Beavers: The unlikely climate hero
Beavers were once ubiquitous in North America, with a population numbering in the hundreds of millions. Trapping and habitat loss decimated their population: There are just 10-15 million beavers in North America today. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently allocated money to support beaver restoration throughout the state, calling the beaver an “untapped, creative climate solving hero.” California native Joe Wheaton is a professor of riverscapes at Utah State University who leads teams working on beaver restoration. We asked him to tell us more about this unlikely climate hero and its role in restoring streams and meadows.