Why Are Our Volunteers Pretending to be Beavers?
Article and photos by Nicole Schulter
They are the engineers of our ecosystems. Through the construction of dams and resulting ponds, beavers create habitat for other species, increase biodiversity, improve water quality, store water during droughts, and minimize flood risk.
These are facts many of the volunteers who trekked up Toll Canyon in mid-September didn't know. Arriving at the trailhead at what seems to be the coldest morning Utah has had in months, the air was brisk and the sun hugged the tips of the trees. Project leads introduced themselves and offered a piece of advice: "Pretend you're six years old. Play with mud. Think like a beaver, and do what a beaver would do."
This effort would not require skill, but a willingness to end the day with dirty hands.
Janice Gardner, one of the project leads and an ecologist at Sageland Collaborative, stressed the importance of beavers to not only Toll Canyon, but a massive number of other water bodies on Earth. Offering encouraging words and a devout appreciation for what the day had in store, Janice seemed to have every volunteer confident that they were creating accommodations for an important and most desired guest.
Each volunteer selected a tool—clippers, shovel or saw—and began up the trail. After approximately a quarter mile, a group of four to five volunteers waded into the stream, just a few steps from the trail.
As the larger group trekked along, groups of four to five continued to peel off. Each group was assigned a beaver’s task: create a dam.
Passing hikers became curious observers. Through the sounds of flowing water and the calls of chipmunks, voices of beav— I mean, volunteers—echoed as the group worked.
"There's a misconception. A lot of people think beavers are dirty and ruin water and streams, but it's actually the opposite," Janice explains. “Among other ecological contributions, beavers improve water quality. In the ponds created by the construction of dams, water moves slowly, reducing stream channel erosion. The slower water flow provides time for suspended particles to sink to the bottom, supporting clearer water downstream.”
Dams can also create pools that provide protection for beaver from predators, allowing the beavers to continue their helpful work on the stream. "They need some sort of protection! I always say they're like a giant burrito,” says Janice.
Beavers once inhabited Toll Canyon, but they haven't been spotted in a while. Creating these restoration structures, called beaver dam analogs (BDAs), is just one way Sageland Collaborative is attempting to encourage their return and heal stream ecosystems.
Watch a video of Sageland Collaborative releasing beavers to heal a degraded stream.
Essentially, BDAs are a human effort at imitating the form and function of natural beaver dams. They not only assist the ecosystem by replicating the contributions of beavers, but they can also provide immediate deep water habitat for beavers who may return.
While beavers are master builders, volunteers require no special skill to participate in the significant contribution made by constructing BDAs. Thanks to valuable experts like Janice, watershed scientist Jack Dahlquist (pictured top left), and many other partners, each volunteer group has direction, learns all about the work, and has a place to go with questions.
With any luck, our ecosystem engineers will be inhabiting these waters again soon. Thank you, volunteers, for your important work as pretend beavers in the meantime!
Want to support this crucial project? Sign up to learn about stream restoration volunteer opportunities in the spring or donate to ensure this work continues. Thank you!