"All the issues in California-the wildfires, the droughts, even the floods-beaver dams can kind of slow the intensity." There's something about that visual photo that makes a big impact with people," Taub said. "As far as the eye can see is charcoal and then there's a beaver habitat in the center, where it's wet and lush and beautiful. Taub likes to show people a blown-up photo of a wildfire around a beaver dam to prove a point. One fact about beavers that resonates with locals is how their habitats can act as fire breaks, she said. And then the water is slowly trickling in and replenishing the groundwater." What it's doing is spreading the water out around the landscape, and you have this thick, lush, riparian zone. "But these dams-it creates a beautiful habitat. That's all they're trying to do," Taub said. "They're very slow on land so their mode of survival is to create a dam to have a pond so they can get to their food without getting on land. Their dams help with groundwater recharge, wildfire suppression, flood control, carbon sequestration, and more. ![]() ![]() By simply being alive, she explained, beavers do wonders for nature. Her goal with the organization is to generate excitement and awareness about beavers' contributions to the environment. "I'd tell people there's this beautiful beaver habitat, and they'd say, 'There's no beavers in this county!' Nobody believed me. "Ever since I moved here in 2005, it's been my little playground," Taub said. She became enraptured by the animal during her regular visits to their habitats along the Salinas River, a stone's throw from her home in Atascadero. Taub started the Beaver Brigade with a small but mighty group of fellow enthusiasts. It just seemed like this is what we can do. Supporting the beavers has been the thing. "This began in 2020 and it really started around a conversation about climate change and what can we be doing. "It's been so exciting," Taub told New Times. It will also pay for the installation of interpretive panels along the De Anza Trail in Atascadero and to commission a mural of a beaver habitat at the Charles Paddock Zoo. That grant will help the Brigade expand its free educational tours of beaver habitats in the Salinas River to twice monthly. In February, the nonprofit sold out its first-ever fundraiser at Castoro Cellars and also received a coveted California Coastal Commission "Whale Tail" grant for $41,480. Even before the successful festival, the SLO Beaver Brigade has been scoring victories that are a testament to the momentum it's built since forming in 2019. The beaver movement is in full swing in SLO County. "One thing we realized when we started the Beaver Brigade: There's almost like a beaver movement happening in the country. It blew our minds how excited everyone was," said Audrey Taub, co-founder of the SLO Beaver Brigade. ![]() ![]() BUILDING DAMS Kids had the chance to make their own beaver dams during the SLO Beaver Festival in Mission Plaza on April 1.įamilies moseyed through the plaza all day to get their faces painted, build their own dams using sticks and clay, and hear musicians, scientists, and activists sing the beaver's praises.
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