Beavers are back in Northern California — and they're already hard at work healing the land. After the animals were hunted nearly to extinction in the 1800s, a family of beavers was released at the end of 2023 to their native habitat in Tásmam Koyóm, a 2,325-acre valley that is the ancestral land of the Mountain Maidu people.
This marked the first time beavers had returned to this area in almost 75 years. It happened thanks to a restoration project led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Maidu Summit Consortium.
As SFGate reported, the once-absent beavers are now thriving. Officials say the group has produced two new litters of kits and expanded across the valley, building multiple dams — including one nearly 100 meters wide. At another release site along the South Fork Tule River, beavers have begun enhancing a human-made "dam analog," turning it into a deep pool habitat.
These busy builders are more than just a cute comeback story. Their dams increase surface water storage, extend stream flows into the dry season, and help restore wetland habitat. In the landscape scarred by the 2021 Dixie Fire, the beavers have already increased surface water by 23%, which could slow or even stop future wildfires. That's good news for native amphibians, reptiles, and mammals — and for the people who live in this fire-prone area.
"Beavers are nature's Swiss army knife," CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham said. "The things they can do are amazing."
The group is planning on more translocations for California beavers and hopes to get the help of landowners who give the green light for using their properties as starter habitats. It's already had at least one proposal from a landowner, and there could be more in the coming months.
Social media users are excited for the success of the program. "Beautiful! Beavers help nature heal, and then thrive," one commenter wrote on Instagram. Another added, "Beavers are worthy of all worship, honor, power, and glory."
Though beavers can't solve the climate crisis alone, this amazing comeback shows how letting nature heal itself, with a little help from furry friends, can be one of the best defenses against the warming planet.
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