We strive to build our community outreach with engaging educational events and hands-on beaver awareness experiences.
Public Events
MBP participates in the annual National Fishing Day event at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery held the second Saturday in June. This is a family oriented, outdoor themed multi-agency event. Participants can view beavers, engage in hands-on activities, and catch fish to take home for dinner.
MBP is also involved with Methow Arts Fest held July 4th in Twisp. This event celebrates the holiday through music, dance, art, and food. MBP's booth includes beaver themed art projects, hands-on educational activities, and an opportunity to share your passion for beavers and wildlife.
In conjunction with the above festivals, MBP provides public tours to beaver restoration sites. During these field outings participants view an active beaver establishment, learn about beaver ecology, coexistence strategies, and the myriad of benefits beavers provide to the landscape, people, wildlife, and their vital role in climate change adaptation and wildfire recovery.
September 2019 we held our first Beaver Celebration showcasing 10 years of beaver relocation and landscape/watershed restoration with two stars of the beaver-based restoration revolution, Ben Goldfarb (http://bengoldfarb.com/) and Sarah Koenigsberg (https://www.thebeaverbelievers.com).
Knowledge Exchanges
MBP attends and presents at natural resource professional conferences, beaver symposiums, and academic institutions. These peer sharing opportunities elevate the collective knowledge of all things beaver, from coexistence strategies to mitigation techniques, from the latest research to forging new partnerships, from economic sustainability to ecosystem function.
* River Restoration Northwest, Stevenson, WA February 2019 www.rrnw.org
* State of the Beaver Conference, OR www.stateofthebeaver.org
* Joint Conference - American Fisheries Society & The Wildlife Society www.afstws2019.org
* Society for Ecological Restoration www.ser.org
* International Association of Landscape Ecology NA www.ialena.org
* Methow Valley Interpretive Center www.methowvalleyinterpretivecenter.com
* Science Café, Spokane, WA July 2019
Resources for Beaver Conservation Groups and Restoration Professionals
MBP has a long history of beaver restoration in North Central Washington State and we believe in sharing our collective knowledge and experiences with other beaver relocators and restoration organizations. We do so by actively contributing to the growing body of scientific knowledge through academic and professional presentations, sharing restoration design techniques and co-existence strategies, provide hands-on trainings and workshops, and actively participate in the Washington State Beaver Working Group.
On-Site Trainings/Workshops
Are you planning or developing a beaver relocation project and what to learn the practical how to's of trapping, transporting, handling, husbandry, and field monitoring? MBP can assist you in acquiring these skills. MBP staff members are Certified Beaver Relocators with Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.