Beavers

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a public Zoom meeting on Monday, September 8, from 5 to 6 p.m., to solicit input on the planned development of a statewide beaver-management and restoration plan. Beavers used to live in nearly every stream in North America, with an estimated population of 100 to 200 million. Human exploitation and eradication efforts reduced those populations to approximately 10 to 15 million beavers today.

Historically, beavers were active in, and upstream of, the marshy southern end of Lexington Reservoir. There are some unconfirmed reports that the CDFW “quietly” relocated My daughter observing beaver activity at Lexington Reservoir in 2003 some beavers from the Delta to Lexington Reservoir in the late 1980s. In the early 2000s, our family visited the beaver area to view their impressive dams and wood- cutting abilities. According to neighbors who live at that end of the reservoir, they were last seen around 2020.

While beavers have traditionally been viewed as a potential nuisance species, western states have recently begun to Beavers at Lexington Reservoir in 2018. Photos by Mercury Freedom recognize the ecological benefits of beaver activity on the landscape. There is growing interest in California to reintroduce beavers for habitat and water management, ecosystem restoration, and increased resiliency to climate change and wildfire. The plan that CDFW is developing will identify priority watersheds for beaver restoration, which could include Lexington Reservoir.

The meeting provides a forum for interested parties to learn more about the development of a reintroduction plan, share insights, ask questions, and provide input. You can submit a question in advance to BeaverRestoration@wildlife.ca.gov. To register for this meeting, visit wildlife-cagov.

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