…and we can see it from outer space.
There has been a lot of interest in rewilding, which basically goes beyond reintroducing threatened or missing species, to recreating whole ecosystems. For me, reintroducing Bison to tribal lands is the iconic effort. And it will end up regenerating a wild prairie, where numerous plants and animals flourish. These may not be exactly the same prairie as before the European disturbances, but it will be a self-sustained ecology.
In a similar vein, people are working to reintroduce beavers, especially to mountain watersheds. These animals were the great hydro engineers of North America, modifying vast areas, controlling water resources, and, many would say, creating ecosystems. Wiping out the beavers and removing their watery homes had many side effects, not least the loss of water supplies and habitats, which were no longer held by beaver ponds.
Reintroducing beavers involves some wonderful techniques. Building fake beaver dams (Hey, beavers! Look! This is a great place for a dam!) Also, tossing sticks in the water down stream. (Look at all this tasty food! Come see where it came from!)
Restoring beavers to wild streams is good for the rodents, but also is good for fish and other wildlife. It also builds a lot of healthy, green vegetation, widening the riverscape and improving the whole area [3]. It also retains the spring runoff longer, effectively increasing the water supply for the whole area.
This summer, NASA reports some satellite images show these beaver created green space [2]. Yes, they are big enough to be seen from space!
Another remarkable thing is how well the beaver habitats survive wild fires. These areas become important refuges for wildlife, and surely help the area survive and recover from fire damage.
As Kaitlin Carpenter discusses, monitoring these rewilding efforts is not so easy[1]. Going out to visit beaver streams is laborious and time consuming. (Heck, once they get going, you never know exactly where beavers will move next.)
NASA is encouraging and enabling the use of satellite imagery to monitor the status of these beaver areas. Satellite imagery is available all the time, and it shows a continuous record of ow things change. It also covers wide areas, including everything, not just the specifically targeted area.
- Kaitlin Carpenter, Researchers Become "Beaver Believers" After Measuring the Impacts of Rewilding, in NASA Earth Sciences, July 17, 2023. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/researchers-become-beaver-believers-after-measuring-the-impacts-of-rewilding
- Kathryn Hansen and Kaitlin Carpenter, Plants are abundant along Baugh Creek, thanks to the ponded water from beaver dams, in NASA Earth Observatory - Image of the Day, July 24, 2023. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151591/idahos-emerald-refuge
- Peter Skidmore and Joseph Wheaton, Riverscapes as natural infrastructure: Meeting challenges of climate adaptation and ecosystem restoration. Anthropocene, 38:100334, 2022/06/01/ 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213305422000157
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