![]() ![]() “Beaver restoration is just that.”īeavers live in family units and quickly build dams on streams, creating ponds. “There has been increased motivation to identify and fund the implementation of nature-based climate-smart solutions,” she said. She said she believed the past three years of drought and devastating wildfires contributed to the state’s shift on beavers. Kate Lundquist, the director of the Water Institute at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, said she expects California’s changes will lead to fewer beavers killed in the state and a growth in wetland spaces. The beaver population in North America used to range between 100 million and 200 million but now totals between 10 million and 15 million, according to the state. It is unknown how many beavers live in California, but hundreds of permits are sought by landowners each year that typically allow them to kill the animals. It marks a new chapter in Californians’ lengthy history with the animals, which experts say used to be everywhere, but after years of trapping, attempts at reintroduction and then removal, they are found in much smaller numbers than they once were – largely in the Central valley and the northern part of the state. The push follows similar efforts in other western states including Washington, which has a pilot beaver relocation program, Cook said. “There’s been this major paradigm shift throughout the west where people have really transitioned from viewing beavers strictly as a nuisance species, and recognizing them for the ecological benefits that they have,” said Valerie Cook, the beaver restoration program manager for California’s department of fish and wildlife. ![]() The aim is to preserve more beavers, along with their nature-friendly behaviors, including creating lush habitats that lure species back into now-urban areas, enhance groundwater supplies and buffer against the threat of wildfires.
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