Category: Attitudes towards beavers

BDA’s AND MUSICAL BEAVERS IN WYOMING

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, BDA's August 18, 2025

The only time I’m really impressed by a BDA article is when the author makes it clear that the idea is that building these tiny dams with volunteer labor is only going to work if it convinces furry little flat-tailed labor to take over the job.

Give it up for Wyoming and the Cowboy Daily.

With Beaver Population Dropping In Wyoming, Artificial Dams Rise In The Bighorns

It is thought there are fewer than half the beavers in the Bighorn National Forest now compared to about 15 years ago, and to make up for their work, wildlife officials have built more than 150 artificial dams. It’s not clear why the beaver population is declining.

It is thought there could be fewer than half the beavers in the Bighorn National Forest now compared to about 15 years ago, and to make up for their work, wildlife officials have built more than 150 artificial dams, or “beaver dam analogs.”

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Forest Service have also worked together to reintroduce beavers to the area.

It’s not quite clear why the beaver population has been declining.

Gee I wonder why. Maybe you could stop trapping and shooting them and give them a chance to do their jobs?

The recent decline in the beaver population is troubling, Cundy said.

“The beaver population in the Bighorns has experienced a decline over the past several years,” he said. “There is not a numerical population objective for beavers in the area, but Game and Fish is concerned about the decline and is working with the Bighorn National Forest and other partners to identify causes of the decline, conduct habitat improvement projects and increase the population where possible.”

Officials haven’t pinpointed a cause for the decline, but they have some ideas.

One might be the encroachment of conifers (such as pine trees) into riparian areas – the vegetation-rich habitats along creeks and streams.

“Increased conifers in an area can compete for sunlight, water and nutrients with more desirable riparian vegetation such as willows and aspens,” Cundy said.

Other factors might include long-term drought and grazing and browsing by livestock and wildlife affecting willow and aspen growth, he said.

Sure, It;s the trees and the drought. That’s what’s killing off your beaver population.

If there’s one thing I have no patience for its places that allow beavers to be killed and then try and move other beavers that might have been killed onto the landscape to try and make them do their job. Stop with the musical beavers already.

Deal with the ones you have and allow them to make the changes that can keep your landscape habitable.

RIDING ON THEIR COAT-TAILS I MEAN BEAVER-TAILS

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers August 6, 2025

The reason I love this image is because it represents perfectly the rakishly unjust way in which these two species are regarded. The otter image is cute and coquettish with huge long eyelashes to invite you closer while it devours its tasty morsel.

The Beaver with its multiple rows if teeth is truly terrifying and could not be more ugly and unattractive. A giant tooth vagina lurking on the landscape.

If you had a big sister that everyone loved and thought was perfect and you were always treated like you were invisible or a second class citizen even though you earned a scholarship to Stanford and silver medal at the Olympics you can probably guess how beavers feel about otters.

Now beavers are already tasked with preventing droughts, halting wildfires, slowing floods and cleaning the earths liquid toxins, but now they’re apparently being signed up for another job.

Returning river otters to the Gila and how beavers can help

Together, beavers and otters can create a more resilient, biodiverse river system

Did you know that river otters (Lontra canadensis) were once common in New Mexico, thriving in waterways across the state? In this era of otter abundance, otters played a key role in the Land of Enchantment as apex aquatic predators that helped stabilize food webs.

By feeding on overabundant species like crayfish and other non-native fish, otters can help reduce competitive pressure on native species like the Gila chub and spikedace. Their presence is also a signal of ecological health: otters need clean water and healthy fish populations to thrive.

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In a tragic story all too familiar, overtrapping combined with man-made habitat modifications and degradation led to the sharp decline of the native otter population. With New Mexico’s last confirmed river otter sighting in the Gila River in 1953, these charismatic aquatic creatures vanished from the state’s waterways for more than 50 years – lost to the trapping trade as well as habitat modification and degradation.

Together they can make the river more resilient? Um. Okay. I will concede that otters help rivers by eating and pooping moving the nutrients around the ecosystem. I’m nothing if not reasonable. But no one is saying that;s anything like what beavers do, right?

When it comes to restoring rivers, river otters have a powerful ally: beavers.

In New Mexico, beavers are certainly having a moment. State leaders and wildlife advocates are becoming more and more aware of the benefits beavers bring to the environment – so much so that the New Mexico legislature invested $1.5 million in beaver restoration over the next three years. WildEarth Guardians and the New Mexico Beaver Project are hard at work to ensure that the investment succeeds in expanding beaver populations into areas where they will do the most good.

Beavers are ecosystem engineers that reshape riparian zones by building dams, which create deep pools and expand wetlands. Beaver ponds offer rich foraging habitat for otters, and otters will sometimes even move into abandoned beaver lodges, which offer them refuge from predators.

