Yesterday I received this paper from Mary O’Brien, reporting the final figures on the fiscal impact of beaver wetlands in the Escalante River Basin of Utah. It was prepared by ECONorthwest at the request of the Grand Canyon Trust with support from the Walton Family Foundation. If money talks, the beavers are great communicators. When you think of the value of water storage, wildlife habitat and erosion prevention, it adds up to some pretty remarkable numbers.
“Restoring healthy populations of dam-building beaver can potentially impact ecological structures and processes in the basin of high and growing economic importance (Figure ES1). In particular, beaver activity can potentially substantially increase the area of aquatic and wetland habitat, increase base streamflow, and recharge aquifers. Improved baseflows and habitat structure would contribute to improving the temperature conditions the Utah Department of Water Quality identifies as constraining fish populations in the basin. Limited surface water supplies and storage options lead to high economic values for improved accessible streamflow.”
Go read the entire thing over a cup of coffee, and drop a copy off to your local city manager.
“Restoring beaver populations in the Escalante Basin has the potential to generate benefits to residents and visitors across a wide range of ecosystem services. If beaver populations reached their regional potential, the annual value of benefits could reach well into the tens, even hundreds of millions“
