|  | | BeaverCon Beaver Conference 2024 information
Beavers Returned to Tule River Tribal Lands
Beavers on the Salinas River Update
Laird visits SLO Beaver Brigade
Meet Avery and Jorge!
Spanish and Wheelchair Accessible Tour Dates
Supplies Needed Donation Request
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| | | Watery Walk Tours registration for the winter season are now live. New beaver pond tour dates now include Spanish and wheelchair accessible dates Register Here!
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| | | | •BeaverCon Beaver Conference 2024 information |
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Feeling Beaverish? Come To Everything Beaver!
“The 3rd biennial global gathering for knowledge-sharing, restoration and reunion with beaver (castor canadensis / castor fiber), featuring presentations, discussion, panels, storytelling, science & art, field trips, and workshops over five days. The conference is an opportunity for multiple paths, organizations, disciplines, and experiences to converge and collectively learn from, relate to, and realize a future of ecological balance with beavers.
The main conference is Monday, October 21, Tuesday, October 22 & Wednesday, October 23 with wraparound activities on October 19, 20 & 24. Please be sure to sign up for our newsletter for early announcements on speakers and information surrounding our workshops, field trips, etc.” from Website
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| | | •Beaver Returned to Tule River Tribal Lands |
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On June 12th, the Tule River Tribe welcomed a family of seven beavers back to their homelands on the South Fork Tule River watershed in the Tule River Indian Reservation. In partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), this was the second beaver relocation in the State of California in almost 75 years, and part of a multi-year beaver reintroduction effort on the Tule River Reservation. The San Luis Obispo Beaver Brigade was invited and honored to witness this historic moment.
Included in the folks gathered to witness this beaver release were Roselynn Lwenya Natural Resources Director for the Tule River Reservation, Wade Crowfoot California’s Natural Resources Secretary, the CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham, OAEC Water Institute Co-Director Kate Lundquist, Dr. Emily Fairfax, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota, Kevin Swift of Swift Water Design, Landon Peppel of The Wildlands Conservancy, CDFW staff, members of the Tule Tribe Natural Resources Dept, NBC News Crew, and Audrey Taub and Hazel Finlayson of the SLO Beaver Brigade.
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|  | Dr. Emily Fairfax, Audrey Taub, Hazel Finlayson in front of NBC News Crew interviewing Wade Crowfoot.
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| We left the Tule River Tribal Offices at 10 am and headed up to about 6000 feet elevation where the Tule River Tribe Natural Resources Department staff had previously prepared a BDA (human-made beaver dam) created pond and meadow ready to welcome this new beaver family. The CDFW staff drove the air-conditioned van full of beavers on this 104 degree day and set up the release area on the opposite bank from the staff and witnesses. Cameras had been set up all around the pond in order to catch sight of the newly released beavers.
The release began with an opening Ceremony and song by ceremonial singers of the Tule River Tribe, followed by words from Roselynn Lwenya Tule River Tribes Natural Resources Director, along with Wade Crowfoot, California’s Natural Resources Secretary. Kenneth McDarment of the Tule River Tribe shared the story of their path to bringing the beaver back to their Reservation. It began over 10 years ago at a Salmonid Conference where he requested help for the fish that were disappearing on his reservation. Brock Dolman and Kate Lundquist of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC) approached him about their Bring Back the Beaver campaign; that conversation began the efforts to restore these creeks so that beavers could be returned. |
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“I am so excited to be here today. I didn’t know a day like this would come in my life. It is momentous. I am so excited to be here today and a part of this history in the making. “ said Roselynn Lwenya Natural Resources Director for the Tule River Reservation
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| California’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, acknowledged the efforts of the Tule Tribe to bring beaver back to their lands. “This is a long time coming, bringing the beaver back. It was the Tule River Tribe and other Tribal leaders and elders that educated us that the beaver have always been here. And it was only recently that they weren’t here. We’ve understood the story of pictographs on these lands that identify beaver. It was this leadership, this tribal leadership that helped educate our best and brightest scientists at the Department of Fish and Wildlife to understand the role that beaver can have in restoring our environment. So we are so thankful to be here, we are thankful for your perseverance, patience and your partnership. We are thankful for the women and men of the Fish & Wildlife Department for the state, our federal partners and just thankful to the tribal members and the tribal leaders here today who are enabling us to be here with you. We know that beaver are all about environmental reconciliation and cultural reconciliation. These beavers are going to help slow the water, spread the water and sink the water in the Tule River. They are going to help bring back habitat for fish and wildlife, which is remarkable. And they are going to help protect us from catastrophic wildfire. ” |
| Valerie Cook, CDFW Beaver Restoration Program Manager, prepared the witnesses to sit quietly once the doors of the crates were opened. She orchestrated the entire release: setting up the beaver crates along the stream bank, getting CDFW staff with nets ready on the downstream side to catch any beavers should they drift off downstream and out of this prepared pond area, initiating the opening of the crates and carefully watching and advising all movements in the release. One baby beaver seemed hesitant and kept trying to return to their crate, at which point Valerie Cook skillfully scooped it up and moved the baby beaver closer to the temporary beaver lodge created where an adult beaver was ready to receive it.
