By Cassandra Lundbek, Staff Reporter
The beaver has always been an important part of the Beaver Hills Biosphere, and the Biosphere’s ‘Living With Wildlife’ program is sharing practical tips on how to live harmoniously with beavers and encourages locals to take the Living with Wildlife Pledge. Before people, these industrious animals shaped the wetlands and forests, creating the ponds and waterways that sustain so much of the area’s biodiversity.
Beavers are essential to the health of our local ecosystems. By building dams and lodges, they slow water flow, create wetlands, and provide habitat for countless species of birds, fish, amphibians, and mammals. Their work naturally filters and stores water, helping to protect against both drought and flooding. As Dr. Glynnis Hood, longtime Beaver Hills researcher and professor emerita at the University of Alberta, noted in a recent Explore: A Canadian Geographic podcast, beavers play a key role in regulating water systems and mitigating the effects of climate change.
A 2021 study led by Dr. Hood, supported by the Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve Association and the Alberta Conservation Association, used camera traps and environmental DNA sampling to document six species of semi-aquatic mammals in the region.
Beavers, muskrats, and water shrews were the most abundant species detected, underscoring the beaver’s influence on habitat conditions for many others. According to Dr. Hood, these findings are helping scientists and land managers better understand the tremendous biodiversity supported by the wetlands beavers create.
Managing beaver activity in areas that also serve as recreational destinations can be challenging. Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) has been working in partnership with the Beaver Hills Biosphere to find better ways to balance recreation with wildlife management.
Senior Parks Planner Sharina Kennedy explained in a 2020 Beaver Hills article titled “Living and Working Alongside Beavers in the Biosphere” that AEP’s Central Region team is updating its approach to managing beavers within protected areas such as the Cooking Lake–Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area. The goal is to move away from outdated methods like trapping and instead use practical, non-lethal tools such as pond levelers, trail rerouting, and infrastructure adjustments. Kennedy described the work as “innovative, because it brings together existing tools, resources, and expertise from the field of beaver biology and applies it to the park setting.”
Efforts to live alongside beavers are also reaching private landowners. In May of last year, nearly 50 residents attended “Working with Beavers,” a workshop in Strathcona County as part of the Beaver Hills Biosphere’s Rural Residential Stewardship Program. Presenters from Cows & Fish and Strathcona County shared advice on coexistence and highlighted how beavers contribute to surface water management and even wildfire prevention. Every participant reported learning something new about living in harmony with beavers, with several planning to install pond levelers on their properties.
For the Beaver Hills community, coexistence with beavers is more than an environmental goal; it’s part of living responsibly within the biosphere. Through programs like the Living with Wildlife Pledge, residents are encouraged to protect the region’s natural assets by taking simple, practical steps to support coexistence.
