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The Historical Range of Beaver (Castor Canadensis) in Coastal

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The Historical Range of Beaver (Castor Canadensis) in Coastal The Historical Range of Beaver (Castor canadensis) in Coastal California: An Updated Review of the Evidence Riverbend Sciences Institute for Historical Ecology Christopher W. Lanman, Kate Lundquist, Heidi Perryman, J. Eli Asarian, Brock Dolman, Richard B. Lanman, Michael M. Pollock ABSTRACT RESULTS • Based on verifiable (physical) and Evidence of historical presence of beavers in each coastal region, including: documented (reliable observational) • Museum specimens: Sespe Creek (Ventura County) and Saratoga Creek records, this paper challenges long-held (Santa Clara County) assumptions that North American beaver • Archaeological sites: Randall Creek (Humboldt County), Alameda Creek and (Castor canadensis) are not native to the Emeryville Shellmound (Alameda County) watersheds of coastal California or the San Francisco Bay Area. Current/Historic Sierra Nevada • Novel findings are facilitated by recently North Coast Beaver Range Map Evidence summarized in previous digitized information largely inaccessible paper (Lanman et. al 2012), includes: prior to the 21st century. • Understanding that beaver are native to California’s coast is important, as their role in groundwater recharge, repairing channel incision, and creating wetlands may be Remnant beaver dam in Feather critically important to conservation of River watershed, 5370 ft elevation, threatened salmonids. carbon dates span 580 A.D. to 1850 A.D (James and Lanman 2012) Article published in 2013: California Fish and Game 99(4):193-221 INTRODUCTION • Based on a limited review of evidence, conducted after more than 100 years of unregulated commercial trapping and conversion of alluvial valley bottoms to agriculture, Grinnell et al. (1937) and Tappe (1942) concluded that beaver were not native to coastal California south of Little River in Humboldt County. • California’s current beaver management Sonoma, Marin and S.F. Bay policies are based on these mid-20th century assertions. Tribes with word County METHODS South Coast for beaver Del Norte Tolowa This paper thoroughly re-evaluates historical Siskiyou Karuk Coast Yurok, Wiyot, records of occurrence of beavers in Coastal Humboldt Whilkut, Lolangkok/ Sinkyone California using the following sources: Pomo, Northern Pomo/Tabate, Central Mendocino Pomo/ Yokaia/Yukai, • Museum and archaeological specimens Central Pomo/Shanel Northern Pomo/ • Accounts by reliable observers Lake Kaiyu • Indirect evidence including: Pomo/ Gallinomero, Southern Pomo/ Makahmo, Kashaya - Newspaper accounts Pomo/ Venaambakaiia/ Sonoma - Geographical place names Chwachamaju, Bodega Miwok/ - Native American Olamentke, Mutsun Costanoan/ ethnographic information Tcho-ko-yem - Assessments of Marin Coast Miwok Santa Cruz Mutsun Costanoan Habitat suitability Monterey Rumsen Costanoan Santa Chumash Ineseño, All evidence utilized pre-dates the California Barbara Chumash Barbareño Ventura Chumash Ventureño Fish and Game Commission’s 1923-1950 Los Angeles Gabrieleño/Tongva Luiseño, Kumeyaay San Diego beaver reintroduction program. (Diegueño) DISCUSSION REFERENCES Grinnell, J., J. S. Dixon, and J. M. Why are documented observational records Linsdale. 1937. Fur-bearing of coastal beaver difficult to find? mammals of California: their natural Cheryl Reynolds / Worth A Dam Cheryl Reynolds / Worth A Dam history, systematic status, and • Poor records of sea-based fur trade 1787-1840s relations to man. University of • Beavers nearly extirpated from California prior to California Press, Berkeley, USA James, C. D., and R. B. Lanman. 2012. Novel physical CALIFORNIA BEAVER WEBSITES: establishment of state’s first museums and universities evidence that beaver were historically native to the • Fire destroyed almost all of California Academy of Sciences Sierra Nevada. California Fish and Game 98:129-132. Worth A Dam: www.martinezbeavers.org/ collection in 1906 Lanman CW, Lundquist K, Perryman H, Asarian JE, Dolman B, Lanman RB, Pollock MP. 2013. The historical Riverbend Sciences’ Beaver Mapper: range of beaver (Castor canadensis) in coastal More beaver records may be available California and the San Francisco Bay Area: An updated www.riverbendsci.com/projects/beavers from sources not yet digitized/searched: review of the evidence. California Fish and Game 99(4): 193-221. OAEC WATER Institute’s Bring Back the • Records of foreign museums/companies Lanman, R. B., H. Perryman, B. Dolman, and C. D. James. 2012. The historical range of beaver in the Beaver Campaign: www.oaecwater.org/beaver • Historical newspapers Sierra Nevada: a review of the evidence. California Fish • Archaeological records and unsorted small mammal remains and Game 98:65-80. California Fur Rush: Tappe, D. T. 1942. The status of beavers in California. • Radiocarbon dating of buried ancient beaver dams (Lanman California Department of Fish and Game, Game Bulletin en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Fur_Rush and James 2012) 3:1-59..
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