EXPLORE THE
PNW BEAVERHUB

 

Pacific Northwest’s growing regional resource for place-based beaver habitat conservation and restoration

EXPLORE THE
PNW BEAVERHUB

 

Pacific Northwest’s growing regional resource for place-based beaver habitat conservation and restoration

INTRODUCTION

beaver-with-a-suit

The Pacific Northwest Beaver Hub is an online platform designed to support NGOs, Tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies in advancing beaver-based restoration and coexistence efforts across the region.

We aspire to become a dynamic and accessible resource for practitioners, serving not only to support policy tracking and the planning and prioritization of beaver restoration projects but also as a platform to foster collaboration and community among those working on beaver conservation in the Pacific Northwest.

Beaver Policy Tracker

Legislative session begins January 25, 2025. Visit this website to stay-up-to-date on Oregon beaver policy.

Landowners Living With Beaver Grant Program Fund

The Act allows agencies to award moneys under a grant program related to living with beavers on private land. The Act directs an agency and a committee to report on the grant program. The Act gives moneys to the agency for the grant program. The Act goes into effect on the 91st day after the 2025 session ends.

Implications: It will make funding available for conservation groups, SWCDs and WCs as block grants ($50k per grant, but groups can reapply) to work with landowners implementing non lethal coexistence tools. Such groups can also host trainings and workshops on increasing technical expertise on the implementation of such tools.

Beaver Relocation Bill 

Proposes the relocation of beavers from the western side of Oregon to eastern and central Oregon, in consultation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). It is housed within the beaver provisions of the Private Forest Accord.

Implications: The scope of SB 354 is limited to private forests in Oregon. Under the Private Forest Accord, there is a 30 day non-lethal mitigation trial period before resorting to lethal means (unless there is an imminent threat to infrastructure.) 30-day non-lethal mitigation includes relocation as an option already and nothing in current statute prohibits relocation of beavers from the western side of the state to eastern and central Oregon. There are relocation guidelines and agency protocol from ODFW on beaver relocation in order to prevent spread of invasive species into water basins that they currently do no occur in, and they are already in place. Since SB 354 requires working with ODFW on any relocation effort, there is no anticipated chance in terms of current process and in following ODFW guidelines. The bill doesn’t specify relocation of “conflict” beavers so it does leave a question about the criteria of choosing which beavers to relocate.

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Key functions of the Beaver Hub will grow to include restoration planning tools, and to serve as a network for sharing lessons learned in beaver based restoration.

Key functions of the Beaver Hub will grow to include restoration planning tools, and to serve as a network for sharing lessons learned in beaver based restoration.

Support for implementation projects

BEF collaborates with NGOs and Tribal partners across Oregon and Washington to implement beaver-based restoration. Efforts include:

  • Reforestation of riparian zones for beaver forage and dam building.
  • Restoration of hydraulic conditions to support dam construction.
  • Coexistence strategies to mitigate negative impacts on infrastructure or agriculture.
  • Relocation or translocation of beavers where coexistence options have been exhausted.

BRAT Localization

In partnership with Utah State University’s Riverscapes and Monitoring Lab, BEF is localizing the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) for the PNW. This involves:

  • Regional field data collection to calibrate the model.
  • Fine-scale predictions of beaver dam capacity and assessments of risks to infrastructure and land use.
  • Community engagement to enhance data collection and participation. The localized BRAT will serve as a vital decision-support tool for prioritizing restoration projects and action planning.

Green House Gas (GHG) Dynamics Research

BEF funds Washington State University researchers to investigate greenhouse gas (GHG) dynamics in beaver habitats. This research focuses on:

  • Developing ground-truthed datasets on carbon and methane emissions.
  • Exploring the role of site-specific variables (e.g., soil type, temperature, vegetation) and temporal factors (e.g., seasonal dewatering) in shaping GHG dynamics. The findings will improve understanding of the carbon implications of wetland restoration in diverse biophysical contexts.

Connecting Beaver Based Research Practitioners

Beaver Hub is a multi-state website to support restoration planning, policy engagement, and resource sharing. The Hub will:

  • Provide tools for project planning, carbon tracking, and decision-making.
  • Share best management practices, social marketing insights, and case studies.
  • Facilitate collaboration and policymaking informed by local priorities and pragmatic needs.

Get in on the Dam Conversation

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), with support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund, and other funding sources, is advancing several initiatives to enhance beaver-based restoration and coexistence efforts in the Pacific Northwest.

Collaborating Partners