Snake Region Beaver Relocation Framework

Trout Unlimited is working in cooperation with regional partners towork on a three year trial beaver relocation project with the goals of establishing and implementing a framework for coordinating nuisance beaver management and relocations within the Snake River Salmon Recovery Region. Development of this framework involves multiple objectives including: 1) outreach and coordination with the public, private landowners, and land managers regarding coexistence strategies and beaver relocation, 2) identification and prioritization of potential areas for beaver relocation through the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT), partner outreach, and ground assessments, 3) coordination with local entities to provide temporary beaver housing facilities and volunteers, and 4) relocating nuisance beaver through the WDFW pilot beaver relocation program coupled with the installation of beaver dam analogues (BDAs) to provide deep water habitat and protection from predators.

The implementation of this project will provide immediate benefits to steelhead and Chinook populations by increasing habitat diversity and floodplain connection where BDAs are built. When relocated, if the beavers establish territories and build dams, larger benefits are expected, such as greater summer base flows, improved riparian function, improved rearing and spawning areas, and more temperature/flow refugia for all life stages.

The goal of this project is to prevent beaver mortality and utilize the existing nuisance beaver resource to jump start ecological function in suitable, high priority recovery streams in the Snake River region. Beaver create complex habitat, contribute to improved riparian ecology and ultimately help riverine function for the benefit of salmonids in all life states, including Snake River Chinook and steelhead.