Healthy streams benefit many user groups and resources, such as wildlife, agriculture, and recreation. However, streams in the West are often degraded, which can sometimes be attributed to the removal of beaver from ecosystems.
The environmental benefits of beaver activity are well documented. Beavers’ impacts include:
Project sticker. Stream macroinvertebrates are one way to measure stream health. Can you name the species illustrated?
Creating aquatic and riparian habitats
Providing hydrological connectivity
Reducing erosion
Controlling sediments
Reducing runoff and floods
Beaver recolonization in degraded streams may not always be successful or feasible, but low-tech restoration tools—such as human-made beaver dams—are a means to achieve the environmental benefits of beaver.
Affordable, simple, and effective, the utilization of low-tech tools for restoration is an option that more and more groups are using in their restoration efforts.
There is a growing movement across the western US to restore riverscapes by catalyzing natural ecological processes. Check out this map to see where Sageland Collaborative and other groups are restoring streams!
In addition to improving the health of these degraded areas, these low-tech restoration activities also pave the way for successful beaver re-establishment. To make this a reality, our dedicated volunteers join us for hands-on restoration work in Utah’s degraded streams. It’s a fun day outdoors and no experience or prior training is necessary.
Riverscape Restoration Calendar
What to Expect on a Volunteer Day
What We’ll Do: Carry fence posts, cut willow branches, construct human-made dams in the stream.
What to Wear: Appropriate clothing for the weather conditions, shoes that can get wet or waders, eye protection (sunglasses or safety glasses), gloves.*
What to Bring: Bagged lunch, water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray.
Questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions or contact Rose by email or at 801-328-3550.
*We have extra gloves, waders, and muck boots in various sizes for volunteers to borrow for the day.
Notes on COVID-19
We have created a safety protocol in an effort to keep staff and volunteers safe. During COVID spikes, staff and volunteers are required to follow these guidelines when volunteering in the field with us. We will include any needed COVID information in emails we send up after you sign up for a project.
Get Involved
The 2023 Riverscape Restoration season has come to a close! Thank you to everyone who joined us in the streams this fall - together, we successfully built structures across 9 streams in Utah!
Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on opportunities to get involved.
Community Scientist at work installing a beaver dam analogue
photo by Lindsay Aman
At a Glance
Field Season: August - October
Training Required? No, and no experience necessary.
Age: All ages are welcome, but projects are not suited for children under 10 years old. Volunteers under 18 years old require a guardian’s signature and those under 15 years old must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Commitment Level: Day-long projects working outdoors.
Requirements: Work will be in and around streams, requiring lifting objects, walking over uneven surfaces, and doing other physical work as you are able. Please contact us for questions about accessibility and potential accommodations.
Signups: Sign up to join a day under “Volunteer Signups” (starting again in spring 2024). For queries about planning group volunteer days, please contact Rose Smith.
Contact: Please email us with project questions.
Riverscape Restoration Updates
Permitting Your Riverscape Restoration Projects In Utah - Webinar Series for Project Managers
Permitting low-tech, process-based stream restoration like beaver dam analogues requires permitting with the Utah Division of Water Rights and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These webinars are essential for Utah's practitioners to ensure your project's planning and permitting is efficient and stays on schedule.
Regulatory specialists teach why a permit is required and what information is needed to submit a complete permit application.