Can beavers save salmon in Oregon's high desert? | Oregon Field Guide
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- Опубликовано: 14 апр 2022
- At a nondescript creek in eastern Oregon, scientists came up with a paradigm-shifting idea: instead of using expensive machines to restore damaged streams for salmon and steelhead, maybe they should enlist beavers to do it.
This update story revisits the Bridge Creek Project, where Field Guide filmed in 2009, for an update on how the success of the project reshaped our understanding of the role of beavers in the landscape.
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#oregonfieldguide #OPB #Oregon #PacificNorthWest #salmon #beavers #oregonhighdesert #wetlands
We greatly need to reintroduce Beaver's 🦫 back into our ecosystems. I was born and raised in NW Oregon my entire life since '89 and we will get tons of benefit from Beavers coming back to improve our waterways and forest fire security, utilizing every little bit of water and not having it go to waste. It's key stone creatures ❤️
89? you a dinosaur 🦕
@@kileyhowell8638, we need to remove Portland from Oregon's ecosystem and economy.
Old people don't get that.
@@kileyhowell8638 hahaha yeah lol I was born in 1989 but yes I'm still a dinosaur 🦕 hahaha
Yes all of the western united states needs this little critter to be allowed to do its job again.
@@benmcreynolds8581 dinosaurs rule.
I grew up in Jackson Wyoming and everybody knew for the best fishing, go to the beaver dams. I haven’t been back to Jackson in many years. I hope that the beavers are still there!
Please make more videos about how great beavers are. We need more people to love them, and help bring them back.
Glad to see this. I lived in Central Oregon for 10 yrs and they were always killing the beavers that tried to dam the creeks. I believe even then it was against the law to kill them but that did not stop the ranchers. Hope things have changed over there because this would really help the fish runs.
Beavers are incredible animals.
no you are an incredible animal ❤️
@@kileyhowell8638, no... you are!
@@kileyhowell8638 yeah..I guess you're right.
@@PoutinePete apart from certain people they are the most busiest creatures on this planet
Beavers are so adorable, I see them almost every time I fish. They absolutely add to the fishing grounds by creating more habitat for them and all other wildlife like herons, turtles, frogs, etc. They also create lodges where fish can hang out amongst the sticks and logs for cover. I see them regularly chopping down bushes or limbs that are hanging over water, and the insects on them then fall into the water are also eaten by fish.
Don’t be fooled even though they look adorable they’re actually wild
@@chingvang9320 So has water, should we stop drinking it?
Beaver and Sea lions spells trouble for salmon.
Yah, people think they're cute.
Bring back more Beavers to help the salmon habitat please! This is outstanding data. Go team! ✊🏽☮️
gooooo team🙌🙌🙌
@@kileyhowell8638, Let's Go Brandon!
Sorry that taxpayer money $200+ billion got sent to Ukraine to protect their border. America last, Joe Biden.
Yes we need more Beaver
We are working to get beavers reintroduced on our farm. We have coho salmon that come up the creek to spawn but would love to see those numbers increase.
Shhhh... don't tell our left wing government. They'll tax you for it and make you house junkies on your land.
Contact your local Game n Fish department. Maybe they can help you get a pair, if it would benefit your local wildlife.
@@oakmaiden2133Fish and Game don't give a crap.
You have to reintroduce ourselves and don't get caught.
They will write you a ticket, but not help with the fish.
There are ways to increase the population of fish, but first you have to have the habitat add eddy's and gravel and cover for them.
Then introduce fish.
I did this on a creek in Washington State. Took about 10 years to establish two runs of Coho.
One in October and the other in December.
The Satsop river has a late run of Coho in December. Those fish when planted came back in December also. Must be genetic. They never interbreed with the October fish.
I have a blind set up near the creek. I have spent many many hours drinking beer and watching the behavior of these fish.
They are fascinating to watch.
You may think twice about beavers. They are destructive. Cut down trees you may not want. Also they can block a stream. During low water, salmon can't pass their dams.
@@jesse75 somehow salmonids and beavers have thrived together in this region for 10's of thousands of years and there were exponentially more of each before we came along.
Wonderful to see the 10 year arc, I remember the 2009 report and naively thinking it would really make a difference to how people think about beaver. Ha. We are still chipping away at beaver ignorance. The arc of conservation is very long, BUT it bends towards beavers.
what did you just say
We're actually gnawing our way out of this problem.
Thanks to everyone. Especially those brilliant beavers.
This was great reporting, shows how important beavers are. I liked seeing a revisit to the place 10 years later to see the changes too.
Thank you for this video.
Yes. More beavers are needed everywhere. Especially in California., Arazona, new Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and pretty much the whole country. God creations are marvelous.
God bless.
