From the Desk of Christopher Mouawad, Legal and Policy Intern
On May 24th, we had the opportunity to visit the Doty Ravine Preserve located just outside of Lincoln, California. The preserve is maintained by the Placer Land Trust who have employed a furry friend to assist with their ecosystem restoration project: the beaver.
While beavers are well-known for building dams, they have had a reputation of being a nuisance instead of a positive feature of California’s landscape. In fact, Yolo, Sacramento, and Placer counties have some of the highest depredation permits. These permits, issued by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW), allow beavers to be lethally removed from an area. During the late 1800s, beavers were completely eradicated from Marin County by hunters and trappers. Today, Marin County is one of the very few Northern California counties with no beaver population.
Why are Beavers so Important? The Doty Ravine Preserve is a shining example of why.
First, the reintroduction of beavers is not just about having beavers around - it is about how beaver activity changes the physical landscape. Beavers are known as “keystone species.” Keystone species are beneficial to an ecosystem because they support the ability of other species to live in the same environment. Before beavers, Doty Ravine was grassland with a small creek that would dry out in the summer months. After undergoing two years of managed care between 2015 and 2018, the landscape has undergone a cinderella-like transformation since becoming a self-sustaining beaver habitat in 2018. The transformation occurred because beaver activity causes water to permeate into the ground, allowing for year-round water retention that keeps surrounding vegetation alive. The water-rich habitat made possible by beavers is rich with birds, fish, flora and insects.
Second, beaver activity is beneficial for people and agriculture too! The Doty Ravine Preserve is located right next to an active ranching operation. Instead of being a nuisance, beavers have been proven to be partners with the rancher. By creating a water-rich ecosystem, the ranchlands adjacent to the beaver habitat remain fertile, nutritious, and irrigated. This allows the ranchers to keep their cattle out for longer periods of time than otherwise possible.
Beaver activity also helps people by reducing wildfire risk. Climate change has made the California wildfire season longer and more intense. However, despite record-breaking fires in recent years, habitat with beaver activity has proven resilient to wildfire damage. Beaver habitat can reduce the intensity of wildfire and prevent the spread of fire by creating natural fire breaks. The same water-rich ecosystem that propagates life is also protecting it.
Third, beaver reintroduction could play an important role in making California’s 30x30 Initiative more feasible. 30x30 is an ambitious goal to conserve 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by the year 2030. By allowing beavers to do what they do best, California can work with nature to implement a low-cost, low-tech solution to restore our natural ecosystems. Conserved lands with beaver activity are self-sustaining and provide long-term benefits to human and non-human neighbors.
The Environmental Action Committee is working with local partners to bring back beavers to Marin County. In 2021-2022, we participated in a feasibility study commissioned by the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC) to assess the potential to reintroduce Beaver in West Marin. Currently, the CDFW is developing policies to facilitate beaver reintroduction across California. This includes recent changes in beaver depredation policy, two active pilot reintroduction programs, and the release of a state-wide Beaver Management and Restoration Plan by the end of 2023.
We are looking forward to the next chapter of beavers coming back to their natural habitats in California and being part of ongoing efforts to reintroduce beavers to Marin County. We will keep you posted on how you can get involved in supporting our efforts.
To learn more about beaver reintroduction, the Doty Ravine Preserve, and California’s 30x30 Initiative, check out the following resources:
