Fishlake.Tasha.Beaver_Photo_Description.Oct

Tasha Creek, Fishlake NF

Beaver Photo Descriptions

October 2005

Note: Blue = where photos start on a given creek examined for beavers

PLT = a plant put in the plant press for later identification

October 6-7, 2005 Fishlake NF	Location	GPS	Photo #	Photo description	Additional Comments
Tasha Creek flows from the Fishlake Hightop Plateau at 11,900 to 9,000 feet where it enters the broad Sevenmile Creek valley on the Fishlake NF. This section of Tasha Creek (above Forest Road 640 and its confluence with Sevenmile Creek, has numerous abandoned beaver dams and beaver ponds and meadows. The last dam in this set of photos is an active beaver dam, and the dam immediately below it shows signs of beaver activity. However, beaver will not be able to stay long or as a large family here, despite willows at the edge of the pond (food), and aspen beyond (building materials) because cattle are browsing the willows severely. People say “beaver eat themselves out of house and home” (which is not always true; in some streams, beaver are present for a long time,with willows, cottonwood, and aspen regenerating). In the case of the active dam on Tasha (see photos below), the cattle are eating beaver out of house and home. Also included in this set of photos are pictures inside and outside of the Sevenmile Exclosure along Sevenmile Creek and adjacent to Road 640. Astounding differences.
October 6, 2005	TASHA CREEK (Mount Terrill Quadrangle)	9,200’ 0443342 4275547	2168	Breached beaver dam	Alder, willow
		9,260’ 0443271 4275557	2169	Dam inactive, breached underneath	A 7” fish in the stream. Some people say, “Beavers steal water” Beaver pelts not worth much
		9,254’ 0443293 4275554	2170	Dam immediately below; inactive
		9,254’ 0443293 4275554	2171	Cow trail (with patties) coming in on SE side of Tasha Creek
		0443223 4275565	2172	Upper end of pond trampled. Vegetation low—a sedge?	Beaver dams establish ecological settings for species. Without beavers we lose the opportunity to create wetlands communities; lose potential riparian habitat. If this dam fails and get wet meadow— How common are wet meadows? Wet meadows ecologically important. An opening in a spruce fir forest is a rarity; relatively unique feature in this landscape. Curious to know why beaver gone—
October 6, 2005	TASHA CREEK (cont.)	0443223 4275565	2173	Calamagrostis up here? --protected by logs	PLT Calamagrostis ? PLT: The sedge up here being eaten—protected by logs Another dam at the top of the pond—right breach causes a little sinuosity.
		9,244’ 0443092 4275600	2174	A lower and upper dam—both inactive
			2175	Churned-up riparian edge—can’t have vegetation with the cattle	PLT: one annual grass Sedges send out roots. There are weedy and climax sedges. Katie heard five duck Spotted sandpiper or snipe
			2176	Tall protected sedge.	PLT: tall protected sedge.
		9,298’ 0443035 4275674	2177	A small dam (1) below the larger dam (2)
			2178	A small dam (1) below the larger dam (2)
				Where ground is dry enough, the sedges are eaten and vastly reduced in cover
			2180	Open waters: Creation of wildlife habitat.
			2181	Katie
			2182	Dam-created habitat; Suzanne	PLT: Annual colonizing mud flat PLT tall grass on wet PLT sedge—got earlier PLT?
			2183	Wayne
October 6, 2005	TASHA CREEK (cont.)		2184	Beautiful beaver-dam pond	Not a lot of aspen left here. A grouse flew: spruce? (in winter) blue? ↑ in winter
	Where the trail leaves Tasha Creek and heads toward Sevenmile Exclosure	9,283’ 0443085 4275981	2185	Very few grasses with seedheads left	Cow patties in trail
	SEVENMILE EXCLOSURE	9,154’ 0443061 4276546	2186	Exclosure outside (foreground) and inside (background)
			2187	Inside exclosure
			2188	Outside exclosure; banks being sheared off
			2189	Broken fence
			2190	1½“ tall grasses outside exclosure— nothing seeding
			2191	grass 24” tall inside exclosure
			2192	Potentilla and grasses inside exclosure	Plt: grass inside exclosure
	Downstream of Sevenmile exclosure	0443090 4276498	2193	bank shearing
	150’ further downstream	0443111 4276468	2194	Bank shearing
	Upslope of 7-Mile Creek	9,256 0443121 4276308	2195	Beaver-chewed stick—numerous. Pedastaled plants, erosion.
	Upslope of 7-Mile Creek	9,298’ 0442756 4275762	2196	Beaver dam - inactive
October 6, 2005	TASHA CREEK (resuming going upstream)		2197	Upstream meadow w/ the creek—little dams--inactive	What habitat is being eliminated by the grass and shrubs being shorn so short in this meadow?
			2198	Note difference in vegetation height where it isd accessible to livestock (left) and not out in the pond’s “islands”.
			2199	Very few forbs. Rhizomatous grasses browsed to 2-3” tall
			2200	Willow only 16” tall in meadow
			2201	Heavily browsed Willows
		0442470 4275766	2202	Beaver dam; inactive
		0442470 4275766	2203	Where the lodge was underwater	Most of these dams are aspen—need willow like 1” If cattle are present, the willows can’t get there
		9,336’ 0442336 4275770	2204	Beaver dam after dam
		9,336’ 0442336 4275770	2205	What the upper dam of photo 2204 flooded.
		9,353’ 0442264 4275780	2206	Two aspen ramets sprouting from a stem beaver had chewed
			2207	Willow sprouting from cut stems
			2208	View up to next dam
			2209	Aspen being browsed
October 6, 2005	TASHA CREEK (cont.)	~9,760’ 0442230 4275776	2210	Fresh beaver cuts of willow(!!!) just below the dam seen in photo 2208
		9,370’ 0442217 4275792	2211	Huge dam (seen from downstream in 2208)
			2212	Suzanne by dam w/ willow growing out of dam
			mud at 2212 (wyh)	Fresh mud; sign of some beaver activity at this dam
			2214	The beaver lodge
			2215	Suzanne, Wayne, Katie heading further up Tasha Creek
		9,327’ 0442083 4275992	2216	Willows (middle of picture) where the wetlands are inaccessible to cattle
			2217	Willows where accessible to cattle
			2219	The willow gets browsed; spruce doesn’t (i.e., hence “invasion”)
			2220	Some young aspen above 6’	Lots of insects—spider webs
			2221	Wayne showing some tall grasses.	Cow patties present, but not as beat out as near the beaver pond
		9,347’ 0441993 4276011	2222	Proximity of salt to the beaver pond in background; heavily-browsed meadow
October 6, 2005	TASHA CREEK (cont.)	9,347’ 0441993 4276011	2223	Beat-out vegetation /bare ground where salting
		9,400’ 0441886 4275984	2224	Active beaver dam! Spruce starting in pond
			willows at 2224 (wyh).jpg	Willows in maintained beaver dam
			2225	Katie w/ browsed willow
			2226	Willow heavily browsed by cattle right by the active beaver dam and pond
			2228	Water flowing over the maintained dam
			2229	The willows that will drown
			2230	Fresh chewing on aspen cutting