Beavers: The Original Army Corps of Engineers

Audio:  mp3 (Coming Soon...)

Beaver with branch in water Courtesy US FWS

Beaver lodge Courtesy US FWS

Beaver in pond Courtesy US FWS

Beaver in snow Courtesy US FWS

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Beavers and beaver dams are a common feature of the Utah landscape. You'll see the dams on smaller streams and side channels, constructed of branches, downed trees and mud. The still, deep water of the resulting pond creates ideal conditions for a beaver lodge. Beavers can escape and hide from predators by slipping into the pond and disappearing into the lodge. Beavers also use their ponds to cache their favorite food—aspen and willow.

Because of their tree cutting and dam making skills, humans tend to have two divergent opinions of beavers: 60-pound nuisance or environmental engineer.

Beavers are considered a nuisance when they gnaw down trees that humans want to keep. Dams can flood roads or stop up irrigation canals. When beaver activity conflicts with human interests, they—the beavers--are likely to be trapped and killed.

However, beaver activity has many positive environmental consequences that we are just beginning to appreciate. Wetlands created by beaver dams help soak up sediments, improving downstream water quality. Because of beaver dams, the winter snowpack isn’t lost in a short spring pulse, This results in a more constant stream flow through the summer –and that’s important as Utah’s climate is predicted to become drier. Finally, beaver dams enhance habitat for many other fish and wildlife species and plants.

According to Dr. Joe Wheaton, a geomorphologist at Utah State University, there’s a lot of untapped potential for employing beaver engineers in stream and floodplain restoration. Say you want to restore a stream by reconnecting it with its floodplain. You need to excavate channels, redirect stream flow, revegetate and nurture the area for a long period of time. To accomplish this, you often need a number of highly trained professionals and some large Tonka toys.

Alternatively –under the right conditions-- you might transplant a colony of beavers and let them apply their vigorous work ethic to your landscape and get quite satisfying results.

Recognizing that nuisance beavers can be rehabilitated into hard working wetland engineers and stream habitat restorationists, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has rolled out the state’s first beaver management plan in 2010. This plan encourages live trapping of entire families of beavers in nuisance areas and moves them to specific sites where their environmental services can be appreciated and put to use.

Thanks to the USU College of Natural Resources for supporting this Wild about Utah topic.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:
Images:
Text: Stokes Nature Center: Holly Strand

Learn More:

ARKive Images of Life on Earth, Information Sheet on Castor Canadensis (including some outstanding videos) http://www.arkive.org/