Beaver Conservation

A Healthier Wyoming, One Wetland At A Time

Beavers are ecosystem engineers. Their dams slow water, create wetlands, increase habitat complexity, and can provide benefits ranging from water storage and improved water quality to flood, drought, and wildfire resilience.

Yet we still don't have a clear statewide picture of where Wyoming's best opportunities for beaver restoration exist.

That's what the Wyoming Beaver Conservation Project will change.

Our team is bringing together scientists, conservation organizations, landowners, volunteers, and restoration partners to build the science, tools, and partnerships needed to increase beaver-occupied wetlands across Wyoming.

Help Us Build the Science Behind Beaver Restoration

A gift to this project will support the foundational science needed to guide beaver conservation and restoration across Wyoming. Our Your support will help us:

• Map Wyoming's best potential beaver habitat

• Identify where beavers are currently living

• FInd areas where suitable habitat exists but beavers are absent

• Identify restoration opportunities that could support water storage and landscape resilience

• Engage volunteers and partners to verify data on the ground

• Build interactive tools and resources to support future restoration

To do this, our first goal is to generate $100,000 through private donors like you!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND SUPPORT THE WYOMING BEAVER CONSERVATION PROJECT

Why Wyoming Needs This Science

Beaver activity can transform a landscape. Their dams may increase water retention, create wetlands, improve habitat complexity, and support biodiversity both in and around streams. Keeping water on the landscape longer can increase resilience to drought and wildfire, support wetlands and wildlife, and help sustain streamflows from Wyoming's headwaters.

But beaver conservation and restoration aren't one-size-fits-all.

This project is working to better understand where beavers are making a difference, how ecosystems respond, and how science can help guide future conservation and restoration efforts. We will use the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) to map current and potential beaver habitat across Wyoming, then work with community scientists and partners to ground-truth those predictions in the field.