Beavers on the Move

Earlier this month I went to the small town of Martinez to see the family of beavers who have been raising havoc--and the level of the creek running through the downtown. The initial response of city officials was to kill or move the beavers, and, thus, eliminate the threat of floods from pending rains. While relocating the beavers sounds like a humane solution, it in fact would have been disastrous for their survival since they would not have had enough time to re-prepare for the winter. It is crucial for the beavers to have an ample supply of logs and branches since they feed on the pith in winter.

Thankfully these options drew huge opposition from the community. Instead, the city will likely run pipes through their dam to allow water to pass, or use pumps to keep the water to a low enough level.

The beavers' dam and bridge are in plain view from a street in the heart of downtown. Never-the-less, we did not spot the beavers right away since they are nocturnal animals. We patiently waited through the light rains and were rewarded with a couple of glimpses of the adults at night. They remained mostly elusive, with the male splashing his wide, flat tail as a warning to the others that they were being watched by animals along the river bank--us. Their underwater entrance to their den allowed for undetected movement to and from their home base. And, stealthily the beavers worked through the night collecting mud and rocks in their paws to bring to the dam, continuing in their preparations for winter.

Once prolific in these parts, beavers are now a rare occurrence. But seeing this family go about their business of taking back their creek running through Martinez gave me a sense of hope--something that is especially needed in these times of oil spills and November heat waves. Like a flower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk, these beavers are a sign that nature will take continue to find its niche in our increasingly urban world at every opportunity possible.