beaver shortbread cookies in the care box too?
Well, I will try my best to track B.E.A.V. members down and offer our friendship. In the meantime, I’m excited that there’s a new group of beaver supporters on the block. It just makes you think of this doesn’t it?
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the [beaver] world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Onto even better news because Jon saw a big beaver carrying a branch onto the secondary dam this morning after which the beaver stopped by to mud it, and Jean saw TWO beavers yesterday. We were watching Wednesday night and saw only the end of our patience, but clearly they’re still in residence and just waiting for whatever beavers wait for to show themselves. And in case it’s been so long since you’ve seen a beaver mudding you need a reminder, here’s a good glimpse from Cheryl Reynolds.
Final thoughts: Just saw this on facebook and had to share. This is Ian Timothy of beaver Creek fame==-[ hard at work in his Sophomore year at Cal Arts. The caption said “best stop motion animator I know” and I’m sure we all agree!