I’m in Arizona. What we need most is for people to stop moving here. I see real estate advertisements here on RUclips. Pissesmeoff.
I am from GA and I love watching this channel.
Beavers rock!!! We need more beavers!!
Nice to have and hear about something positive for the environment for a change. Great video.
guess what.. mr johnson’s made me watch this video🍅🍅🍅
Scientist could have saved a lot of time and money if they would have read ' Three Against the Wilderness' by Eric Collier. A true story and a great read. A fascinating story of the importance of beaver to the entire ecosystem.
Wonderful
Eastern Oregonian here! 👋🏻
When the guy started flopping on the ground I was not expecting it.
Very interesting. Beavers are sooo awesome. My family thinks I am obsessed with them; and they are probably right. I have hundreds of interesting beaver videos on my channel if anyone want to see lots of wild beavers.
can’t believe olivia is dating him
Wow! Very cool! I'll check it out!
@@kileyhowell8638... Olivia "Wild"?
Thanks mike , checking your channel out
There is a street in Calgary, Alberta named after Beaver Dam.
There was an incredible study in Yellowstone o out thus topic. It’s nothing but Plus Plus for the ecosystem
The issue with beaver in western steams, is that when they populate the narrow canyons at the headwaters of western rivers, you frequently end up with passage barriers at the beaver dams. Because in the narrow canyons the beavers can build very high dams.
Is ODFW still trapping and killing the Oregon mountain beaver throughout the coastal range? The irony in Central Oregon is that ODFW also has beaver control programs on streams. In particular trying to save the rare aspen trees that grow only along water ways in the high desert country. I have fished dozens of streams in Central Oregon. The west slope cutthroat, coastal cutthroat, redband (and possibly golden trout, color overlap sometimes makes distinguishing the two extremely difficult), and Colorado rainbow are found in the flowing water between the beaver ponds. They prefer flowing water- it provides more food and more oxygen. The char; dolly varden; bull trout, and eastern brook trout avoid direct sunlight when eating and stay in the shadows. The beaver ponds provide little to no shadow. It's nice to see that they're good for salmon spawning though. How come they don't talk about all the damage caused in the early 1980s when they systematically removed most or all of the natural log jams in spawning streams because some folks thought the log jams were interfering with salmon reaching spawning grounds. This removed more salmonid habitat and caused more streambed shift than ranchers killing beavers.
.
Eurasian beavers were successfully reintroduced into Scotland and it seems as though results are positive. Hopefully we see improvement here too. It will take a few decades though.
Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia rufa) is not the same animal as the streamside Beaver (castor canadensis.)
@@Joel_Unbound That will be good for some people to know. I didn't bother to denote that it was a different species. But, I did specify "Oregon mountain beaver". I know these animals. They don't construct dams, they don't even have the paddle tail. They are more likely to eat young evergreens than castor family. World's largest documented species of flea lives exclusively on this animal.
.
On a different note, I'd like to see them produce a documentary on ring tails in Oregon. Seems like most folks don't know about the wildlife Oregon has. People don't believe it when I tell them that striped skunks, magpies, and picah are all native to Oregon. They also don't believe it when I tell them about foot long salamanders making off with your trout when you're fishing. At least I have pictures of the salamanders on my phone to prove it.
@@eattheinvaders.3037 Sorry just making sure to clarify. As your post didn't differentiate and I thought you (albeit incorrectly) and others may not realize the difference. :)
Saving beavers mean saving water, the west in drought & wild fires need them 🦫🦫🦫🦫
Out here in lane county we find ourselves asking "why do they call it the beaver state?...it's clearly NOT because of oregon state university football."
Whether the Midwest or otherwise beavers and muskrats providing prime spawning habitat,
by slowing waters toil, adding to backwaters back to functioning riverine channels, as nutrient absorption on onsite Vegetative Communities influence their food preferences, seasonal use of vegetative foodstuffs, underwater storage of woody debris, creation of niches for fish, mollusks, crayfish in these habitats as they yearly survive. I know in the spring near their dams are all types of Native fisheries using part of their shared habitat for spawning purposes. This needs to include fish food sources of protein of instream invertebrates, mollusks, crayfish so as to continue ecological niche. During the winter, both Species continue to live, eat, utilize, and store foodstuffs then production. Both Species, also, create nests, structures of existing materials to promote their livelihoods.
I still have a problem understanding how the fish navigate the dams. Do they wiggle into small interstices that penetrate the dam structure? I would like to see a video of this sort of action.
freshwater fish like walleye move in the spring floods. We'd have thousands of fish flooding our homestead fields in Ontario 100 years ago.
Some go through the dam, and a lot will jump over it. Atlantic salmon’s name is Salmo Salar, salmon the leaper.
