Are you enjoying the beaver lodge cam? I happened to look when they woke up last night and saw one beaver yawn. It was the most adorable yawn I’ve ever seen, with all the teeth and a tiny tongue. So far I’ve only seen what look like two yearlings on the feed, but maybe there’s more that just didn’t come home yesterday. I’ll keep checking.
In the meantime we should all appreciate this article and how remarkable it is that they are getting such good press for a conference that is six months away in its planning stages and we couldn’t get a snippet of press even while it was happening. Sigh. Always a bridemaid and never a bride I guess.
Conference to look at beavers for water conservation, drought mitigation
This fall, Colorado Headwaters, a nonprofit that advocates for protecting and restoring headwater regions in the state, is sponsoring a beaver summit, a conference designed to unveil some of the latest ecological research on creatures once valued only for their glossy fur.
“The concept of beavers and their ability to restore streams is not new,” said Sarah Marshall, an ecohydrologist at Colorado State University’s Colorado Natural Heritage Program who has been studying these semi-aquatic rodents for years. “Now we have a body of groundwater and sediment capture studies that have really resonated with folks who are managing water, especially with these nagging problems of drought and earlier snowmelt.”
“The idea is to drive the knowledge to the general public and legislators so they have a better handle on how to address this,” said Jerry Mallett, Colorado Headwaters founder and president.
Go Jerry Go! This is a GREAT start. He told me excitedly how he educated their new governor about the importance of headwaters and streams and I think I even heard him discuss it as a guest on Wait Wait. Something tells me Jerry is going to do this right.
Beaver advocates would like to see more funding for research, new programs, such as a beaver census, and better integration of wetland restoration efforts in headwaters areas.
Even in urban areas, beavers are considered a nuisance because their never-ending dam building often floods city parks and harms trees.
But Marshall is hopeful that events such as the upcoming summit as well as ongoing education of policy makers and the public on the benefits of the water-related work beavers do will help improve their reputation.
“One of the most important things about how beavers help streams is that they are very dynamic. They don’t just create a dam. They move around in watersheds creating systems that are constantly changing.
And we all know how much humans like CHANGE right? Well some changes are good for your. Beavers are good for you. Can I get that on a pillow?
The Colorado conference, slated for Oct. 20 and 22 in Avon, comes on the heels of similar confabs that have been held recently in California and New Mexico, Mallet said.
As drought and climate change cause widespread reductions in river flows and aquifer levels, researchers and others are re-evaluating how wetlands and rivers evolved. They are hopeful that the furry architects and general contractors who originally helped shape them can be restored and put to work again in a way that aids everyone, Marshall said.
Hurray! We get an honorable mention! I’m glowing.
“We built all of this infrastructure and managed land in a context that did not include beavers. As we’re changing how we view them culturally, there is an opportunity for co-existence,” Marshall said.
“People are starting to realize that when you have beavers in a stream reach you have nice green grass growing along the banks for your cattle. It’s a fascinating path that we are on. People are starting to see them in a new light,” Marshall said.
Let’s hope it catches on soon and every western state has one. I’m look at you Idaho.
At the moment there are only place holders and topic ideas but it’s pretty clearly going to happen. Ellen Wohl introduced me to Jackie Corday who is a former student and now a water resources manager for Montrose. I made sure she knew Jerry Mallett who runs Colorado Headwaters and they assured me they are already hard at work making this happen. Apparently it’s true.
The plan is for it to be two days wednesday and friday just like ours with the first devoted to education and the second politics. Of course they are thinking post Covid so they are planning to go in person but it’s pretty dam exciting to think that there is a cascade of beaver education falling like dominoes across the west.
