All About Beaver Weekend

On the second chilly weekend of March, hundreds of diverse Paonia citizens came together for a weekend of all things beaver. Colorado Farm and Food Alliance and the Western Slope Conservation Center came together to fill the town with a variety of activities and events for everyone that appealed to all of the senses and facets of beaver restoration. 

Beavers are incredible architects and a keynote species for arid environments; their dam wetland environments recharge water tables, create forest fire resilience and filter pollutants from water.

There has been a strong beaver buzz around town ever since All About Beaver weekend, and we are excited that the conversation is deepening about how folks can get involved cultivating a harmonious relationship with beaver and restoring wetland habitats.

Because of historical trapping and negative predispositions of beaver, many people have an adverse or confused relationship with the species. Ranchers, farmers, irrigators and developers especially, have a troubled history with the rodent because of their tendency to dam culverts and irrigation systems, flooding roads and fields where the extra water is not desired and is problematic. 

But what if there was a way to coexist with beavers so as to receive the benefits of extended water availability, fire breaks and healthier soil profiles and replenished water tables? As it turns out, there are quite a few different tools that scientists, resource professionals, nonprofits and enthused citizens have determined are helpful in mutually beneficial coexistence with beavers. Low tech solutions like pond levelers, culvert fences and beaver dam analogs which just imitate beaver ponds, can be employed to maintain the benefits of the wetland and manage the issue that is harboring infrastructure and irrigation. 

All About Beaver weekend kicked off Saturday evening with pie and cookies, compliments of Root and Vine and coffee from Rubicon in the buzzing Paradise theater of downtown Paonia. Neighbors excitedly shared their beaver anecdotes and visions for a more sustainable management plan for the species that unknowingly swim into ditches and streams.

The community enjoyed a showing of “The Beaver Believers” followed by a panel with Eager author Ben Goldfarb, Nichole Fox from Give a Dam, and joining virtually U.S. Forest Service hydrologist Ashley Hom, and the filmmaker Sarah Koenigsberg.

We learned that learning to live in place with beaver, as opposed to trapping and relocating, is the most desirable outcome. Beavers have a lower survival rate when they are trapped in general but especially without their families and when they are relocated to a faraway locale where the spreading of diseases is more likely.

After the movie, local book lovers headed over to Paonia Books for a book-signing of critically acclaimed Eager by Ben Goldfar and a fabulous reception to benefit the Colorado Farm & Food Alliance, with food prepared by Kathy Swartz and paired with wine from The Storm Cellar and cider from Clear Fork. Numerous folks can be seen reading the book around town, with a few signed copies still available at the bookstore. We cannot thank Paonia Books, Storm Cellar Wine and Clear Fork Ciders enough for their generosity in hosting us for this wonderful end to Day 1 of our beaver weekend.

For Day 2, eager risers reconvened Sunday morning for an educational workshop on beaver restoration with local expert Jake Hartter with Terra Firm Restoration, and Nichole Fox from Durango’s Give a Dam.  After a history lesson and exploration of what beavers are capable of building and achieving, we set out on a field trip to explore a local restoration project. After a corporation’s building plans displaced a wetland, they funded a local wetland restoration project that has since attracted beavers and facilitated an extensive ecosystem for other wildlife like trout, migratory birds, amphibians and turtles. The project also helps enforce the riverbed and reroute excess spring runoff back to the river. 

The weekend concluded with Western Slope Conservation Center’s annual meeting at Shadescapes with another talk by Ben Goldfarb. After all of this beaver talk, lots of folks are wondering how to get involved and support restoration work in the valley. 

We want to thank our weekend sponsors including , and everyone who turned out for some or all of the weekend activities. 

Thank you to all our sponsors — Patti Kaech, broker at Paonia Realty; Paonia Books; and Sweetgrass — our panelists and experts, the many helpers, who made this weekend a success.

Thank you especially for everyone who turned out!

Please stay tuned for more to come.