I do something similar to this, but it was based on Amerindian stuff my Grandfather showed me. You can toss enough sticks into a stream, and if you toss them at the right angle, that can lead to a beaver colonizing the stream with a dam. I would orient the sticks and logs to hold together, like needed when building a fire. Does anyone keep a lumber supply for the beaver colonies?
Anyway, the BDA system probably does some work by keeping a nitrogen cycle in stored silt; I imagine the nitrogen fumes are the thing that the beaver sniffs for, to determine if a habitat might harbor disease or illness. In beaver mud, I think there's an alcohol-to-oil chemical reaction which is improved by potassium. The beaver probably also have some intuition about mud functioning like cement, so I would even try a small amount of volcanic ash and pumice.
type less homie
@@kileyhowell8638 I am just gushing with excitement whenever I find an opportunity to discuss riparian ecology. Sorry to burden your eyeballs.
Amazing story, Beavers are really interesting
Mother Nature knows best.
Fun fact - in time, the beaver dams will help fill those incised stream beds up as each new dam traps sediment, which over time will have new dams place above them slowly over time raising the land up.
Alas, NZ's ecosystems can't support beavers properly, so we can't benefit from them, North America and Europe? They most definitely can and should embrace these awesome furry ecosystem engineers.
save the beaver, save the world.
We just now have beavers in our large pond that we share with our neighbors. We noticed that the pond was higher than it has been and then, found that they had dammed up the outlet of the pond with mud. Likewise, I found pieces of my water lilies all over the place and read they liked water lilies. Sad to lose my lilies, but hopefully, maybe the salmon will migrate using our pond. Not sure what will happen. 😊
Native American's reverence for all creatures had a practical side. Sustainability
lovely!
All of those subsequent duties of lifestyle patterns do systematically reform these natural cycles of the broader concern for their participation. They alone are able to secure continuity for other Freshwater life forms that have co-evolved, before being trapped near localized extirpations of the Species. Insect life thrives as they need various stages of development to fully mature, have different generation times, can multiply swamping the local predators as to insure more survivorship as they lay eggs, mate, favor, pollinate, and live their respective lifestyles within those broader vegetative niche requirements.
the beavers are restoring range land in Nevada. it helps ducks and upland game birds too.
when i was a kid there were 3 weeks of rain one year and right before then a beaver had established a home in a creek close to my house that no one had discovered and removed yet rain came broke the dam and it ended up flooding streets completely for days I remember walking home and seeing fish in the street and once the rain ended you could see the fish closely gathered to the gutters where water was still deep in big packs heading towards drains. I remember running home the first time I saw them telling my mom and dad they wouldn't believe me until my sisters had the same story. AAANND as im saying this I now understand why I had the same dream of my city flooding the streets dropping 15 metres full of great white sharks just jumping out of the water munching people off the sidewalk as they walked to school and work.......
Go Beavs
Megabeavers ended the last ice age and they are a prime silurian hypothesis candidate species. It is commonly assumed that megabeavers weren't adapted to build dams, lodges, or canals. I prefer to assume that the megabeavers had spacefaring ancestors, perhaps even surviving as ultraterrestrial-extradimensional (UTED) beings here on earth, being in part an explanation for the supposed UAP phenomena via a zoo hypothesis Fermi Paradox resolution... Beavers are NOT to be underestimated. Even if I may be spouting crackpot nonsense, you cannot discount the probability of beavers evolving human-level sentience in the future. If humans wipe themselves out Earth still has maybe half a billion years of habitability left, so we're only halfway from the cambrian explosion til the natural solar extinction. Plenty of time for beavers to make some moves. I love beaver so much.
I like the comparison of photos from Summer 2018 to Spring 2019 😅. Nothing like comparing apples to oranges.
The beaver looks very similar to my pet Nutria Henry.
yes queen
Wonder if they ever use dynamite to stun the fish if power goes out?
Very similar to Utah and surrounding states and we all could be doing a better job like this one in Oregon. Keep setting a good example.
give us gus!
update no gus
Bravo
Just leave the water edges alone. Don't build don't farm with exception of managed grazing. We need the wetlands to thrive for our existence. Beavers do it for free
@6:00 Good job showing off non-native chicory! 🧐
it's amazing that such a tiny animal can reshape the landscape single handedly, little animal big impact, their little workaholic engineers !!!
Beavers control the hydraulics!
Congratulations i bet you’re proud.
This place in the Video looks like several places in Utah on in White River off Highway 6.and others close by. I've often for over 30 years said this place needs Beaver. The fact Utah has places named Beaver but there are almost none should be a big clue.. Here you can destroy it as long as you name something after it.
True that. Oregon isn't called The Beaver State for nothing. The beaver is the mascot for the first university created in the state.