Okay, we’re in agreement so far. This sentence is the one that really got my attention:

In turn, otters help maintain balance in beaver-created habitats by controlling fish and invertebrate populations.

The bottom line is that beavers can make New Mexico a more lush, resilient, hospitable, and productive place for people and wildlife.

In turn? In turn? That makes it sound like otters are helping beavers. Which drives me completely insane. Otters are cute. they are way more popular than beavers. Otter appetites may get rid of certain kinds of fish or crayfish. But that doesn’t help beavers one bit.

Beavers don’t care what kinds of fish their ponds are full of.

Beaver populations across the country are rebounding thanks to increased protections and the decline of fur trapping, and the Gila is no exception. According to Guardians’ Greater Gila New Mexico Advocate, Leia Barnett, “I’d say there have been reports of increased beaver activity along key waterways in the Gila region, but the landscape could host a lot more. And especially in these times of increased fire activity and ongoing drought, having larger beaver-created wetlands provides really important refugia for species when wildfires burn.”

Together, beavers and otters can create a more resilient, biodiverse river system, one that better withstands drought, stores carbon, filters pollutants, and slows the flow of water across the landscape.

The benefits would extend to the whole of the Gila Wilderness: healthier floodplains, more water for wildlife and people, and stronger resistance to the impacts of climate change.

Ohhh puleeze.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against otter in the Gila. And I’m curious at suggestion that they can be relocated. But saying that otters AND beavers can improve rivers is like saying that firefighters AND paperboys can save neighborhoods.

One of them is doing all the heavy lifting and the other one is cute.

BLUEGRASS IS FOR BEAVERS

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers April 13, 2025

It’s getting to be that wonderful time of year when donations to our silent auction start showing up in the mailbox in the afternoon. This was especially delightful and I knew you’d want to see it.

I approached Cait Irwin of IrwinArtworks and she was so moved by our story that she created this watercolor especially for us. She will sell copies as cards on her site but the original will be for sale at our silent auction and no where else in the world.

Thank you so much Cait. I believe you have just created a bluegrass bidding war at the beaver festival.

BEAVERS ARE SENDING THEIR BEST PEOPLE

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beavers April 7, 2025

Years ago, in eager younger days when almost all beaver news was bad. there were so many miserable reports about beavers that I was exhausted responding to them. I thought it might be more effective for a different voice to answer these articles instead of that tree-hugging white lady from California. I needed more cred. I dreamed up the character of a ruddy ex-trapper who had learned first hand why beavers matter. I even made up a name for him.

Buck Lanyard.

Buck was much more believable than Heidi, let me tell you. He explained about flow devices. Salmon. And drought. But he was never as good as this guy.

This letter is outstanding.

Bring beavers back (Opinion)

If you’ve walked along Tahoe’s various Creeks or fished the Truckee River, you’ve probably noticed how our waterways shift with the seasons—and maybe even how they’ve changed over the years. For me, these streams have always been more than just scenery. I grew up fishing them, studying them, and learning how their rhythms shape the landscape and everything that lives within it. That’s why I’ve become especially interested in one of the region’s not so famous natural allies: the North American beaver.

I’m paying attention. Aren’t you?

In the 1980s, beavers were nearly wiped out from the Tahoe Basin and the greater Truckee River Basin. At the time, they were seen mainly as a problem—causing flooding, damaging infrastructure, and blocking culverts. But as I’ve spent more time out in the field and more time with a fly rod in hand, I’ve come to realize how much we’ve lost by pushing them out.

As part of a field-based research project I studied the ecological impact of beavers in the Truckee Basin. I collected data on stream flow, water depth, temperature, vegetation, and species presence at sites with and without active beaver ponds. Drawing from methods used by researchers, I wanted to see what the data could tell us—and what it couldn’t. What I found reinforced what I’d already witnessed while fishing and exploring: beavers make ecosystems better

Oh I’m loving this letter. Who is this man? I’m thinking we need to meet and be friends.

Their dams slow the flow of water, trap sediment, and create deep pools that act as critical habitat for trout, especially in the summer when stream temperatures rise. These pools offer cooler, oxygen-rich refuge and abundant insect life—exactly the kind of environment wild trout need to thrive. I’ve seen firsthand how fish stack up in beaver ponds during the hottest months, finding shelter where otherwise the water would be too shallow or warm.

But it’s not just fish that benefit. Waterfowl like widgeon and mergansers often nest near beaver ponds, where thick vegetation and still water offer both food and protection. And beyond supporting wildlife, beavers also build natural firebreaks. By raising the water table and saturating nearby soils, they create wet zones that are far more resistant to wildfire, an ecosystem service that couldn’t be more timely in a region like ours.

