Beaver Fever in Martinez

It was just a few years ago--the City Council of Martinez was sure that a beaver family would destroy $10 million of flood-control work. Environmentalists got wind of the city's plan to destroy or remove the beavers. They feared the worst...that moving the beavers out of their habitat in Alhambra Creek would result in their demise.

In came Skip Lisle from Vermont, called in by a newly formed committee whose task it was to save the threatened beavers. Skip knew of different flow-devices, including one called a "beaver deceiver", that had been successfully used in other parts of North America to divert beavers in ways that help humans and beavers to co-exist peacefully.

Skip came to Martinez ready to dig in. Would his plan work? Would the beavers be convinced to build their dams in such a way so as to keep the City Council at bay? It seemed that Fish and Wildlife had jumped on the bandwagon as well, and wanted to see the beavers "eliminated" (read "murdered"!).

Skip stripped off his shirt to the great delight of some local admirers who watched him work. He got busy with the beavers and studied their habitat closely. It seems that the "beaver deceiver" was NOT the answer. Was all hope lost?

No! Skip decided to introduce the "castor master", a different flow device used in other places where beavers have taken up residence in cities. And it worked! Careful watching and documenting by beaver lovers, who had by now formed a non-profit group they called "Worth a Dam", proved what they knew all along. With careful study, ingenuity, and a little charm, the beavers were convinced to stay away from the multi-million dollar flood control system that the City Council was so worried about.

Video of skit and songs by Raging Grannies at the Third Annual Beaver Festival here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KITp2vSHlbI
http://www.RagingGrannies.com

Streets of Martinez (tune: Streets of Laredo)

As I walked OUT on the streets of Martinez
As I walked OUT by the creekside one day
I SPIED a young Beaver all wrapped up in branches
A-BUILD-ing with branches, a-building with clay

I SEE by your FA-cial expression that you are
Sur-PRIS-ed to see me the beaver did say
We've COME to improve on the town's situation
To see that Mar-TIN-ez is famous some day

We'll FIX up the HA-bitat here in the creekbed
You'll SEE lots of WILDLIFE will COME here to live
So CALL off the TRAP-pers and call off the shooters
You'll see that we beavers have gifts for to give

The COUN-cil they fretted, they TEXTed O--M-- G
Will there now be FLOODING to wash us away
But WIS-er folk CALLED in a manly VerMONTer
Our HERO'S in-VEN-tion meant beavers could stay

Still WE must stand UP for them, we must protect them
Though THE mama beaver is with us no more
So PEO-ple can COME and can see them in nature
For beavers are NOW a proud PART of our lore