California Assembly Overwhelmingly Supports “Beaver Bill”
SACRAMENTO, CA—Yesterday, Assembly Bill (AB) 2196 by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) passed the State Assembly by a vote of 72-0. Sponsored by the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, AB 2196 aims to ensure the longevity of the Beaver Restoration...
Fighting fire with beavers: How dam-building rodents are deployed to prevent megafires, restore scorched wildlands
Beaver wetlands provide a wildlife refuge from wildfire. Photo by Emily Fairfax. Stretches of river that had beaver dams fared better in three fearsome Colorado fires in 2020. People charged with repairing wildfire damage are taking heed. River segments hosting...
Experts Say Beavers Could Help Save California from Climate Change
“Beaver dams improve water quality and control water downstream, repair eroded channels, reconnect streams to their floodplains, and the ponds and flooded areas create habitat for many plants and animals,” DFW wrote in its May proposal. “It might be odd, but beavers are an untapped, creative climate-solving hero that helps prevent the loss of biodiversity facing California.”
New Mexico Magazine: The Gila Wilderness At 100
A study by the National Park Service demonstrated “that beavers and their associated dams play an important role in the formation, function, and persistence of riparian wetlands.” By creating more complex river flows, beavers produce healthier wetlands, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, increase biodiversity, and raise the water table, stabilizing threatened ecosystems.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Releases Beavers into the Wild for the First Time in Nearly 75 Years
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has launched the initial phase of its beaver translocation activities, recently conducting the first beaver conservation release in nearly 75 years. Working with the Maidu Summit Consortium, CDFW released a family...
Study: Even during intense wildfires, beaver-dammed waterways provide major wildfire protection
Wildfires are increasing in size and intensity, and billions are spent every year fighting them. New research published by the Geological Society of America suggests land managers could have a new ally to turn to: beavers. When beavers get to work along mountain...
The US is bringing back nature’s best firefighters: beavers
For decades, beavers were considered pests – trapped and shot on sight. Now the attitude towards nature’s best engineers is changing, and farmers are working to bring them back. Jay Wilde stared at the dry creek on the ranch his family had owned for decades for...
Beavers released into California wild for the first time in 75 years
Beavers are native to Northern California, but their population was practically decimated during the fur rush in the 1800s, when maritime traders converged in the Bay Area and California’s Central Coast to harvest the valuable, chestnut-colored fur from the species,...