The journey of the Colorado River begins high in the forests and snow-packed peaks of the Rocky Mountains, and from there meanders through lush alpine meadows on its way to fertile valley floors. The beavers are responsible for slowing the water and snowmelt as they flow down Colorado’s Western Slope. Their dams allow the water to pond and creating lush wetland habitats for numerous animals including moose, black bear and mountain lions.
The arrival of European fur trappers nearly destroyed beaver populations and consequently wildlife habitat. Water rushed through the landscape instead of ponding. Wetlands dried and wildlife habitat was lost.
Today, with help from High Country Conservation Advocates in Crested Butte, beavers and their historical habitats are making a remarkable comeback.
Using willows, conifer branches, rocks and mud, hundreds of volunteers under the direction of a handful of scientists and Forest Service personnel chose a site near the headwaters that contained a relic beaver lodge. Void of beavers, the previously lush meadows were dry, and the floodplain was becoming disconnected.
The volunteers were charged to re-create beaver dams downstream of the lodge using only the natural materials they collected. They went to work and by mid-afternoon, while still building dams, they could see the water beginning to pond and spread.
The volunteer-built dams were so successful They slowed stream flow and created wetland habitat, which has attracted beavers back to the area. The beaver’s return makes these wetlands sustainable, radically improving the future of this watershed by reducing soil erosion, increasing resilience to floods and wildfires, and helping communities weather drought.
