Tis the season for beaver OpEds I guess. All those smart people talking about the same thing. Time to make friends with Jack Duggan.

Need water? First, protect the source

Here we are again, stuck in the middle of a drought that threatens famine and financial ruin. The headlines scream, “Every … Last … Drop” as we once again argue over who gets what from a limited supply of water.

And I wonder, once again, what about “Every … First … Drop.” In my experience, Oregon does a terrible job of protecting the sources of water. Thousands of feeder streams across the state have no legal protections because they have no resident fish. That they provide the initial water to the larger streams and rivers that do have fish seems not to matter.

Hmmm I wonder how we could possibly save every first drop! We’d need a helper to hold onto that much water. Any suggestions?

We can, however, look at the situation that gave us such abundant water 200 years ago. Recent research shows that the best natural conservation enhancement to our water sources came from a rich beaver population. During settlement those beavers were removed, along with all the small pools and ponds they had created that kept the water cool and flowing during the hottest of summers. Then gold was discovered and the banks of virtually every creek in Southern Oregon and northern California were washed away by hydraulic mining that continued until the 1960s.

Let’s bring back the beavers, quit clearcutting these steep hillsides with thin soils, afford stream protection on every water source to the headwaters. Let’s take care of the very first drop so we don’t end up arguing over the very last drop.

YES! Well said Jack! You know I was trying to find the nonprofit where Jack is Land Steward and I realized the purchased BLM land that is now being managed is in the same town as my aunt. Jacksonville Oregon. Coincidence? Just saying.