They’re at it again. The beaver family living in a creek running through downtown Martinez has grown by two.

The monogamous beaver couple, de facto town mascots since they appeared in the creek in 2006, bore two kits several weeks ago, according to today's Contra Costa Times.

Their dam also increased creek levels by several feet, alarming downtown residents living in an area that floods regularly. The city, which has collected millions of dollars in tax assessments to help mitigate the flood threat, came close to "depredating" – killing – the beavers several years ago. After public outcry and a candlelight beaver vigil, the mayor and the state Department of Fish and Game granted the beavers amnesty.

The city hired Skip Lisle, a world-famous beaver biologist, to install a flow device in the creek called a “castor master.” A spin-off of Lisle’s “beaver deceiver,” the castor master siphons water from the beaver’s upstream swimming area to below the dam, while keeping the dam at a relatively low level.

I first reported on this issue at the Martinez News-Gazette back in 2007. I swear, this was the most hot-button issue to hit Martinez during my tenure at the Gazette, which lasted about a year.

A few months ago, I made this video about the beavers (above), previously published on The East Bay Express website. Enjoy.