There are complicated intersects in the beaver world. I know because as a beaver advocate I get a wide swath of friends on facebook. I get the anglers who want better fishing and the ‘save everythings’ who are adamantly opposed to fur use and hunting or trapping of any kind. In general I think that beavers need more friends, not less. So for the moment we don’t yet have the luxury of picking and choosing the ones we like best and leaving behind the ones we think are icky.
Maybe someday, but not now. For now we need them all.
Which is why I was very interested in this new partnership between National Wildlife Federation and Artemis in Montana. I think you’ll be too.
Watershed Restoration Citizen Science Project
Artemis is really excited to get our boots on the ground and our waders in the water this summer by partnering with the Clark Fork Coalition, Montana Wildlife Federation, and NWF Northern Rockies and Prairieson a citizen science project. Based out of Missoula, MT, the citizen science effort will produce a field inventory of beaver sign in key watersheds on the Lolo National Forest, including Miller Creek, Lolo Creek and Fish Creek. We will walk along the riverside, pay attention to our surroundings, and note any beaver sign (probably taking note of beautiful runs to come back and fish later). The information we collect will enable better understanding and consideration of beaver – their role in shaping habitats and influencing ecosystem resiliency – in the management of watersheds in the Clark Fork basin. The data will allow management agencies to consider current and potential beaver influence on their lands and land management.
I’m so naive I thought Artemis was a clothing company, but alas no. It’s a hunter and angler foundation for women with an interest in conservation.
Um, yeah?
Artemis is a group of bold, impassioned sportswomen who are out to change the face of conservation
The Greek goddess Artemis is the protector of the hunt and of nature. She is usually depicted with her trusty doe deer, a bow and arrows. She knew it as her duty to protect wildlife and the sanctity of the hunt. Artemis sees her as an extremely fitting icon to represent our philosophy. We embody Artemis’ wild spirit and protective nature to boldly carry the conservation torch for the modern sportswoman by engaging in every facet of the sporting conservation life.
Well again, we can’t just sit around waiting for all the Athenas in the science building and the Aphrodites in housewares to save beavers. It’s going to take the Artmissys too. The “We need beavers to save fish wildlife so there’s more of it to hunt” folks. I know it feels funny, but sometimes conservation makes strange bedfellows. Just ask John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt.
Why beavers matter to hunters and anglers!
Beavers are a keystone species. This means they modify their environment in a way that influences the whole ecosystem.
In the past decade, we have begun looking closely at how beaver activity impacts water storage, fish and wildlife habitat, and water quality. What we are seeing is that beavers may be our most important partner in protecting and restoring western streams and watersheds, changing everything from soil to vegetation to water quality to wildlife.
Beavers build temporary dams on small streams, which slows down rainwater runoff and snowmelt. This water is held at a higher point in the watershed. Over the summer, it seeps out slowly, replenishing groundwater and providing essential stream flows during the hottest and driest months in the late summer and fall. This keeps stream temperatures down, helping native fish that need colder water and avoiding hoot owl restrictions.
What’s more, beaver activity creates “emerald refuges,” which protect valuable wildlife habitat when wildfires burn. Beaver pools also increase the health and abundance of riparian vegetation for wildlife like deer to eat.
Well good luck to them. Artemis will be training trekkers to identify beaver habitat, both where they are and where the could reasonably be. This will make a giant beaver GIS map for Missoula that tells them where problem beavers can be placed to do some good. Along the way they will educate folks about why beavers matter and change more than a few minds. All good things, which I’m sure is how they got the NWF partnership.
