Given the dynamic, deceptive qualities of frozen water, beaver action is especially stunning in winter. With dense fur coats and insulated lodges/burrows near deep water with cached food to sustain them below the ice, beavers boast adaptations to our coldest season that no creature can match. When days seem dark to us, they've seen darker. And yet, in a perennial feat of survival, they endure. Photo Credit: Brian Parks

A Watershed Moment for Beaver Policy: The Developing Alternative Mitigation Systems (DAMS) for Beavers Act

Have you ever dreamed of a day when the beavers are featured in legislation that brightens our common future? Have you ever hoped that the highest levels of our government might endorse beaver-human coexistence? Or have you craved to see federal funds spark meaningful action for beaver-shaped watersheds? Well, strap on your waders and get ready for grant writing: the Developing Alternative Mitigation Systems (DAMS) for Beavers Act is here!

As introduced by Washington State Congresswoman Suzan DelBene on December 13, this bill proposes a grant program promoting nonlethal solutions that reduce property damage caused by beavers and enhance wildlife habitat. This is the first attempt to bring beavers into the federal processes of democratic governance, and it was made viable by its nod to the flow devices, culvert fence protection, tree wrapping, and other coexistence measures with proven success. 

Like other wildlife species not listed under the Endangered Species Act, beavers will continue to be managed by individual states, but this bill would channel $1 million through the US Fish & Wildlife Service to its pool of grantees. Tribes, state and federal agencies, local governments, landowners, and nonprofits would all be eligible to apply for the funds for this five-year pilot project.

Grounded in the mounting evidence supporting beavers as vital agents of climate adaptation, as well as the cost-effective, long-term relief that nonlethal coexistence measures provide, this well-timed bill transcends our typical boundaries, shifts our paradigms, and invites our possibilities for ecologically and economically effective action. It prioritizes locally relevant and geographically diverse awardees who emphasize monitoring, research, education, and outreach, and it is the moment the beaver movement has been waiting for. Throughout its formation, this bill drew widespread support from more than 80 agencies and Tribes, and that number is sure to grow. 

Please consider ways to actively share and champion this bill with Montana's congressional delegation, and to thank Washington State Congresswoman Suzan DelBene for her introductory efforts. You can also read the official press release here, a one-pager describing the bill here, and the bill's actual text here. 

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Beaver Conflict Resolution Specialist

Montana Freshwater Partners

Application Review Begins: January 2, 2023

Since its start as a pilot project in 2019, the Montana Beaver Conflict Resolution Project has brought pond levelers, culvert fences, tree protections, and landowner outreach services throughout its range, covering much of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Region 2. Drawing on that success, the project is now expanding to FWP's Region 3, and Montana Freshwater Partners will be hiring a Beaver Conflict Resolution Specialist who will be covering that geography. Drawing on their own technical expertise in fish, wildlife, and water resource management, as well as the extended support of Region 2 project collaborators (Defenders of Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, and FWP) Montana Freshwater Partners is poised to be an excellent host for this contractual position. To learn more about the role and how you can apply, please see the job description here.

Paul Jones of Tomichi Creek Ecosystem Services showcases a beaver dam analogue in a parched, channelized creek. The dark, top strata of the soil in the streambank profile show where a wet meadow used to be, but structures like this one will help water reconnect with its floodplain. Photo Credit: Kendall Wojcik

Heart Work: Winnett ACES' Collaborative Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration Workshop

Morgan Marks, Winnett ACES

December 8, 2022

Last month we reported on the inspiring Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration Workshop and Field Day that the Winnett ACES team hosted on September 23, in Winnett, MT. This event featured presentations, resources, and site tours that demonstrated the benefits of adding simple, low-cost structures to riverscapes to mimic the functions and processes of healthy watersheds across public and private land, and they have now added a thoughtful blog post to recap this important event. Please check out the wonderful summary and photos here.