“It was a moving moment to witness”, said Audrey Taub, SLO Beaver Brigade. “The intentional ceremony at the beginning of the release created an atmosphere of appreciation and respect for the beavers. We were welcoming a very special and honored friend of the Tule River Tribe back onto their reservation. And that is how it felt. It was very uplifting.” |
| | •Beavers on the Salinas River Update |
| The beavers have been busy on the Salinas River. We have five beaver families that we are currently monitoring, thanks to our team of committed volunteers.
Last year many of the beaver families weren’t able to complete a beaver dam until well into September. This year the beavers were able to start much earlier, some as early as May, allowing them to store up large amounts of water behind their dams. Thank you community for not driving in the Salinas River!
We’ve seen regular visitors of kingfishers, great blue herons, green herons, and egrets feeding regularly in the ponds, enjoying the large amounts of fish swimming there. So far we’ve id’d Threespine Stickleback, Sacramento Pikeminnow, a Creek Chub and a White Sucker. We are new to fish identification, so bear with us!
We have compiled the data we received from our amazing Volunteer Crew last winter on beaver dams, trail crossings and phragmites within Atascadero City Limits. We will be gathering again this late fall/winter and comparing it to see the changes, year over year. We will let you all know when we are needing more help gathering this information for this year's data.
And if you haven’t come out to see the beaver habitat this year, the ponds are looking great, sign up for a tour!
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| | | | •Laird Visits SLO Beaver Brigade |
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Opening our hearts to water is one of the most important acts we can do in climate regeneration, as water is connected to everything we do. In fact, we ARE water, quite literally. When we bring our attention as a community to water, and deeply honor its significance, not just as a resource, but as a living being, we begin to heal our planet. In order to offer community members opportunities to be in relationship with water locally, the SLO Beaver Brigade often hosts groups on visits to the Salinas River in Atascadero. On the afternoon of May 11, we were thrilled to have community member and state legislator Senator John Laird, along with his wonderful staff members, Kara Woodruff and Clint Weirick, accompany us to beaver dam habitat in Atascadero. What a delight for Beaver Brigade staff and volunteers to share the experience of walking to the River, admiring the cottonwoods and willows as we went, and tossing off our shoes to wade in the cooling, healing waters of the Salinas River with our invited guests. The senator and his aides experienced for themselves the deep connection with the natural world that occurs as one enters beaver habitat.
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| Kara Woodruff shared, “We had a fabulous time with the Beaver Brigade. We walked the Salinas River and learned more about the Beaver Brigade’s educational and field programs to enhance natural habitat, protect beavers and other native flora and fauna, and support flood control, fire protection and community water.” |
|  | Opening Hearts to Water at the Atascadero Beaver Dams May 2024 (From left: Kara Woodruff, Dolores Howard, Kate Montgomery, Audrey Taub, Cooper Lienhart and John Laird. Not pictured: Clint Weirick) photo courtesy of Kara Woodruff |
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Audrey Taub, “ Avery came on a beaver tour earlier this year and she started pointing out all of these parts of the beaver skull that I never noticed. She’s a natural educator and a great addition to our team.”
