"Beavers: Returning to Watershed Resilience" Watercolor by Cal Waichler
MOBP commissioned this print from talented artist and fellow beaver-enthusiast Cal Waichler. This intricate watercolor tells the story of the history and potential future of beavers in North America. Read Cal's artist statement below and visit her website to see more of her art.
"Water forms and defines this valley. From peak flows in spring to late summer drought, between snowy headwaters and vital riparian areas, water shapes where and how we dwell. Who determines the timing, quality and amount of water in our reality? We can look to human history, climate, wildfire, and beavers as the agents of change.
This watercolor painting conveys how these actors shape the ecological arc of our rivers. I draw from details and history of the Methow and Okanogan valleys in Washington state. Read along the rivercourse, we begin in a pre-settlement scene, where beavers and humans coexist in a complex and verdant landscape of their making. Wetlands are large and complex, hosting a wide diversity of species, and storing ample water. As the area is settled, beaver trapping, deforestation, fire suppression, channelization of streams, and riverside development spell out ecological decline. The rivers are neglected, nearly forgotten.
This slew of human impacts and a warming climate lead to severe wildfires like those of 2014 and 2015. Hard rain follows, scouring stream channels and disconnecting floodplains. In this bleak landscape, the rivers hardly breathe. Yet just around the bend are those working to revitalize our rivers and streams. The Methow Beaver Project maintains and restores beaver populations. They bring back channel complexity in wildfire-impacted tributaries using process-based stream restoration techniques. They also foster coexistence between native water-scaping beavers and the greater community.
Today, this story unfolds in our hands. The goal of this painting is not only to make us aware of loss and degradation, but also to depict a map of the solutions taking place. What happens around the next bend in the river—how we rebuild watershed resilience– starts right here."