The role beavers play in the ecosystem has been examined and re-examined so many times over and over again that sometimes I imagine beavers sitting nervously backstage, waiting with suspense for their name to be called, like the academy awards or something. Will this time be the one? Will they finally say I’m good? Will they like me?
Well now Iowa is joining the consideration.
Beavers and the Dams They Build Can Improve Water Quality
A bit of a trouble maker, beavers do help improve ecosystems and they potentially play a key role in water quality improvement.
A new partnership between Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State, and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center will study the water quality and quantity impacts of beaver dams in central Iowa, and how effective these dams are at reducing nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in Midwest agricultural watersheds.
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You don’t say. Color me surprised. I thought they only did that in Rhode Island and New England, and Cornwall and Washington. I didn’t know they did it in Iowa too!
“Beaver dams have been studied heavily for fish and wildlife habitat, but there’s been limited research on how these dams impact nutrients and flooding in the Midwest,” said Billy Beck, assistant professor and extension forestry specialist at Iowa State University.
Beck is studying the nutrient reduction potential of dams in central Iowa, and results will be provided to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy science team. The data will be used to help clarify the influence within the stream channel and the processes associated with in-stream nutrient loss on watershed-scale nutrient loads.
Oooh I have a guess about what you’re going to find. Call on me!
Shelby Sterner, an Iowa State graduate student studying environmental science, is tasked with leading the study, which entails elements of forestry, hydrology, biogeochemistry and fluvial geomorphology (how water shapes the earth).
The overall goals of the project are to identify and quantify key nutrient removal processes associated with beaver dams in central Iowa, and estimate the potential impact of dams on watershed-scale nutrient loading within the agricultural Midwest.
Beck said he understands the frustration landowners often have with beaver dams. He’s not looking to promote them – per se – but he believes with some balance, they can be beneficial.
HAHAHA. Sure they might do good things, but that doesn’t mean we should LET them for god’s sake, Be reasonable. I’m not a monster.
Baby steps. Iowa. Baby steps.