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| Meet Avery: Our New Education Assistant
well… My name is Avery Fitchmun, I’m 16 years old and an upcoming senior in high school! I grew up in the Salinas and now I’d like to give back to the river as much as I can. I love to volunteer and I love to learn about our local California ecology. I care a lot about understanding our environment and helping to teach others about it as well. I like mushroom foraging, digital art, horror movies, and my lizard and two dogs! |
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Audrey Taub “ Jorge was our very first College Corps Fellow in the 2022-2023 school year. He began learning all about beavers and our organization in the beginning of the year and by the end he was facilitating our team meetings. To say we were blown away by Jorge would be a complete understatement. ”
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Meet Jorge: Our New Program Coordinator
Hello everyone, I'm Jorge Marin, and I'm thrilled to announce that I've recently been hired as the new Program Coordinator for the SLO Beaver Brigade. My journey with this incredible organization began as a Cal Poly College Corps Fellow during the 2022-2023 school year. Since then, I've been actively involved with the Brigade, and my passion for our mission has only grown stronger. In my new role, I'll be spearheading several key initiatives, including: Beaver Monitoring and Protection Program: Overseeing efforts to protect and monitor our local beaver populations. Developing Collaboration with Drinkable Rivers: Partnering with this impactful organization to remind the world of the importance of clean, drinkable rivers.
I'm particularly excited about running our existing programs, such as College Corps, with our incoming cohort. Additionally, I will be working on developing collaborations with other organizations to launch new and innovative programs in the upcoming months. There's a lot of exciting stuff in the works, and I can't wait to share it with you all. Stay tuned for the amazing work we will be doing together at the SLO Beaver Brigade. Thank you for your continued support! |
| | •Spanish and Wheelchair Accessible Tour Dates! |
| We're excited to announce that our upcoming season will include both wheelchair-accessible and Spanish tours! These tours offer a unique opportunity for everyone in our community to experience the beauty and importance of our local beaver habitats. If you know someone who would love to join please share this information with them and help spread the word. We’re committed to making our tours inclusive and welcoming for all! |
|  | The SLO Beaver Brigade is excited to announce a unique and inclusive event: the first-ever Spanish Beaver Dam Tour, scheduled for November 8th and 9th by Pismo Creek. This tour will provide a special opportunity for families and individuals of all ages to learn about the incredible benefits that beavers bring to our ecosystem, all delivered in Spanish.
Beavers play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Their natural activities contribute to water storage, fire protection, increased biodiversity, and much more. This tour aims to educate the community about these vital contributions while offering an immersive experience in the lush, green habitats created by these keystone species. Event Details:
"We are excited to offer this Spanish-language tour for the first time," said Jorge Marin, Program Coordinator of the SLO Beaver Brigade. "It’s a wonderful chance for the local community to connect with nature and learn about the significant ecological impacts of beavers. Whether you’re passionate about environmental conservation or just curious about the local wildlife, this tour promises to be an enlightening and enjoyable experience for everyone."
Participants will have the chance to walk through the beautiful habitats created by beavers, observe their dams, and learn about their habits and the broader ecological impacts of their activities. The tour will be led by knowledgeable guides who will share fascinating insights into the beaver’s role in enhancing our local green spaces. Register for the tour here.
Wheelchair Accessible Tours: Our next wheelchair accessible tour will be on September 14th on Pismo Creek. Sign up on our website.
For more information, please contact: Jorge Marin, Program Coordinator jorge@slobeaverbrigade.com |
|  | | •Supplies Needed Donation Request |
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We need safety vests for our volunteer crew with our logo to support our crews to be easily visible and identifiable. https://www.hi-viz.com/collections/safety-vests about $15 for 24 vests $360
We need waders for checking our cameras in the winter time! 12 waders $3600
Please consider donating to help us purchase these needed items.
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Thank you for reading,beaver believer. |
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