By Michael Collins, Teravana
The beaver (Castor canadensis) is a mammal that can live up to 24 years and can weigh up to 60 pounds. Scientists estimate hundreds of millions of beavers once built dams across the Northern Hemisphere. After almost being hunted to extinction for their fur before the early 1900s, today they have reemerged, numbering approximately 15 million in North American waterways (Hatch, 2022).
Beavers have always been held in sacred regard by Native Americans for their relation to water, their wisdom, and a belief they communicate in an advanced way. For Native Americans, water is a divine place, and beavers have long played an important role in how Native Americans relate to that place (LaPier, 2017).
The Blackfeet, Lakota, and other tribes of the Great Plains saw water as life because of its scarcity. Beavers understood how to create an ecological oasis within these dry landscapes, one reason they were so revered. Beaver ponds benefited daily life for Native Americans, along with improving conditions for hunting (LaPier, 2017).
Strong teeth and jaws allow beavers to move around loose branches and limbs, even felling trees to build dams (National Geographic.com). The dams and ponds provide shelter from predators and a place for lodging; benefiting birds, fish, frogs, and insects; and naturally arranging the flow of water through the forest (Hatch, 2022). Like so much of nature, what beavers do to survive is also essential for overall forest health. However, changing forests have limited the benefits beavers can provide.
Human influence brought with it deforestation and industry. A very obvious offshoot is the increase in rooftops and concrete rather than canopy and soil. These changes affect how water interacts with land. Instead of landing on grassland or wetlands, rainwater runs back to the ocean, quicker than it used to. Intense water flow leads to erosion of riverbanks and waterways. Before this, beaver dams within the watershed had more of an influence on how water stayed. When water can remain, rather than running straight back to the source, aquifers and the water table stay full. Beaver dams and ponds keep vegetation more lush, also aiding in fire resilience and acting as a safe place for wildlife during a wildfire (Hatch, 2022).
Like everywhere, Sonoma County has endured its share of deforestation. A history of logging at Teravana has taken the structure out of a thousands-of-years-old redwood forest. Without the fallen limbs and a diverse forest, the resources beavers need to build dams are lacking. Creekbeds at Teravana can’t slowly meander and shift and gather water like they want. Beaver dams are essential for keeping the water in the watershed. When water runs straight and fast, the soil is not hydrated, and the lack of a dense and varied forest prevents beavers from living there. Teravana’s team has been planting trees and working to build beaver dams, so when the rains come, the water will meander like it wants and Teravana will regenerate. Along with the overall stability of the forest, healthy creekbeds will make Teravana and other forests like it more defensible if fire threatens.
Some Fun Facts about Beavers:
Join us by attending one of Teravana’s workshops and/or donating: https://teravana.com/canopy-of-giving/
REFERENCES
LaPier, Rosalyn R. “Why is Water Sacred to Native Americans?” Open Rivers: Rethinking Water, Place & Community. 2017. https://openrivers.lib.umn.edu/article/why-is-water-sacred-to-native-americans/
NationalGeographic.com. Animals: Beaver. 2015-2023. Natonal Geographic Partners, LLC.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/beaver?loggedin=true&rnd=1699893826742
Hatch, Christine E. “Beavers offer lessons about managing water in a changing climate, whether the challenge is drought or floods.” The Conversation. 2022.
