Beavers Are Returning to Streams in the West, Thanks to YOU
Dear Friend,
Your impact on wildlife in the West doesn't end after a volunteer season or donation. We're proud to say that because of you, beavers are being re-established in Utah's streams.
Volunteers spent days this season building beaver dam-like structures to restore crucial habitat in degraded areas. This paves the way for wildlife such as beavers to return and continue what volunteers started.
Wild Utah Project is proud to partner with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in our work. In a first for Wild Utah Project, we supported on a stream restoration project where beaver were reintroduced and successfully established!
The environmental benefits of beaver activity are well documented. Beavers’ impacts include:
Creating aquatic and riparian habitats & providing hydrological connectivity
Supporting healthier riverscapes, which sequester carbon and increase climate resiliency
Reducing erosion and controlling sediments
Reducing runoff and floods
This means that just by living their beaver lives, beavers will not only heal habitat for fish, birds, game, and other wildlife, but also make human lives healthier. And you've made this possible!
2020 stream volunteers. Credit: Mike Manning
Will you become a monthly donor to heal more landscapes in 2021?
If you volunteered on our Stream and Riparian Restoration project this fall, you know that those days were hard work. From hefting piles of willows to weaving dams to shoveling mud, our volunteers had a huge impact on restoring western landscapes.
Volunteers restore Lambs Canyon, Utah in 2020. Credit: Mike Manning (cropped)
150+ volunteers built 250+ restoration structures
Volunteers donated 1,224 hours
Many different community groups participated, including landowners, hunters, ranchers, bird lovers, conservationists, students, and others
Wild Utah Project trained agency staff in Bookcliffs region of Utah on methods to further work on stream health
Beavers were re-established on two streams
Grazing management was improved on three sites
1,000+ willows and pollinator-friendly plants were planted
Thank you so much to our volunteers and donors who have been central to these successes in 2020. Without you, this work wouldn't be possible.
We have big plans for 2021. Our coming work will advance the science regarding beaver dams and carbon sequestration. We're also looking forward to more volunteers, more restoration structures, and more beavers and other wildlife returning to streams.
If you are in a position to give, will you make a year-end donation to support more wildlife success stories in 2021?
Thank you for allowing our conservation projects to continue. We're grateful for your dedication to Utah's wildlife and lands.
Visit the project page on our website to learn more about our conservation work, and please contact us with any questions.
Thank you so much,
Joshua Wood
Executive Director