Ir’s that time again. The beaver team at CDFW has released another report about how their beaver relocation plan is humming along. It comes with a list of all the excited proposals they have received for more additional beavers and a brand new shiny tool showing where beaver habitat could exist in the state: The California Brat Model.
Unlike the 2023 report there are fewer predations by bears. This time a mountain lion participated in the beaver-feeding project. There are some Glossy 8×10’s about all the watery changes beavers made in Plumas. I am still trying to process why exactly CDFW seems unable to take things like WINTER into account in their release dates.
This article from Edhat has a reasonable summary.
California is Turning to Beavers as a Nature-Based Solution to Drought and Wildfire
California is turning to an unlikely partner in its efforts to make the state’s landscapes more resilient to drought and wildfire: beavers.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has been relocating beavers into carefully selected waterways as part of a statewide restoration program designed to use the animals’ natural dam-building abilities to improve watersheds and create healthier habitats.
I’m not sure what “Carefully selected” means in this sentence. But from reading the report I think it means “Tribal lands – so nobody else gets mad at us.”
As many as 42 beavers have been moved through 10 translocation events and sites since the program began.
The idea is fairly simple: Let the beavers do what beavers do.
Known as “ecosystem engineers,” beavers build dams and lodges consisting of woody material, dig canals, and plug culverts to expand the area and depth of a suitable habitat.Their ability to build dams and change waterways helps expand wetlands, riparian, and wet meadow habitats, according to the CDFW.
Beavers. They aren’t just for breakfast anymore.
Using aerial imagery, officials estimated that surface-water area at the site increased by 30.5%, from about 8,334 square meters in November 2023 to 10,880 square meters in November 2025.
Isn’t that great? Aren’t beavers great? Don’t you feel inspired? I bet you can’t wait to hear what they did next!
Despite some of the success stories, the restoration efforts are an evolving program, the agency clarified. Of the eight translocation sites across five restoration projects implemented so far, beavers have built dams at five sites. Burrows or lodges have been built in four areas.
The animals do not always stay where they are released, and survival has been mixed, per CDFW.
No Kidding.
The agency estimates that post-translocation survival across all years may be as high as 66%, but believes the actual figure is more likely in the 50% to 60% range because the fate of some beavers remains unknown.
Among 11 known post-release deaths, predation accounted for 55%, while illness and capture-related stressors accounted for 27%.
There are lies, There are damn lies. And there are statistics. As Mark Twain once said. Notice that we aren’t being told what percentage of the beavers released were eaten, just what percentage of deaths were due to being eaten.
For now, CDFW is still learning where the strategy works best.
I know
I know call on me!!!
They work beaver when beavers get to choose for themselves!
Well to be fair the reporter does a fairly good job covering the unrosy part of this report. Although she does not mention the creative ways the report defined the terms FAMILY UNIT or the exciting decision to released beavers in TAHOE in NOVEMBER.
More on that soon.
Here’s the inspiring video CDFW released. It hits most of the right notes.
