As a reviewer of beaver headlines for 17 years I have learned a few things about the business of reporting. I have seen all the puns and the alliterations. “BIG BUSY BEAVERS BRING BUCKETS” to “Beaver chewed trees present a gnawing problem“. Ho Hum. I thought I’d see it all. But THIS.

This is the single best beaver headline I have ever beheld.

Biologist explains why beavers are ecosystem royalty

Nature’s best engineer, and the largest rodent in North America, might be living right in your neighborhood. Meet Castor canadensis, the beaver.

“Originally there may have been different subspecies of beavers in different areas of the U.S., but during reintroduction efforts there was a big mixing of beavers from all over,” said Torrey Ritter, Fish Wildlife and Parks non-game biologist.

Ritter said the actual numbers today are unknown, as FWP doesn’t do surveys like they do for game species.

You know because beavers don’t count. So why count beavers? Oh I bet Torrey is going to tell us why. Listen up.

“We can do beaver surveys using aerial photography,” Ritter said, adding that beaver dams and lodges show up well in photographs.

His best guess is that Central Montana’s beaver populations are either stable or increasing, based on observations of suitable habitat and beaver activity.

While good habitat — areas with water and trees such as aspen, willows or cottonwoods — is plentiful, Ritter said many streams have experienced degradation to the extent that they can’t any longer support beavers.

But the beavers themselves may change that.

You bet your bottom dollar they can! Sing it Torrey!

Beavers are masters of environmental engineering, building dams and lodges made out of sticks, tree trunks, rocks and mud. This instinctive activity results in raised water tables. Behind a beaver dam underground water can be as much as 2 to 6 feet higher.

“It slows down snowmelt and rain so that water trickles through the system much more slowly. The general result is a lot more and greener vegetation grows farther out from the stream and later into the year. That’s the benefit that can happen,” Ritter said.

On the flip side, beaver activity can flood roads and fences, plug culverts and prevent water from reaching a field or pasture, which might explain why some ranchers and farmers are not so happy if beavers move in.

“There are ways to work with beaver conflicts other than trapping them out or shooting them,” Ritter said. “There’s a program for beaver conflict resolution, and landowners have been really, really receptive to it. Ranchers, farmers and municipalities are seeing the benefit of getting beavers up into the headwaters of streams to capture more water.”

Beavers can do great things. And we can do easy things to cope with any challenges that come up. Okay.

For Ritter, though, it’s the beavers’ ability to recharge riparian ecosystems that should be celebrated. “A lot of the biodiversity in some landscapes is tied to beavers. I consider them to be one of the most important species in North America because so many other species benefit.”

While importing beavers from other areas is one approach to increasing their numbers, another happens as a successful beaver colony grows and younger beavers move out. Ritter has studied beaver dispersal, and found they can travel surprisingly long distances.

“The amount of vegetative growth that comes from their dams balances the amount they eat,” Ritter said.

Yup. Beavers are the rodent who gives back. Good point, Torrey.

Ritter said the largest misconception about beavers is that they’ll chop down every plant around where they live and leave a muddy mess with no plants.

“I’m a non-game biologist and normally I wouldn’t work with beavers because they are fur-bearers. But they are such a biodiversity powerhouse. When you look at the surveys of non-game species that are threatened in Montana, beavers can assist with almost all of them.”

However Ritter said getting a colony of beavers established requires “decent amounts” of healthy flood plain vegetation.

“You can’t just come into a really degraded stream and turn it into a great ecosystem. The majority of my job is helping people determine when an area is ready for beavers to be reintroduced.”

Beavers can fix a lot of things. But sometimes they need a little help getting started. I heard that princess Diana needed her sheets washed 4 times before she could sleep in them. Beavers are royalty too but they’re easier than that.