Damn. These people are crazy 🤪 I love it. I'm going to human flop down the next beaver slide I find.
More Beaver!!
How do spawning salmon get past the first beaver dam?
swimming/jumping when it overflows i think. Not sure though.
I want to get my PhD using beaver engineering to create climate solutions. I want to get plugged into this network. Do you have any suggestions of organizations to reach out to for more info?
In n.e. ohio where i stay , there are a lot of beavers. I live on beaver dam dr , lol.
Who would have every guessed - DON'T mess up Mother Nature - she knows what she is doing - just help her 🌎
Magic.
Yes!
Drop the streams and you lower the water table, so farming fails and it becomes a desert.
I would not doubt the desertification is because trappers killed the beavers for pelts.
🌍Think Global 🌏Act Local🌎
I really thought those biologists were going to collect that Beaver poop, and do something science with it.
Dam right
Can we use beavers in India...in MH, and other dry lands ?
Were there originally beavers there? People introduced them down in South America and it’s been really bad for their ecosystem.
Hello Beavy ❤🇨🇦🌎
I'm confused. I thought salmon and steelhead need access to the ocean?
An actual example of making America great again. Nice.
Beavers can and will save a lot of ecosystems
Robert, our resident bachelor beaver on Lake Windermere, BC Canada is doing what he can too dam up the source of the mighty Columbia. But he can't do it alone. We sent you wolves, grizzly, and black bear and now we'll have to send you our National Animal to save your behind. !!
1:43 mins... I like to see a bit of "bonkers" behaviour!
Can anyone explain why a wetland IS not fit for cattle?
Go beavers!
Always had a passion for fuzzy wet beavers, since puberty, but never saw the rodent version in my life or realized their utility until recently.
Not funny pal
@@cosmo1eleven855 I think if he’s beavers were anymore anthropomorphic, they could evolve to become carpenters or woodcarvers
I introduced a beaver to my bedroom. I've never been happier.
There used to be lots of beavers around my area but when they stopped hunting cougars with dogs the cougars population went ballistic and they killed most of the beavers along with the deer and a lot of other things. Beavers are a favorite food for cougars.
These are not new ideas! We are finally overcoming our hubris and learning from nature, history and Native Americans. Never cut down a fence until you know why it’s there! Never kill off the animals until you know what they’re doing for the ecosystem! I hope we don’t forget this lesson again.
The rivers and streams where I go hunting became alge ridden and were stopping the steelhead from traveling up stream once the beavers were reintroduced
Imagine the area 50-100 years from now with mature trees and enough dams and time to reverse man made destruction!
Beavers should be the National Mammal. 🇺🇲 They sculpted the land that supports all others.
It's a desert. They dont get water by definition.
Save our Beavers.
Your redoing what nature had already done I seen a dead beaver laying on the side of a dirt road in Tribble fork in utah a ranger pulled up said he had to shoot it because it wouldn't stop building a dam on the stream. That's stupid
Beavers are keystone species that restore habitat and bio-diversity.
Beavers are doing more for the environment than our politicians.
Yes they can.
Oh, gee! Why don't we just let the beavers do what beavers do?! Before we killed off most of them? BTW, nice hat.
and prevent fires and keep global temperatures lower
God is perfect!
Fish can't pass upstream if there's a beaver dam?
Beaver taught Salmon to jump. (Think about it.)
We’re at a point where we can’t just enjoy untouched nature. Instead we have to first ask, “How do we unf*ck the landscape?” Hopefully we can.
"Can beavers save salmon in Oregon's high desert?" Yes. Next question.
When beavers get really infested, they can block the migration of salmon to spawning areas.
I have some vacation property in Washington State with a creek that borders part of the property.
When I first bought the property, I straightened out the creek. Brush debris junk.
Coho salmon started to come back in October every year. One year they weren't showing up. So I walked the creek way down. Beavers had built many dams, blocked the creek. Below the dams was about 30 fish trying to get up.
I busted out the dam so the fish could get up.
One of my friends, a Skokomish native came and got the beavers.
Haven't had any more trouble.
That's great having the beaver back and I'm sure it likely helps out the local trout populations and other plants and animals. But there's not going to be any migration for trout or salmon across the majority of the beaver dams shown in this clip. And going back in time before the beaver was removed, there wasn't migration happening in those waters then either. Disinformation is evil and never justified, no matter the cause.
As a taxpayer, I appreciate us deploying beavers vs. paying for expensive bulldozing and human labor. And this is even cooler considering how beavers help their areas naturally resist wildfires.
Leave it to beavers 🦫
Don't tell Post 10
Hopefully Oregon bans trapping for fur and the sale of fur. Then the populations of all river mammals would recover.