BeaverWise Program

Beaver troubles? We can help!!

SVPA’s BeaverWise Program has been developed to help valley landowners and land managers mitigate and reduce beaver-caused flooding, drainage issues, and damage to property and infrastructure.

In talking with the many farmers and landowners in the valley, we’ve recognized that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to managing beavers. Our program seeks to serve the unique, complex needs and challenges of a highly-modified agricultural landscape in order to protect farmland, infrastructure, and other important assets on our working resource lands as well as optimize the numerous ecosystem services beavers provide, where it’s most appropriate.

Our hope is that this program will result in reductions in flooding caused by beavers on agricultural land and infrastructure, support beaver habitat in coexistence with human activities, enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen the local food economy, and assist in the establishment and longevity of riparian buffer planting to enhance salmon recovery.

Beaver swimming in calm water with its wet brown fur and flat tail visible against green reflections.
Photograph by Jen Vanderhoof – Senior Ecologist, King County Water & Land Resources Division
Beaver standing at the water’s edge with wet brown fur and a flat tail, surrounded by dense green vegetation.
Photograph by Jen Vanderhoof – Senior Ecologist, King County Water & Land Resources Division

 

The goals of this program are to:

1) Provide base beaver population data necessary for effective wildlife management

2) Deliver technical assistance and beaver-related flood reduction education, resources, and tools to agricultural producers

3) Offer financial assistance in the form of cost-share, free technical guidance, and free regulatory navigation guidance

4) Provide on-site management implementation, installation, and maintenance assistance

Our hope is that this program will result in reductions in flooding caused by beavers on agricultural land and infrastructure, support beaver habitat in coexistence with human activities, enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen the local food economy, and assist in the establishment and longevity of riparian buffer planting to enhance salmon recovery.

Cost-Share Program

Our cost-share program provides financial assistance (up to $500 per landowner) that can be applied to the installation, maintenance, and/or materials of any beaver management devices, such as a notch exclusion fences, culvert, tree protection, etc. Reach out to us today if you would like to apply for our cost-share program.

Applications available upon request.

We are here to HELP!

And to do that, we want every landowner and land manager we work with to feel comfortable and confident that inviting our Beaver Management staff onto your property will result in positive outcomes. While we can’t promise we will have the perfect solution upon our first visit, we can promise that we are a non-regulatory program that will hold your privacy and trust in high regard and we will do our best to aid you in finding the management strategies that work for you and your land management goals.

 

Our FREE Services Include:

-Full site assessment (up to $300 value)

-Project planning and design

-Project permit applications

-Site monitoring

-Flow device installation and maintenance

-Beaver dam maintenance

For more information or to set up a site visit, please email our Beaver Conservation Manager, Justine Casebolt, at justine@svpa.us.

 

 

 

Three people working in a shallow stream installing a wire mesh structure, surrounded by tall grass and trees.
SVPA and Beavers Northwest staff install a Notch Exclusion Fence in a beaver dam to reduce flooding impacts.

Beaver management is largely a collaborative effort.

These are some of our key partners that help us to accomplish beaver management throughout the valley:

Additional Resources

Beaver Management Devices

Culvert Exclusion Devices

 

When a beaver hears the flow of water, it is an instinct for the beaver to stop that flow of water by building a dam. So a culvert under a road is an easy place for a beaver to create an instant pond, by simply plugging the “hole.” Fortunately, there are management tools to help prevent beavers from plugging culverts. For more information on protecting culverts from beavers click the links below.

 

YouTube: Beaver Exclusion Fencing InstallationYouTube: Road Culvert Protection from Beavers

Pond Levelers

 

Flexible Pond Levelers are a great tool if you want to reduce a beaver pond depth to a more manageable height. They can be used for free-standing beaver dams or in addition to a culvert protection fence. Click on the links below for more information on Flexible Pond Levelers.

 

Flexible Pond Levelers by Beaver Institute

Tree Protection

 

Similar to other rodents, beavers have teeth that never stop growing; therefore, they need to chew wood to prevent their teeth from getting too long. Beavers use their powerful teeth to bring down trees for food and building material for dams and lodges. However, you can easily protect the trees and other vegetation by using fencing. We recommend installing 4′ tall- 2″ x 4″ wire mesh fence in these cases.

Painting a tree with sand added latex paint can also prevent beavers from chewing. The paint color can be matched to the tree color, which is more aesthetically pleasing than fencing. We recommend using 5oz. of sand in 1 quart of exterior latex paint = 20 oz sand in 1 gallon exterior latex paint.

