Beavers Get Spotlight At Festival Saturday

The beaver faithful will gather once again Saturday for the sixth annual Martinez Beaver Festival to honor some of the city's most celebrated residents.

"Our local beavers have worked hard to be easy to live with," said Heidi Perryman, festival organizer and founder of the group Worth a Dam.

The festival is scheduled for Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at "Beaver Park." A group from Whitman College will be at the festival filming a documentary entitled "Beaver Believers." The short film is expected to make the rounds at film festivals and competitions. Another documentary, "Beaver Whisperers," is expected to be released soon.

Beavers, especially in large numbers, are sometimes seen as a pest in urban areas, where their dams could cause flooding. For such a pest, beavers can also be, well, so darn … cute.

"They are very cute," Perryman said.

As cute and likable as they are, the beavers attracted significant support from residents when the City of Martinez first began a discussion of what to do with them in 2007. Perryman started the festival to rally folks around the furry critters in 2008 as the City continued to debate the issue of whether or not to remove the beavers.

"Martinez has worked hard to get that good relationship with the beavers," Peryman said. "More than 200 people were at that meeting to decide what would happen to the beavers. Our beavers are so uniquely visible, so that helped. Everyone can see them on the way to Starbucks in the morning for coffee."

Perryman states the beavers are actually helping the health of the wetlands. Their dam creates a hospitable place for small bugs that feed fish. As fish populations grow, more birds come to the area to feed on them.

Perryman recommends coming to the festival to learn about the beavers and have fun. After the festival, go out for dinner, then take a stroll along the creek to see the guests of honor.

Perryman's idea for a festival seems to have worked beyond all expectations. This year's fair welcomes the Marine Mammal Center and groups trying to raise awareness of coyotes, mountain lions, endangered species of frogs and other animals native to Northern California.

Perryman also notes that there have been other festivals around the country and in Canada based on the Martinez Beaver Festival.

"It's been a hard road to get here," Perryman admits of the festival's success, "but it's been worth it."