This is almost a very nice story about a bay area couple moving to Oregon and buying some land to do the right thing. You see that picture and think maybe they’re putting in fascines of willow to encourage beavers! See if you can spot where they went wrong.

Western Innovator: Couple restores wetland prairie, improving fire resiliency

As a couple of self-described “tree hugging dirt worshippers,” Jolliff and Peterman were loathe to cut down any trees on their small woodland property near Scio, Ore., which they have affectionately named “Bogwood.”

But to enhance and restore Bogwood’s namesake wet prairie, Peterman said they had no choice except to remove all invasive species such as English hawthorn, Himalayan blackberry and Scotch broom.

Then they would need to thin the overstocked groves of hardwoods and conifers, allowing native plants to thrive while opening habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife including owls, hawks, bald eagles, coyotes, deer and possibly even a prowling bobcat.

“Our goal, we call it the five B’s: birds, bats, bees, butterflies and Bambi,” Peterman said. “There is so little native habitat for critters … we can’t save the world, but we can do a little bit in this little part, and do what we can.”

Yup. If you want those five you should really be working towards the sixth. Well not even the sixth. Let’s call it “Species A” Since you really need it before everything else falls into place. They almost got there by putting in some BDA’s but since the article never mentions beavers I’m pretty sure that when they show up they’ll be unwelcome.

Before they arrived, however, the property had been extensively logged, altering its natural character. Peterman said they knew they wanted to restore the ecosystem, but admitted they had no idea where to start.

They joined the Oregon Small Woodlands Association in 2014, which Peterman said unlocked a wealth of information. “It was like opening a book for the first time,” he said.

The couple also built a series of beaver dam analogs along a seasonal creek to hold back water, allowing it to remain on the property a little longer for the benefit of plants and animals.

The couple have reused branches and limbs to build the beaver dam analogs, as well as “bio-dens” scattered around the property, offering refuge to birds and deer. EQIP grants also paid for essential equipment, including a 5-horsepower electric sawmill and electric chainsaw, which Peterman has used to fashion wooden fencing and bird boxes.

So close you can almost taste it. Since they’re in Oregon and interested in fire resilience and restoring the land I can’t believe the subject of beavers hasn’t come up.

For several years, Jolliff and Peterman have also provided sturdy hardwood branches to an artisan in Eugene, Ore. who makes 19th-century style brooms. The broomsticks are especially popular with people who play Quidditch, a fictional-turned-real sport from the Harry Potter universe.