 

Protecting Trees from Beaver Chewing by Beaver Institute

Photo: Large tree with active beaver chewing

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

 

For more information on beavers in Washington, regulations, preventing conflicts, and trapping, check out Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (links below).

 

Beaver (Castor canadensis)Furbearer trapping seasons and rules

Beaver Related Regulations and Permitting

 

There are many rules and regulations related to beaver management. For instance, you cannot remove or modify a beaver dam without a Hydraulic Project Permit in Washington. Depending on the site, King County may require a Clearing and Grading Permit. If you have questions or concerns related regulations and permits regarding beavers and their dams, please contact us for assistance!

Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA)King County Clearing and Grading - Land use permit process

Frequently Asked Questions

Beavers are a semi-aquatic rodent, so they need water to survive in the wild. They build dams to create ponds that give them added protection from predators, access to food and dam building materials.

Beavers live in lodges or bank dens. In the Snoqualmie Valley, we commonly see beavers living in bank dens. Usually, they will build a dam downstream of their dwelling to flood the area to keep the entrances underwater, so they are protected from predators.

Beavers are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. In this region their preferred species are willow, cottonwood, and alder. They typically eat leaves, twigs, and inner bark (cambium layer) of trees. During the growing season, they will also eat other herbaceous species like pond lilies, grasses, and tubers. On farms, beavers will also raid crops near waterways. They particularly like corn, cabbage, kale, and collards.

It depends on the site conditions. In general, beaver dams create ponds that can actually provide habitat for fish, especially juvenile salmonids. In terms of fish passage, a beaver dam complex is a dynamic system. During high flow events, dams blow out or water runs over top or through the dams allowing for fish passage, typically at times when fish are already migrating upstream to spawn. Beaver dams also cool down the water, making it more hospitable to fish. There is some evidence that beaver dams can cause poor water quality during low flow periods, such as dissolved oxygen, which may be harmful to fish and other wildlife.

In Washington state, beavers are classified as furbearers; a trapping license and open season are required to trap and harvest beavers. There is a trapping season in Washington, which typically runs from November through March every year, but can vary depending on the year (for more information visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/trapping). In cases where beavers are threatening human safety or causing property damage the landowner, the owner’s immediate family, an employee, or a tenant of property may trap or kill a beaver on that property outside of the trapping season, without the licenses required under RCW 77.32.010 or authorization from the director under RCW 77.12.240. In such cases, no special trapping permit is necessary for the use of live traps. However, a special trapping permit is required for the use of all traps other than live traps.

Beavers are known as ecosystem engineers. Their dams can filter toxic contaminants, increase groundwater and recharge aquifers, create wetland habitats that provide vital resources and homes for many plants and animals.

If you have immediate concerns about beavers on your property, give us a call or send an email to learn more about what actions you can take.

For emergency situations, such as an immediate threat to property or public safety, verbal approval from WDFW can be obtained for work necessary to solve the problem. During normal business hours, contact your nearest WDFW Regional Office. For emergency calls during non-working hours call the 24-hour hotline 360-902-2537.

Beavers can and will chew trees that are located near water sources, this can threaten infrastructure or become life threatening if the tree falls. Beaver dams can cause the water table to increase, making the surrounding area more wet. A higher water table can cause accessibility issues, causing vehicles like tractors and mowers to get stuck in the mud.

Yes, beavers can be relocated in Washington State, but only by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Permitted Beaver Relocators. In this region, Tulalip Tribes is the permitted beaver relocator. The Tulalip Beaver Project relocates “nuisance” beavers from (sub)urban areas to hydrologically impaired tributaries in the upper Snohomish Watershed for the improvement of fish rearing habitat and freshwater storage.  Beaver relocation is only a temporary solution to a long-term problem since beavers are territorial, once you remove a beaver family, when the habitat becomes available new beavers will move quickly. For more information on relocating beavers visit https://nr.tulaliptribes.com/Programs/Wildlife/Beaver

To remove or modify a beaver dam or install or flow device to manage flooding (pond leveler, Beaver Deceiver, etc.) in a waterway, you must have a Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA)—a permit issued by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  Site mitigation may be required to remove or modify a beaver dam depending on the site conditions and age of the dam.

A permit application can be obtained from your WDFW Regional Office or from the Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) web page. For assistance with beaver dam management or HPA applications, please contact us for more information.

SVPA