Leave it to beavers to save farmland from drought in the face of climate change
Cattle farmer Jay Wilde faced a dire situation on his Idaho ranch as devastating droughts threatened to bring an end to his family’s fourth-generation operation. With water running scarce and his land drying up, Wilde knew he had to find a solution before it was too late.
One day, Wilde had a realization – there were no longer any beavers on his land. Despite ranchers often viewing beavers as a nuisance due to their tree-cutting and land-flooding habits, Wilde understood the vital role they played in maintaining water sources. Without the beavers, the water on his plateau farm had disappeared, leaving his land barren and dry.
The impact of human-induced climate change only exacerbated the situation, with the last two decades being the hottest and driest in the West in over a millennium. America’s largest reservoirs were also reaching record lows, further highlighting the urgent need for water conservation and restoration efforts.
Determined to restore water sources to his land, Wilde embarked on a journey to reintroduce beavers and their landscape engineering back to his ranch. With the help of Joe Wheaton, an expert in riverscapes at Utah State University, Wilde developed a plan to make the land more inviting for beavers and sourced the much-needed animals to kickstart the restoration process.
The beavers’ dams, with their ability to block streams and create ponds, proved to be a game-changer for Wilde’s ranch. The structures not only helped retain water but also transformed the landscape, making it more fertile and resilient to drought conditions.
The collaboration between Wilde and Wheaton was a success, and the reintroduction of beavers to the land marked a turning point for the struggling ranch. The story of Wilde’s journey to coexist with beavers and restore his land is now featured in an episode of “The Nature of Things” series titled “Shared Planet.”
To watch the full story and learn more about the impact of beavers on water conservation, viewers can tune in to “Shared Planet” on CBC Gem or the Nature of Things YouTube channel in 4K. Wilde’s experience serves as a powerful example of the importance of environmental stewardship and the benefits of working in harmony with nature to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
