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The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a keystone species whose capacity to engineer wetlands offers a promising nature-based solution for hydrologic restoration in degraded landscapes. In Colorado, where legacy mining pollution, habitat fragmentation, and drought increasingly challenge watershed health, beaver pond systems can enhance fluvial functioning. Yet, despite their ecological significance, state wildlife management frameworks continue to treat beavers as nuisance animals, favoring lethal control methods over coexistence strategies.
This research addresses two critical knowledge gaps: (1) the capacity of beaver pond wetlands to improve water quality in Colorado’s heavily impacted Animas River watershed, and (2) the limitations of current agency-level resources supporting coexistence-based beaver management. Field investigations near Silverton, Colorado, suggested that beaver pond complexes play a signifigant role in the mitigation of downstream sediment and potential contaminant loads. Concurrently, interviews with federal, state, and non-profit organizations revealed that resource availability, in support of co-existence and policy integration, remain insufficient.
This presentation issues a call for coexistence, arguing that beavers should be recognized and integrated into hydrologic restoration and climate adaptation frameworks at watershed scales. The research underscores the need for expanded metal sequestration studies, quantitative ecosystem service valuation, and institutional reforms to bridge science, policy, and land management.