The need to enhance watershed resiliency and restoration across Alberta is paramount. In an era of rapidly changing climatic conditions, rising temperatures, increased drought and altered water regimes, natural resource managers find themselves wrestling with questions about how to best plan for and address these new challenges on their landscapes.
It is increasingly recognized that nature-based solutions have a higher resilience to changing climates than traditional grey engineering approaches. One such nature-based solution is promoting beavers for watershed health. It is well understood that beaver attenuate flood peaks, store water during droughts, support later season release of flows and dramatically improve water quality and quantity by slowing water and trapping sediment. Beavers help stabilize the landscape against the increased variability of drought and flood conditions. They also create critical habitat for both wildlife and fish populations.
Working with landowners, municipalities, industry, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, Working with Beavers enables the realization of positive watershed outcomes by:
Increasing knowledge, awareness and participation in activities that restore and sustain watershed functions
Providing training for implementation of tools that enable coexistence with beavers
Researching new tools and beneficial practices for restoration and coexistence
