Legislation recognizes that beavers are good for the land
This spring, beavers have been thinning and eating the inner bark of small incense-cedars along the river and sloughs at our Rogue River Preserve near Eagle Point. These keystone mammals also build small dams consisting of willow, alder, and even noxious Japanese knotweed at Williams Creek Preserve, downstream of the town of Williams, sculpting layers of habitat complexity in the floodplain forest. Beavers store water, create wetlands, and enhance habitat for salmon and wildlife. Over the years, SOLC staff have been concerned about the fate of these beautiful beavers when they move upstream or downstream of our preserves to nearby private lands. While Oregon is officially The Beaver State, until recently beavers were classified as “predatory” on private lands and could be killed with no or little regulation. While their industrious activities can be a nuisance to roads, farms, and forestlands, there are other options than lethal force. Check out the work of Project Beaver to learn more about minimizing impacts here: https://projectbeaver.org/.
What changed? Thanks to the work of Representative Pam Marsh and the Environmental Law Center, as well as many others, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3464 “Enhancing Oregon’s Fire Resiliency and Water Security through Beaver Management.” Working with farmers, irrigators and forestland owners, the bill was amended and passed the state legislature last month! Going forward, beaver management is streamlined into a single state agency (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife) to recognize the benefits of beaver in mitigating climate change impacts like wildfire, drought, and protection of imperiled species. We can partner with beavers to restore resiliency to the land. In Oregon now, it’s the law.
SOLC along with many local groups such as KS Wild, Rogue Valley Audubon Society, Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon, and the Vesper Meadow Education Project, enthusiastically sponsored this bill. Some conservation easement landowners we work with also supported this project. In closing, we want to honor the memory of local conservationist and community member Diarmuid McGuire who was passionate about beavers and championed their important ecosystem services.
