Northeast Oregon
Photo courtesy of Renee Patrick.
BEAVER BENEFITS
Today's beavers and their ancient relatives have built, modified, and positively impacted the landscapes of North America for millions of years. By building their homes, they play an outsized role on the hydrology of wetlands, rivers, and forests in Northeast Oregon. The following information and links explore beaver ecology and the way beavers support healthy ecosystems. This includes benefits for fish and wildlife, protecting against floods and droughts, lessening fire intensity, and improving water quality.
From "Beavers, Rebooted" by Ben Goldfarb. Reprinted with permission from AAAS. Readers may view, browse, and/or download material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or in part, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Beavers lessen the intensity of wildfires
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"Smokey the Beaver" protects riparian systems from wildfire, creating safe havens for wildlife (and people, too). Check out this video to learn more.
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Not only do beaver complexes help protect streams while wildfires are burning, they also support recovery after fire by catching debris that could otherwise harm fish and pollute downstream waters.
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To learn more about beavers' interactions with fire, follow Dr. Emily Fairfax.
Photographs demonstrate the fire mitigation role played by beaver dams in the Sharp's Fire in 2018 near Hailey, Idaho.
Photos are used courtesy of Dr. Joe Wheaton, Utah State University. https://beaverworks.org/beavers-and-wildfire/
Beavers help protect against floods and droughts
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Beaver complexes store an impressive amount of surface water, and each beaver pond also contributes millions of gallons to the water table. This underground water then recharges waterways and springs downstream, keeping streams flowing even in drought.
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By reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, beaver dams can spread out floodwaters, increasing the area inundated while mitigating flood intensity. This means beaver activity protects against both droughts and floods.
Beavers improve water quality
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Along with storing more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem, wetlands, which beavers create and maintain, are considered "earth's kidneys" for their ability to purify water.
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This study in Colorado found that beaver activity enhanced water quality so significantly that beaver activity could overpower the negative water quality effects of climate change.
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For more on beavers and water quality, check out this list of resources.
Beavers benefit biodiversity
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In the Intermountain West, waterways provide essential habitat for 85% of wildlife species. By amplifying edge effects, increasing water storage, enhancing system diversity, and purifying water, beavers create habitat for all—including 50% of ESA-listed species.
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Migratory birds at all scales from ducks to herons to songbirds use beaver complexes for resting and foraging.
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Half the species on earth are already on the move due to climate change. Riparian corridors are their most essential pathways. By improving habitat along streams and rivers, beavers make these pathways more resilient, helping species move, survive, and thrive.
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The list of species beavers benefit goes on and on...and on. For more on beavers and wildlife, check out these studies.
Beavers benefit fish
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"Beavers taught salmon to jump," says the bumper sticker, and it's true—contrary to rumor, beaver dams are not significant barriers for migrating fish. Salmon and beavers evolved together, after all.
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In fact, beaver complexes provide the rich aquatic environments, cold water havens, and resting place that salmon and other fish need to thrive at all stages of their life cycle. Anglers love beavers!
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Some of the pioneering work on salmon-beaver interactions was done in Oregon! Check out the Bridge Creek story.