Question
hi stephen.  it seems unlikely that beavers could be causing this damage.  the site says they are 13" long and stout.  the hole in the photo is only 2 1/2" across.  also, i do not live in conifer forest or mountain.  ukiah is in an inland valley.  i have seen small vole or gopher-like looking creatures scurrying across the ground.  i'm beginning to think i am dealing with a combination of gophers, voles, and rabbits.  still not sure what to do about it.  all best, gabrielle

Answer
Then ground squirrel would be my next guess. Too large for vole. Too small for rabbit. You are correct that damage to the plants can be caused by more than one species.
Pocket gophers close their holes. Gopher is too vague of a term as it means different things to different people. I have heard it used of moles, voles, ground squirrels, woodchucks and of course pocket gophers.

http://www.icwdm.org/handbook/index.asp#rod is where our rodent information is.

Without a better description of the animal you saw, it would be very difficult to add more detail to a solution.

Sending me good photos at [email protected] would help. Be sure to read our tips on how to take good ones before shooting.