Wild Ideas: Beavers: nature’s engineer
Pam Owen, Rappahannock News
While humans may not be happy with the beaver’s engineering, the ponds and wetlands it creates serve as habitat for many other species. When beavers move on, many of these wetlands convert to meadows, providing habitat to other species before forest takes over again. With this cascading effect, populations of many species rebound along with the beavers.
Humans should also value some of the ecoservices beavers provide, including the buffering effect on adjacent lands. The ponds and wetlands beavers produce keep water in the landscape for drier times and, during precipitation events, slow runoff and reduce flooding, capturing silt and pollutants in the process.
This is a nice beaver-101 article that introduces the reader to plenty of beaver benefits and even talks about wrapping trees to prevent chewing. I wish it mentioned flow devices too but it’s Virginia and we’re grading on a curve. We know the state has heard about them before, because Stephanie Boyles paper originated from Christopher Newport University and the Virginia Department of Transportation was a key player in her research which concludes:
Given the demonstrated low costs to install and maintain flow devices compared to the high costs of preventative maintenance, road repairs and beaver population control activities, a compelling case can be made to install flow devices in freestanding dams near roads or to protect culverts that beavers could potentially plug. Nevertheless, a more prudent approach may be for transportation agencies to identify conflict sites and install flow devices at sites that have the largest impact on road maintenance and beaver management budgets.
Stephanie Boyle, Christopher Newport University, Virginia
Still, even without the mention of flow devices, this is a smart positive look at the animal. The author describes their advanced adaptions to aquatic life and is smart enough to put a photo of an actual beaver (not a nutria!) at the start. I especially liked this part:
Some targeted species, such as native willow, actually benefit from this trimming, which stimulates root growth and the spread of suckers.
Smart beaver writing from a region we often associate with beaver challenges, (and famously two cases of beaver rabies last year). I’m off to go thank her and make sure she has copies of Stephanie’s important research. Let’s get Virginia on up to the plateau, shall we?
