It didn’t take long for Colorado to move into first place in the beaver appreciation competition. It makes sense when you think of it, with giants like Ellen Wohl in their back pocket. Remember the famous In Beaver World was written a century ago by a champion in Colorado.
Now we are all in awe.
Water Protection Department discusses beaver dams, wildfire ready watersheds and more
The Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative is a coalition that includes the National Park Service, Grand County and numerous other partners who are actively working to bring back the beavers to Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park.
The valley was once a lush combination of riparian wetlands and wet meadows. However, human intervention changed this over time, chipping away at the beaver’s habitat.
According to the water protection department, the restoration collaborative has recently competed its Beaver Creek Pilot Project. 29 in-stream structures and 31 acres of exclosure fencing were installed to protect the area around Beaver Creek.
When beaver count a city counts beavers. And tracks their progress in the watershed.
The Grand County Drought Preparedness Committee has declared the county is currently under Drought Watch. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 51% of Grand County is currently classified as “abnormally dry” and 4% as being in “moderate drought.”
Residents are encouraged to continue to use water efficiently, such as repairing leaky faucets, taking quick showers and recycling water. Residents should prepare for below-average stream and river flows this summer.
The drought committee includes stakeholders across the county who look at environmental indicators to determine droughts levels and give recommendations for water conservation. The committee held its first meeting April 28 and will continue to meet monthly through October.
“While recent precipitation has helped slow the progression of drought, it has not been enough to lift the county out of Drought Watch,” the committee stated. “As we move into June and July, drought conditions could intensify depending on the summer monsoonal pattern.”
Any one worried about drought should be worried about beavers. You know how it is.
An important part of the water protection department’s mission is to have wildfire ready watersheds. Fires such as the East Troublesome Fire in 2020 can have catastrophic and long-lasting effects on watersheds, such as sediment runoff.
Staff are analyzing four post-fire hazards: hydrology, hydraulics, debris flow, fluvial hazard zones, sedimentation/gully erosion. Another major task to protect watersheds pre-disaster planning and mitigation activities to prevent future fire damage.
Could we please have this in California? A commission dedicated to making sure we have enough beavers in our watersheds to deal with fire and drought?
