In recent years, the beaver population in the Cascadia area has fallen to just 5% of its historical levels. This loss has rippled across the landscape, leading to eroded stream banks, fewer essential in-stream woody materials, and reduced biodiversity in these vital ecosystems.
To combat this, Cascadia Conservation District has teamed up with local landowners and the Forest Service to install innovative man-made systems that replicate the natural benefits of beaver dams. So far, they’ve installed over 200 beaver dam analogs, planted 9,000 native plants along streambanks, and restored 2 miles of riparian habitat! These efforts are helping reconnect floodplains, improve stream health, and support thriving fish populations.
In an arid landscape dominated by dryland grain production and rangeland, this pilot focuses on reducing soil loss, improving water availability, and supporting habitat health. By tracking conservation practices and applying watershed tools, the work helps partners better understand how voluntary conservation supports resilient working lands under changing conditions.
In a working lands landscape shaped by dryland farming, grazing, and irrigated agriculture, this pilot focuses on reducing erosion, keeping soil on the land, and improving stream and habitat conditions. By tracking conservation practices and applying watershed tools, the work helps partners better understand how voluntary conservation supports resilient farms and healthy watersheds.
Within a productive agricultural landscape shaped by dairy and crop production, this pilot focuses on improving water quality, managing nutrients, and reducing flood risks. Monitoring and conservation tracking help partners understand how voluntary conservation supports both farm viability and long-term watershed health.
