Beaver Works Oregon, a Think Wild program, has completed the first-ever community-engaged beaver sign surveys across the Malheur National Forest (MNF), marking a major step toward improving science-based management of beaver populations and riparian ecosystems in Oregon’s Blue Mountains.
The Community-Engaged Beaver Research and Monitoring Project, a collaboration between Think Wild, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Oregon Department of Forestry, mobilized volunteers, interns, and land management staff to document beaver presence and habitat use across 160 stream segments in 57 streams spanning more than 4,000 square kilometers – an area larger than Rhode Island.
“This project represents a turning point for how we understand and manage beavers on public lands,” said Dr. Maureen Thompson, Beaver Works Oregon Program Manager. “ It helps us move beyond anecdotes toward consistent, spatially balanced information that can guide data-driven conservation. By understanding where beavers are active and where they could return, we can better plan for watershed restoration, habitat connectivity, and long-term ecosystem health.”
Over six weeks this fall, ten trained volunteers, three interns, and five staff members from Think Wild and the U.S. Forest Service surveyed potential beaver habitat, following the Oregon Beaver Activity Survey Protocol developed by Oregon State University researchers. Together, the team contributed more than 900 field hours to record evidence of beaver activity, including dams, chewed vegetation, and lodges. The surveys provide new insight into where and how beavers are influencing stream systems across the Malheur National Forest, helping land managers identify priority areas for restoration and conservation. These data will also inform comparisons with the adjacent Ochoco National Forest, where a beaver trapping closure has been in place since 1986.
Beavers are increasingly recognized as a keystone species essential to hydrologic function, biodiversity, and climate adaptation. Their dams slow water flow, raise groundwater tables, and create complex wetland habitats that support fish, amphibians, birds, and other wildlife. Recent updates to Oregon law, most notably House Bill 3464 (2023), which reclassified beavers as native wildlife and prioritized coexistence-based management on both public and private lands, have underscored the importance of understanding beaver habitat use and their ecological impacts. With the additional passage of House Bill 3932 (2025), which prohibits beaver trapping on public lands that fail to meet EPA water quality standards, there is a growing need for tools that assess and visualize the potential role of beavers in improving water quality.
Yet reliable, landscape-scale data on beaver populations remain limited. The 2025 Malheur surveys help fill this gap by integrating local knowledge with state-standardized scientific methods, creating a model for future monitoring efforts across Oregon. Think Wild and its partners plan to continue beaver sign surveys in future years, aligning efforts across the Malheur, Ochoco, and other Eastern Oregon National Forests. The team aims to refine habitat models and support evidence-based policy and management decisions.
“This project is about restoring the natural processes that keep streams healthy,” said Amelie Stovall, a Think Wild Intern who supported surveys for the project. “Every dam, lodge, and chew mark adds another data point, helping us understand how people and beavers can collaborate to improve water storage, habitat, and climate resilience.”
The 2025 field season was made possible through funding from the Oregon Wildlife Foundation and the Pacific Northwest Forest Service Association, with deep appreciation for the dedication of interns Amelie Stovall, Madeline Walker, and Kylie Lanuza, and the many volunteers and agency partners who made this collaborative effort possible.
To learn more or get involved in future community science surveys, contact Maureen Thompson at maureen@thinkwildco.org. Learn more at beaverworksoregon.org
About Think Wild and Beaver Works Oregon:
Think Wild is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Bend, Oregon, dedicated to inspiring the High Desert community to protect native wildlife through education, conservation, rescue, and rehabilitation. Beaver Works Oregon, a Think Wild program, advances this mission by supporting the recovery of beavers as a keystone species, removing human obstacles to their success, and promoting habitat conditions that allow them to thrive. The program works with private and public landholders to address coexistence challenges such as damaged trees, flooding, or blocked irrigation infrastructure, while also building public understanding of the critical role beavers play in watershed health and climate resiliency. Beaver Works Oregon can be found online at beaverworksoregon.org or on Instagram and Facebook @beaverworksoregon.