Best Management Practices for Pond Levelers and Culvert Protection Systems

Jacob Shockey, The Beaver Coalition

December 2022

To complement their leadership in revisions of the renowned Beaver Restoration Guidebook, The Beaver Coalition has created a focused document exploring how and why non-lethal beaver solutions can be most effective. Drawing on his own vast experience in Oregon, lead author and Beaver Coalition Executive Director Jacob Shockey has thoughtfully presented the core tools, techniques, and tips for pond levelers and culvert protection systems. Clear, elegant, and eminently practical, this is an astute resource whose synthesis will help us design a better future with beavers. You can learn more from The Beaver Coalition and find this outstanding guide here.

Photo Credit: Twelve Books

Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Shaped America

Leila Philip, Twelve Books Press

December 1, 2022

The beaver movement is keen to welcome Leila Philip into the castor canon, where she'll join the ranks with its latest and greatest authors, including Frances Backhouse, Ellen Wohl, and Ben Goldfarb. One month old, Philip's new tome is already receiving wonderful reviews from widespread, well-respected readers, including this one from Goldfarb himself. Rife with new stories, geographies, and personalities, this will be a vital read for emerging and experienced castorid enthusiasts craving updates from the frontlines of beaver-related hope and action. You can learn more about Leila Philip here, and explore the book at her publisher's hub here.

Credit: King County Beaver Working Group

Planning for Beavers Manual: Anticipating Beavers when Designing Restoration Projects

Jen Vanderhoof, King County Beaver Working Group

November 2022

Ever since they formed in 2017, Washington State's King County King County Beaver Working Group has been creating a series of incredibly useful resources, and they have just unleashed one of their best yet, the Planning for Beavers Manual. As described by lead author and King County Senior Ecologist Jennifer Vanderhoof, this manual "represents a proactive approach to restoration planning, as it assumes the arrival of beavers and incorporates their potential effects into each step of restoration project planning and design." With its compelling organization of images, examples, templates, and more, this is a practical guide through all that will help us adapt with and for our inevitable, necessary future alongside beavers. As Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks gears up to produce a white paper addressing beaver management in our state, the comprehensive value of this resource will be immense. You can find a full list of King County Beaver Working Group resources with a link to this manual here.

New Resources for Nature-Based Solutions: A White House Report and a National Wildlife Federation Funding Database

November 2022

If you've got a friend who's been confused about what a nature-based solution might look like, you could cite a new report from the White House, which names "protecting beavers" as a leading example. Opportunities to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions: A Roadmap For Climate Progress, Thriving Nature, Equity, & Prosperity is a strong primer for those looking to understand the essential tools and strategies used by this increasingly relevant practice.

And if your friend gets hooked on nature-based solutions and wonders where to find funding sources for this work, you can also share that the National Wildlife Federation has recently launched this comprehensive database to speak directly to that need. While protecting beavers is not the only nature-based solution out there, you can be sure that work with and for them will remain a keystone approach that powerfully integrates with others.

Conceptual model describing the mechanisms of flow attenuation within a beaver wetland with an unconfined floodplain. As flow and therefore the depth of water behind the dam increases, the area of activated floodplain also increases; this results in the formation of new flow, infiltration and evapotranspiration pathways. These pathways become longer and more tortuous as the flooded area expands during a flow event. Canals likely play an important role in transporting water laterally into the floodplain further enhancing floodplain connection. Credit: Graham, Hugh, et al. 2022. Exploring the dyanmics of flow attenuation at a beaver dam sequence. Hydrological Processes.

Exploring the Dynamics of Flow Attenuation at a Beaver Dam Sequence

Hugh A. Graham et al, Hydrological Processes

October 13, 2022

Even as we soak up more and more research on how beaver-shaped watersheds can help moderate fire and drought, we should never forget how they can buffer floods, too. Rural England, where flashy streams that crest their banks are common, has proven to be an important region for a team of scientists devoted to questions about flooding and nutrient flow. Building on related 2020 insights, their latest research adds data confirming the significance of beaver-shaped habitat in flood attenuation. At the same time, this study provokes further inquiry about variability across landscapes, as well as limitations in extreme events. If the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem floods of June 2022 made you wonder about how beaver-shaped habitats could help slow the flow, check out this new study here.

Please send photos, stories, upcoming events, and other resources to:

Shelby Weigand - Senior Coordinator, Riparan Connectivity National Wildlife Federation

WeigandS@nwf.org

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