Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Tag: The California Beaver Summit


Guess what’s happening right now as we speak. Bruce is busily conjuring a website into being. It’s still on its early stages but I thought you’d want to see the conference description.

The California beaver Summit

Climate change is making our state hotter, drier, and harder on people and wildlife. Find out how beaver can help.

Beaver have shaped the landscapes of California for over 5 million years. Their dams have slowed runoff and created wetlands of carbon enriched meadows. They charged aquifers,  maintained  stable temperatures and cooled  stream flows in California’s dry summers. Countless species and entire  ecosystems have adapted to these beaver-maintained hydrologies and geomorphologies.  

Today, across the US, Canada, and Europe, people have begun to better  realize the value these rodents provide. The golden state has been slow to understand this lesson. The California Beaver Summit is an important step towards changing that.

During two half-day sessions on two days in April, we explore the many benefits that beavers offer to our drying state  The first session on April 7th will present an overview of beaver essentials.  Discussion will clarify  the history of beavers in the state, their ecological contribution as a keystone species, their function  in aquatic restoration and conservation, and finally how to successfully manage common conflicts beavers cause.

The second session on April 9th takes a closer look closer at how  biologists, watershed stewards and land managers utilize advances in beaver science and management  for restoration. It addresses  where they are being employed for fire resilience, conservation of  endangered species,  and cleaner water.  California-specific management and policy challenges  will be highlighted along with directions for future improvements. Because we are behind other beaver-progressive  western states like Washington and Utah,  California is in an unique position to avoid their mistakes and learn from their successes.

Fires in close succession and habitat destruction in general are significantly altering our rich biodiversity.  Drought  is a persistent concern.  Understanding beaver  management can transform this animal  from an uninvited guest to an untapped resource. Their stewardship of  streams can make our state more beautiful, more robust to climate change  and ultimately help keep  California’s promise to  future generations for years to come.

Lots of friends are sharing their favorite dam photos to get the website up. Here is a lovely one from Shari Hartstein.


It’s the friday before Christmas and I have some excellent news. The beaver summit steering commission met yesterday and arrived at two wonderful dates for our upcoming conference. Sonoma State will host our virtual conference beginning April 7th, International Beaver Day from 1-5. With the second session offered two days later, April 9th from 1-5. The opening day will be a beaver issues 101 course, including nativity, ecology and management. The second day will focus on new research and policy. It really is going to happen. Plan your wednesday and friday after Easter accordingly!

I was so excited to have an actual date I couldn’t resist playing with some graphics. I’m sure the real artwork will be much much better.Of course you and I know a million reasons California should care about beavers, but of course the people who most need to be there and learn why they matter are people who don’t yet think they matter, so we have to be pretty careful about not appearing to preach to the choir.

Although we definitely will. The choir is awesome. And getting larger all the time.

There are all kinds of issues we face that beavers can help with. Not just salmon and water storage. Some are topics most folks don’t even recognize as being relevant to beavers.  Just ask our friends at Phys.Org.

Restoring wetlands near farms would dramatically reduce water pollution

Runoff from fertilizer and manure application in agricultural regions has led to high levels of nitrate in groundwater, rivers, and coastal areas. These high nitrate levels can threaten drinking water safety and also lead to problems with algal blooms and degradation of aquatic ecosystems.

Previous research has shown that improve quality, but how much of an impact are wetlands having on removal now, and what improvements could deliver in the future?

Gee that’s interesting. Do wetlands really make a difference?

Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Waterloo sought to evaluate these details at the U.S. scale and publish their findings in a new paper featured in the journal Nature.

Their study examines the positive effects of wetlands on water quality and the potential for using wetland restoration as a key strategy for improving water quality, particularly in the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf of Mexico regions.

The wetland essentially has a purifying effect when nitrate-laden water enters its boundaries. Chemical reactions take place that removes the harmful nitrate from the water, allowing for harmless nitrogen gas to be released into the atmosphere and cleaner water to flow downstream.

“Unfortunately, most wetlands that originally existed in the U.S. have been drained or destroyed to make way for agriculture or urban development. Ironically, areas with the biggest nitrate problems, due to agriculture and intensive use of nitrogen fertilizers, are also usually areas with the fewest numbers of remaining wetlands,” said Kimberly Van Meter, UIC assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences and co-lead author of the paper.

Gosh that’s a big problem. The places that need these wetlands the most are the ones that drained them. And making wetlands is a huge undertaking. Who has the time or the resources? I mean farmers aren’t made out of money.

Too bad there wasn’t some kind of wetland-making rodent just swimming around and wanting to help. Of course the researchers have a plan. But it has a pretty hefty price tag.

The cost of a wetlands initiative is estimated at $3.3 billion a year, an amount researchers described as feasible given current government spending levels. While that is twice the estimated cost of a non-targeted approach, the model showed it would remove 40 times more nitrogen.

How much do beavers charge again?

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