Governor Signs Beaver Bill
July 31, 2023
Governor Signs Beaver Bill to Protect Wetland Creator
By Amy van Saun, TWC Board Secretary
This session, the Oregon legislature passed a bill to remove beavers from the list of predatory species, HB 3464. It gives the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) more control over how beavers are managed on private land. This will help ODFW manage interactions between beavers and private landowners, and hopefully increase their numbers and the number of dams. Governor Kotek signed the bill into law on July 27, 2023.
Why is TWC celebrating this bill? Because beavers create wetlands and wetlands mean water. The beaver isn’t just our state animal, it is a climate-change mitigator and a keystone species. Beavers build dams that collect water into ponds, providing essential habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife. Beavers fan out from their main stream and create channels. With so many degraded waterways and years-long droughts, keeping more water on the landscape is vital. Beavers can take a degraded and simple stream and make it complex, which iconic species like salmon love! Beaver ponds/wetlands also act as a fire break, a natural way to limit the destruction of wildfires. They also help with post-fire restoration as the vegetation around a beaver complex is more fire resistant. As drought and wildfire increase with the climate crisis, we should all be working to reintroduce this once-numerous rodent to our ecosystems throughout Oregon.
If you are a TWC supporter you probably already know that TWC is working to protect beavers in Oregon and help educate Oregonians on why beavers are so crucial to our landscapes. TWC conducts beaver surveys to anticipate hydrological changes as well as improve our own wetland management practices. TWC supported HB 3464 and knows we have more work to do at the legislature to both protect beavers and support the wetlands that support us. I joined the TWC board because I love beavers and so does TWC. So when you see a beaver, thank it and also support TWC in its mission to preserve and restore our crucial wetlands throughout Oregon!
