There’s just nothing about this article that I don’t like. I guess that means we know its from Washington State.
Sarah Ortiz and Michael Dello Russo: Learning to live with beavers offers bonuses
These mammalian guests, named Scar and Chewy by project staff, may at first appear out of place at a fish hatchery, but the beavers are integral salmon conservation partners. Beavers perform a variety of ecosystem services, including fish habitat restoration and climate change mitigation; but when these animals build dams and forage on private property, conflict arises.
The relocation of Scar and Chewy is part of a collaboration between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Trout Unlimited.
The goal of the Wenatchee Beaver Project is to reduce conflict between beavers and landowners in Chelan and Douglas counties, while helping support the important environmental benefits this unique mammal can generate. This is accomplished through the installation of non-lethal beaver deterrents where needed and the relocation of nuisance beavers from private to public land. These measures can help this important species continue to shape riverine habitat without disturbing local property owners.
Reducing conflict to let beavers work their magic. Oh when when will California learn this?
Although the Wenatchee Beaver Project has had success with relocation, the project team aims for on-site management when possible. Solutions as simple as caging desirable trees or painting tree trunks with gritty paint can deter beavers from chewing. When flooding is an issue, “beaver deceivers” are installed. A beaver deceiver consists of a large pipe put through a beaver dam and caged at both ends. Like a culvert underneath a road, the pipe allows water to flow through, and the cages prevent beavers from plugging the ends. This device will keep the water level in a beaver pond from exceeding a desired depth. If these methods are impossible to apply, then trapping and relocation are used as a last resort.
That sounds like a lot of trouble. Why should we bother?
Beaver dams benefit a multitude of other species, including cold-water-loving trout and salmon. Beaver ponds store cool water in summer, creating habitat for the region’s important native fish species, like endangered steelhead and spring Chinook. This is especially important today with record high summer temperatures and longer periods of low flow conditions predicted to continue across the Pacific Northwest in coming years.
Additionally, beaver ponds store groundwater which fuels riverside vegetation. This vegetation, in turn, shades rivers and streams, further cooling the water for native fish. In many cases the stored groundwater also returns to surface flow in downstream reaches, providing important cool water to chill too-warm summer streams. This means that a healthy beaver population acts to conserve native fish species in the Wenatchee Valley, allowing future generations to witness iconic trout and salmon on this picturesque landscape.
Jaspers explains that beaver “affect our landscape on a big level when it comes to fire and climate resiliency.” Recent research suggests that beavers help to protect people and their property from wildfires. Riverside vegetation fed by beaver ponds acts as a fire break, stopping wildfires from advancing across the landscape. In 2021, 20 times more land was burned by wildfires in Washington and Oregon than in 2020. With increasing rates of wildfire in the region, beavers may be an important defense against fire-induced property damage and destruction.
GO Jaspers GO. Nothing makes me happier than seeing beaver benefits preached at a grand scale. Help fish? Check. Fight fires? Check. Raise groundwater? Check. We got this.
The whole thing would make an awesome Tshirt. What do you think for this year’s festival attire?
