A few weeks ago a pair of beavers were found dead near the creek below the church parking lot. Identified by Kara Hagedorn as a mother and her pup, the deaths are very mysterious as the bodies were still intact as opposed to having been mutilated by a predator. There were no signs of gun shot wounds or other trauma. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know what happened to these industrious creatures; perhaps they were poisoned and perhaps the pup succumbed to starvation after the mother died. I think most of us here in Garden Farms have a deep appreciation and respect for the wildlife that share our community ( gophers and ground squirrels not so much...). I remember first seeing the Garden Farms Beavers during Farmer's Market 2 summers ago. When one of the kids hollered "hey, there's beavers here in the creek", we all went running over to the bridge to see them. Occasionally we see deer wandering through the neighborhood and bears and mountain lions have been spotted here over the years as well.In order to somehow turn something tragic into something positive, Rob Kimmel had a great idea. He would like to write an article or perhaps have an ongoing story project called "The Critters of Garden Farms". Through Rob's investigation into the beavers he learned that their lodges (dams) have been in Garden Farms for at least 30 years. One neighbor told Rob this story:
"John Billings discovered them in the mid-90's at his place on North Walnut. At first he thought that some kids downstream had built a dam. One day he noticed the painstaking care that went into building the dam and he thought, "these darn kids have been busy as beavers...!" The next thought was that maybe there were beavers there, which of course was confirmed with later observations. In subsequent years he said he and his family enjoyed watching them from their home"
Rob would like to have more stories from neighbors about the beavers or other wildlife that you may have encountered here in Garden farms. If you have a story to tell, you can either e-mail it to: rob@treadlightlyfarm.org or call him at 438-4739 or 703-0687. I'm sure we'll all be looking forward to reading these stories. Thanks Rob!
I think that this is a great idea! And hats off to Rob Kimmel for investing his creative time to encouraging Garden Farms' Critter appreciations !
ReplyDeleteSometimes we need to be reminded that critters love Garden Farms for the same reasons we all love it !!
Define Garden Farms : a kind warm place to call home; a safe place to raise a family; neighbors that help neighbors; a gardeners bounty to be shared with other neighbors !
Sound familiar ?
Also, I have to admit something.....For as far back as I can remember there were always beaver in the creek ( supporting R.Kimmels research albiet only 30 years ! ). It was during my youth that my father would say things like, " be careful who you tell about those beaver !" or " The beaver are back ! But don't tell anyone ". Historically speaking.... I find it very sad that as humans we cannot find ways
to enjoy nature that rests at your backdoor-or in this case in your creek. As a kid I was very sad that I could not draw attention to or tell a soul about the Beaver we watched for fear of it being harmed or killed as efforts to scare them away.
If a critter is bothering you or threatening yur crop or family ? There are legal and helpful organizations that give support to humans and the critters....! Use the yellow pages or seek a knowledgable neighbor for the proper resourses to address the wildlife in your beautiful Garden Farms.
When Kirk and I first moved to Garden Farms 30 years ago (wow) we had two stumps in our yard with beaver teeth markings. We later learned from Mac McComber (he sold us our home) that the stumps used to be apricot trees. He said the beaver would come up into the yard and eat the siding off the house. We had a white picket fence along the creek that hung by the top of the rail. The bottom of it was missing and I assumed the beaver had eaten through it but was not sure. There were a few times when we could hear them slapping the water with their tales in the early evening. We always loved them and also worried about the wrong people knowing about them. I remember hearing a rumor once that one of our neighbors shot one. I couldn't believe it. (They no longer live here)
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