Bad Beavers Wanted
Got a Nuisance Beaver? We Want It!
Beavers are incredible ecosystem engineers, raising water tables, improving water quality, and creating habitat for fish and wildlife, including moose.
However, these industrious rodents can also cause a problem if they coexist close to human infrastructure. These beavers are known as “nuisance beavers”, and while they may pose a nuisance to the public, they’re also exactly what is needed for an exciting habitat restoration project on the Kenai Peninsula.
What is a nuisance beaver?
Beavers can be a great benefit to ecosystems, but their dam-building can also cause issues. Nuisance beavers are beavers that, by virtue of their nature, are causing harm to property or resources. This could include:
Building dams that cause flooding to roads, trails, airstrips, and houses.
Cutting down trees in backyards or orchards.
Burrowing into banks and increasing erosion.
Destroying crops and gardens.
Why do we want them?
The beaver trapping season in Anchor River is currently closed to aid in a beaver restoration project. Beavers have historically lived in the area, but are no longer present. With the help of ADFG, we’re hoping to restore beavers to the area so that they can:
Create more moose habitat.
Mitigate the risk of wildlife.
Improve water quality and modulate temperature.
Restore drying peatlands.
Kenai peatlands are incredibly special - they regulate flooding, reduce erosion and sedimentation, act as carbon sinks, and create habitat for almost 2,200 species. However, with the changing climate, they’re drying out at a significant rate. Beavers and their dam building can help keep them wet.
What can you do?
It is illegal to trap or kill a beaver outside of the trapping season. If you know of a nuisance beaver in Game Unit 15C in the Homer region, please call the Soldotna or Homer ADFG office to report it. If it is determined to be a good fit, the beaver may be translocated to a new area to help create more moose and salmon habitat.
Homer ADFG Office: (907) 235-8191
Soldotna ADFG Office: (907) 262-9368
Any questions? Reach out to Nicole Schmitt: nicole@akwildlife.org.
