Utah Issues
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Volunteer with the Grand Canyon Trust and help us extend our reach and positive influence on the ground.
We need your help with gathering browse data, documenting grazing impacts, and conducting beaver habitat surveys, biological inventories and springs assessments.
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Our Beaver Project in 2010
Because the restoration of beaver offers such extensive benefits to Utah, a major Utah Forests Program focus in 2010 will be assisting this restoration:
- Assessing beaver habitat conditions. In January 2010, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources adopted the state’s first-ever management plan, and the Trust served on the Beaver Advisory Committee that developed the draft plan during 2009. One ambitious portion of the plan calls for a statewide assessment of beaver populations and habitat conditions (availability of cottonwood, aspen, and willow) for the first time since the 1970s. We will contribute to this assessment during summer 2010 the Trust, with the help of volunteers, by assessing beaver habitat in the headwaters of the Escalante River — the Aquarius Plateau and Boulder Mountain of Dixie National Forest.
- Putting a value on ecosystem services. Beaver provide a number of ecosystem services such as aquifer recharge, slowing of water runoff, sediment capture, cooling of water, and provision of fish nursery ponds. If these services can be clearly described in terms of economic and ecological values, landowners and agencies will be encouraged to re-think land use and watershed priorities to support the restoration and functioning of beaver colonies. In 2010 ECONorthwest will be assessing the economic value of beaver ecosystem services in the headwaters of the Escalante River, where the Trust will also be assessing beaver habitat conditions.
- Ensuring beaver food and building supplies. Perhaps the single largest challenge to restoring beaver in their historical habitat is ensuring that they have the food and dam-building materials they need — especially willow, aspen, and cottonwood. The saplings of these species, which sprout after beaver use them, are often browsed heavily by elk and cattle, and sometimes also by deer and domestic sheep. During 2010, the Trust is writing a review of the scientific literature on restoration of riparian cottonwood, aspen, and willow. The Dixie and Fishlake National Forests have agreed to revise their riparian use standards to better protect these key members of the poplar family, and we will be providing suggestions.
- Training for life with beaver. We need to learn how to build the cost-efficient and time-proven flow-control devices called Beaver Deceiver and Castor Master. If beaver have to be moved and taken to priority restoration sites, more people in Utah need to be trained in how to live-trap beaver. The Trust will be working with legendary live-trapper Sherri Tippie of Colorado and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to provide “Living with Beaver” training workshops. In addition, we have contracted with Ms. Tippie to write a booklet, “Working with Beaver for Better Habitat Naturally,” based on her 20 years of experience with beaver, landowners, and land management agencies. This booklet will be made available in electronic and printed form.
Click here to volunteer for one of our four 2010 volunteer beaver assessment trips.
Your donations and membership dues make our research, monitoring, and restoration work in Utah possible.