This letter! It’s the best! I’m week in the knees and feel like I need a cigarette and I don’t even smoke. Is it hot in here?

What started as a fun side project quickly became something more personal. As an angler, a conservationist, and someone who’s spent most of his life in the Sierra, I came to see beavers not as pests but as partners—quiet, persistent builders who work for free and never ask for anything in return. They don’t burn fossil fuels, they don’t need concrete or engineering plans, and yet they outperform many of our most expensive restoration projects.

Of course, beaver restoration needs to be thoughtful. Infrastructure and private property must be protected. But there are modern tools—pond levelers, culvert protectors, and tree guards—that make coexistence not only possible, but practical. And perhaps most importantly, it’s a conversation the entire community should be part of. This isn’t just about one species—it’s about how we choose to live with nature, not against it.

Christopher Paganelli (Truckee)

Oh my goodness. I think that’s the very best letter I’ve ever read. And from TRUCKEE no less which is a pretty trap-happy region.

Thank you Chris

Happy International Beaver Day

A NEW BEAVER WORLD IN SQUAMISH BC

heidi08 Attitudes towards beavers, Beavers February 9, 2025

I’ve been feeling lately like we’re getting to be in a new world. That my old fashioned concerns about cities losing patience with beavers are quaint, like an old hippie in a Volkswagon bus complaining about “the man“. It’s a new age for beavers. A whole new age. And it’s might be time for people to start patting my head and saying condescendingly, “Okay beaver boomer we got things from here.”

Just check out THIS article. I was sure it was from Washington state at first. But Squamish is in British Columbia.

Dam good news: Why Squamish needs beavers

Have you spotted a beaver dam around Squamish?

At first, one might think, “Oh no, is that going to be a problem?” But actually, it’s pretty exciting.

While beavers sometimes get a bad reputation for disrupting urban spaces, experts say their presence is actually a great sign for the health of our local ecosystems.

Jennifer Rae Pierce, an expert in urban wildlife and biodiversity, has studied beaver populations and their role in city environments. In a recent conversation with The Squamish Chief, she explained how beavers are a keystone species, meaning their activities help sustain a rich, biodiverse ecosystem.

“They create environments that support a wide range of species and contribute to resilient ecosystems,” Pierce said. “Beavers help store water in the land, which is especially crucial for drought management. They also support fish populations and enhance water quality in many cases.”

Wait. What? An urban wildlife specialist that promotes beavers and isn’t me? An I dreaming? Who is this woman?

Jennifer is a political ecologist, urban planner, and urban biodiversity policy specialist with 18 years of experience with cities and nature. She is the co-founder of Urban Biodiversity Hub (UBHub)

Urban bioiversity Hub. I like the sound of that. Do you think she ever heard of Martinez?

Living with beavers

Of course, living alongside beavers isn’t always easy.

They cut down trees and flood certain areas, which is why some landowners want them removed. But according to Pierce, relocating them doesn’t really work.

“The habitat is what attracts beavers,” Pierce said.

“Even if you remove them, more will come unless the environment is changed. Also, beaver relocation is costly and difficult because finding suitable, unoccupied habitat is rare. Beavers are territorial and will struggle to establish themselves in a new place.”

So instead of removing them, Pierce recommended simple solutions like installing water flow devices (also called “beaver baffles”).

These help maintain controlled water levels without disrupting beaver habitats.

Worried about your favourite tree? There’s an easy fix.

“If people are concerned about trees being cut down, they can wrap wire mesh around them or use a paint mixed with sand, which discourages beavers from chewing on them,” Pierce added.

Boom! Beavers help biodiversity in cities and even if they cause an issue it is better to fix it and here are some easy tools to do so.

I am very close to retirement. Or as they say in the UK about layoffs “Being made redundant“, Wow.

Pierce believes locals should embrace beavers instead of seeing them as a nuisance.

“People can show their support by engaging with local authorities and property owners,” she said. “Decision-makers sometimes assume the public is against beavers when, in reality, many people love seeing them and appreciate their ecological benefits.”

Some communities in Metro Vancouver have already stepped up, preventing beaver relocations through activism and education.

For Pierce, one fun way is through storytelling and social media.

“Some places have given their beavers names and even [X] accounts,” Pierce said with a laugh. “It helps people connect with them and see them as part of the community.”

Okay admit it, You think I secretly wrote this article and made up Ms Pierce. I almost do myself. But no, its legit. I swear on a stack of beavers. That’s just the world we live in now.

Want to spot some beavers? Head to the wetlands around the Squamish River, Alice Lake Provincial Park, or the Mamquam River.

It maybe time for this beaver boomer to hang up her worry beads.