Methow Okanogan Beaver Project provides services to landowners facing beaver-related challenges with the goal of achieving successful coexistence. Through education and physical support, we've helped hundreds of landowners experience the incredible ecosystem benefits of beavers, while mitigating unwanted effects like flooding and loss of desired trees. We strive for a win-win solution for beavers and people every time.
Living with Beavers
From to flood control, drought mitigation, and water purification, to wildlife habitat and riparian plant support, to wildfire resistance and even carbon sequestration, beavers provide innumerable benefits to our watersheds. If you want greener plants, more wildlife, and creeks that flow higher and cooler in dry seasons, you might want to consider living with beavers.
With these incredible ecosystem services, beavers can unfortunately also occasionally bring a few challenges when their activity intersects with human development. In developed landscapes, beavers damming habits that bring such watery benefits can sometimes in the process flood yards, streets, agricultural fields or structures. Landowners also sometimes have issues when beavers chew down trees they would prefer to keep standing. That's where Methow Okanogan Beaver Project comes in!
At MOBP, we have a coexistence bag-of-tricks to mitigate the negative side effects that occasionally accompany living with beaver and help landowners successfully learn to coexist. Learn below about several types of coexistence solutions or contact us to set up a site visit, where we'll analyze your beaver problems and help you find the best solution for your situation.
Having beaver challenges?
The Methow Okanogan Beaver Project provides site consultations, free of charge. On a case-by-case basis, we analyze what coexistence methods may work best for your situation and offer beaver relocation services where coexistence isn't possible.
Techniques we may consider, depending on your situation may include:
-Priority tree protection
-Flooding management such as pond leveler or flow device design, installation and maintenance
-Relocating beavers, as a last resort
CONTACT US to schedule a consultation or to learn more.
methowbeaverproject@methowsalmon.org
Beaver solutions hotline: (509) 298-2770
Priority Tree Protection
If your main beaver challenge is loss of desired trees, tree-wrapping can be a great solution. Wrapping priority trees with welded-wire fencing protects them from being chewed down by beavers, preserving trees you care about, while allowing the beavers to stay put and continue to provide beneficial ecosystem services. Check out this instructional video to learn how to wrap your own trees more effectively, or contact us to learn more about our landowner services.
If you're trying to protect a larger collection of trees, like an orchard, electric deterrent fencing can also be a good solution. Learn more about this solution from our friends at Project Beaver.
Flow Devices
Are beavers flooding or threatening to flood your structure, road, yard, or field? If so, you may benefit from installing a culvert-protector or pond-leveler. These devices help prevent blockages and regulate the water level in beaver ponds to reduce flooding. Flow control devices may be the answer to successfully managing flooding while enjoying the security of increased ground water, increased hay and orchard production, and improved natural pest management from the birds and bats that beaver habitat can bring. If you're interested in learning more about flow devices, contact us to set up a consultation.
Fish Passage
Beavers and salmon evolved together, and the two species have coexisted since time immemorial. In our historic complex, dynamic streams, beaver activity provided incredible benefits for salmon. Studies have shown that beavers create essential rearing, overwintering and climate refugia habitat for salmonoid species. (If you're interested in learning more about the beaver-salmon connection, check out this StoryMap). Unfortunately, human development in our watersheds has reduced their complexity and dynamism, disconnecting streams from their floodplains and severely channelizing then. Under these changed conditions, beaver damming can sometimes reduce adult fish passage if seasonal high flows or deep jump pools don't exist. In these situations, a flow control device with built in fish passage may be the simplest answer to meeting restoration priorities. Contact us to learn more about flow devices for fish passage.
Relocation
If all other coexistence strategies have failed or are not feasible, relocating beavers may be a solution. However, relocating beavers isn't our first-choice response to beaver-human conflicts because our coexistence strategies are quite effective at allowing for the benefits that beavers provide while minimizing the challenges, and it is often only a temporary solution for the landowner. When beavers have chosen an area to live in, they make improvements to the system. When a previously occupied site is vacated by human removal of beavers, other beavers quickly find the improved habitat and happily utilize it, putting landowners right back where they started.
We have found that most landowners can agree that they would not mind living with beavers if their activity wasn’t damaging or threatening their property. Let us help you find the right beaver management solutions for your property and restoration site challenges.
