It was fun to stumble across this article this morning. A who’s who of fauna literature with a highlight on beavers.

Check It Out: Possums, beavers and owls, oh my!

Dorothy Gale, of “Wizard of Oz” fame, was obviously not from the Pacific Northwest. If she was, she’d have known that lions and tigers don’t live in forests. She’d also have known that you are far more likely to see smaller creatures in the forest than larger ones — like, maybe, possums. Or beavers. Or owls.

Now, I will admit that I have lived in the PNW for quite a while now, and I still haven’t seen a beaver outside of a zoo. But I have seen evidence of their presence, and I have seen other wild animals and birds native to this area. One memorable morning, I was walking my dog and we came around a corner and startled a raccoon in the shrubbery. The raccoon reared up on its hind legs — MUCH larger than a Disney raccoon. My dog looked at me, turned around, and began walking quickly in the other direction. In that instance, discretion was the better part of valor — at least where my dog was concerned.

Whether or not you have had wildlife encounters of your own, I’d like to share with you some engrossing nonfiction books about some of our local creatures. Read on for a walk on the wild side:

Okay well most of the readers of this website HAVE seen a beaver outside of a zoo, but we get your point. Tell us about your suggestions.

Beavers

- “When Beavers Flew: An Incredible True Story of Rescue and Relocation” by Kristen Tracy (2024). This fantastic picture book tells the story of how Idaho Fish and Game transported 76 beavers to new homes in a remote wetlands area — by parachute!
- “Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America” by Leila Philip (2022). The beaver fur trade had a huge impact on America’s environment and history, as detailed in this book.
- “Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways” by Derek Gow (2022). A very funny firsthand account of Britain’s ecological movement to rewild the landscape there.
- “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” by Ben Goldfarb (2018). In a very engaging book, Goldfarb speaks on the impact of one of the world’s most influential species.

Not only do I agree that it is a good thing to read more about beavers, I have personally met three of the four of those authors and agree that they are worth pursuing! Half of them wrote about Martinez and one of them even came to Martinez.

Twice.