Why We Need to Flood the U.S. With Beavers and Wolves

[Judi Lynn]

Let’s welcome our new furry overlords.

Tony Ho Tran
Deputy Editor, Innovation & Tech
Updated Aug. 09, 2022 11:38AM ET / Published Aug. 09, 2022 11:09AM ET



Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Getty
The American West isn’t exactly doing so hot—partly because it’s feeling too hot. Between the near constant wildfires, drought, and heatwaves, an area that was once teeming with wildlife and native fauna is now experiencing a staggering amount of ecosystem loss.

But, researchers at Oregon State University have a bold proposal to help enrich these habitats: Fill them with beavers and wolves.

In a paper published on August 9 in the journal BioScience, the OSU team proposed using federal land in 11 states in order to establish a new system of wolf and beaver habitats in a process called The Western Rewilding Network. The plan would cover roughly 500,000 square kilometers across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

In its new paper, the OSU team wrote that wolf and beaver species play a crucial role in the native ecosystems. For example, gray wolves are an apex predator that naturally cull populations of elk that would otherwise reproduce out of proportion and eat native plants. Meanwhile, beavers take down trees to build dams, helping fish habitats flourish and maintaining water flows during drought.

More:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/scientists-want-to-flood-the-united-states-with-beavers-and-wolves

[Jade Fox]

1. Yes!

[brush]

2. Thanks, JL. I love the wildlife posts. I'm sure you know of these...

beaver and wolf videos.

https://ethology.eu/how-wolves-change-rivers/

[Judi Lynn]

3. The two short videos you've posted are wonderful. They share so much in a short form.

Had heard the information about wolves, and absolutely loved the wolf video.

The "little people" video was completely new to me, and so good to learn.

I wonder if there's any chance at all for the European descended US Americans to become aware enough to start living in harmony with the planet, rather than exploiting and destroying it.

The videos open a channel to deeper thought and experience. Sure hope many more people will take the time to explore them. Thank you, so much, brush. 🐺

[bahboo]

4. yes...bring it on....

probably makes too much sense to actually happen...

[Duppers]

5. K & R

👍

[StephanieDubois]

6. Sounds good to me

This would make my local county commissioner (whose seat I am running for) mad as heck. He's been complaining about the Mexican Grey Wolf for years in our local mountains because the ranchers out there are afraid the wolves will kill their livestock. These same ranchers want to destroy habitats and the forest so their oversized herds can graze on federal land. I am all for bringing up the wolf population. The ranchers have complained about the elk eating all the good grass, so this would help that situation too.