Happy International Beaver Day!

Celebrating International Beaver Day: A Call for Conservation in Wisconsin

International Beaver Day, celebrated on April 7th, reminds us of the vital role these industrious creatures play in our ecosystems. In Wisconsin, home to abundant wetlands and waterways, beavers are especially significant. From aiding in climate change resilience to preserving wetlands, they are ecological heroes deserving our attention and protection.

Beavers: Nature’s Engineers

Beavers are often referred to as “nature’s engineers” for their ability to reshape landscapes. Their dams create wetlands, which serve as habitats for countless species, including birds, amphibians, and fish. Wetlands also act as natural filters, improving water quality by trapping sediments and pollutants. For Wisconsin, with its rich environmental heritage, beaver activity strengthens our ecological foundation.

Fighting Climate Change

Wetlands, fostered by beaver activity, play a crucial role in combating climate change. They sequester carbon, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and act as buffers against floods, absorbing excess rainfall. As climate change brings more extreme weather events, beavers provide a natural solution to safeguard our communities and ecosystems.

Check out LEAVE IT TO BEAVER

An enthusiastic presentation by Dr. Suzanne Fouty, retired USDA Forest Service hydrologist/soils specialist about beaver. A large coalition of nonprofit organizations, scientists, and advocates all on President Biden requesting an executive order protecting beavers on federally managed public lands. The signing of climate-targeted executive orders by the Biden administration has created the opportunities to implement key nature-based solutions that will help address the climate and biodiversity crises. This has ignited a sense of hope and momentum when it comes to tackling climate change and our request builds on that momentum. Our public lands are the best place to begin landscape-scale stream, wetland and riparian recovery needed to help tackle the challenges our communities face. Why are beavers so important? Beavers and — the habitats they create — sequester vast amounts of carbon, provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife, create natural firebreaks, filter drinking water, store water during drought and temper flooding events. When beavers are removed from the landscape, these important benefits are lost. Beavers nearly went extinct in North America after centuries of fur trapping and extermination efforts and their populations have yet to recover across most areas of the United States. Protecting beavers by closing public lands to beaver trapping and hunting will vastly improve survival rates.

Challenges and Protection

Despite their benefits, beavers often face challenges such as habitat loss and conflicts with human land use. In Wisconsin, it’s essential to strike a balance between conservation and coexistence. Protecting wetlands and encouraging sustainable land management practices can ensure that beavers thrive, while mitigating any negative impacts on agriculture and infrastructure.

Celebrate International Beaver Day – April 7,2025 by Wendy Kraly

Also published in the Oneida County Clean Waters Action 

Beavers Wetlands & Wildlife (B.W.W.) created International Beaver Day in 2009. Why April 7^th? It is a day of celebration in remembrance of Dorothy Richard’s birthday in 1894. Dorothy was given the nickname the ‘Beaver Woman’ for dedicating 50 years of her life to studying this fascinating keystone species. 

This day is an opportunity to provide awareness about the importance beavers bring to our ecosystem, including keeping our water clean which allows our fish and wildlife to flourish across Oneida County. They create habitat for the 75% of Wisconsin’s wildlife species that spend time in wetlands during all, or part, of their life cycle. In areas where beavers engage in wetland building activity, plant biodiversity increases as much as 33%.

Some beaver benefits include:

• Acting as “Earth’s Kidneys,” cleaning and purifying stream water, removing silt and contaminants, including road salt and nitrates.
• Holding water on the landscape for slow, gradual release, decreasing damage from floods, reducing bank erosion, mitigating effects of drought and replenishing aquifers.
• Preventing the spread of wildfires through natural fuel breaks and providing a safe haven for wildlife.
• Absorbing and capturing greenhouse gases.
• Regulating and maintaining water levels in lakes, rivers and ponds.

The beaver symbolizes hard work, community, adaptability, perseverance, productivity and resourcefulness. The phrases “Busy as a Beaver” and “Eager Beaver” both started appearing around the 1300s based on observations of this unique animal in nature.

How can we celebrate beavers today? 

• Email this to your network. 
• Create a fun post on your social media. Make sure to include some facts using the below resources, and/or include a link to this one-page Beaver Fact Sheet
  • Beaver Research & Resources 
  • Beaver Library 
• Print or email these one-page non-lethal methods handouts and share with your neighbors, local businesses, resorts, tourist centers and libraries:
  • Resources for Working with Beavers 
• Visit a lake, pond or river in your area and try to locate a beaver dam or lodge. You may even catch a glimpse of these fascinating animals doing their work. Although, most work is done at night.
• Share this amazing video of the largest beaver dam in the world: (59) This Beaver Dam is So Huge, You Can See It from Space | Climate Heroes – YouTube 
• Share this Wisconsin story of how to successfully implement beaver non-lethal methods: How one Wisconsin landowner is using non-lethal methods to manage beavers
• Find an activity to engage with children that provides both education and fun: Activities for kids – Beaver Trust 

With the environmental challenges we are facing today, the beaver is one great example of how we can restore biodiversity and provide resiliency to communities from the harsh effects of climate change.

Go Beavers Go!

We advocate for all imperiled wildlife in the Great Lakes states, and beavers are no exception. Lend a helping hand to support the recovery of beavers at home and beyond.