Beaver mimicry, also called low-impact restoration, provides a means for range managers on public and private land to improve natural water storage and subirrigate floodplains for improved stream flows, habitat, and forage production. Beaver mimicry is gaining momentum as a cost-effective restoration approach in Montana and other western states. In this presentation, I provide examples of beaver mimicry techniques from multiple projects, discuss natural resource benefits that have been realized from recent projects, and review lessons learned about adapting techniques to site conditions, managing expectations, and potential regulatory speedbumps.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.