Title: Come help restore wetlands at Jensen State Wildlife Area!

Short description: Join us, alongside Colorado Parks and Wildlife, to construct human-made beaver dams that will help restore wetlands.

Difficulty: Medium (trimming branches, pounding posts, shoveling mud)

Project details: There was once an abundance of beavers and beaver dams on James Creek in Jensen State Wildlife Area. Now there are none, the consequences being fewer wetlands and increased water runoff. To amend this, we will be working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to construct beaver dam analogs (BDAs), or human-made structures that mimic the work of beavers. They are made by pounding posts into the streambed, then weaving trimmed branches in between to create a “dam”. The resulting water build-up creates wetland areas, which are vital to wildlife and will allow for the eventual reintroduction of beavers. Wetlands also sequester and store more carbon than forests, making them an essential tool in the fight against climate change.

Please contact ryan@yvsc.org with any questions.