Opinion: Beaver Dams for All
We can find beaver dams here and there in the Sonoma Valley watershed, and the ecological benefits include slowing and storing water to help prevent erosion, and providing habitat for fish, frogs and multiple aquatic species. But what about places where beaver dams could help restore and improve watersheds, and yet there are no beavers? That’s where the new Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool, or BRAT, comes in. It is an innovative planning tool designed to assess the potential for beaver dams as a stream conservation and restoration agent across watersheds. The idea is to install man-made beaver dams to replicate the ecological effects of natural beaver dams. Putting branches and limbs across a tributary, modeled on beaver dams, can provide spectacular benefits for people, fish, and fire breaks, according to Glen Ellen environmental consultant Karla Noyes. — Written by Teri Shore, environmentalist and journalist