Idaho rancher watches beavers rebuild Birch Creek watershed over ten years
Jay Wilde released five beavers into Birch Creek, Idaho, a decade ago. The animals have since transformed the watershed. Wilde had read studies about beaver restoration with skepticism, but he wanted to test the claims himself. He built beaver dam analogs to give the animals a place to settle. The family group included two adults, two yearlings, and one kit. Wilde checked daily at first to see if they would stay. Earlier attempts at bringing in beavers had failed when he did not build the analogs. Now NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife runs workshops on his land to teach other ranchers about wet habitat restoration.
Ranchers and wildlife managers gain a proven model for restoring degraded streams and wetlands.
Source: Beavers Work Stream Restoration Magic In Birch Creek | Working Lands For Wildlife (wlfw.org).
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
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