The Impacts of Beaver Activity in Western Wisconsin on Class II Trout Streams and the Adjacent Riparian Wetland Over Time

Abstract

The world has been facing a water crisis due to the vast amount needed for anthropogenic activities (e.g. agriculture, industry, domestic, etc.). Riparian wetlands provide important natural infiltration media for restoring water. The United States has faced a significant loss of wetlands over time, and though it would take a large quantity of resources to restore these valuable ecosystems, beavers can fulfill this ecological role by retaining freshwater by building dams, thus creating wetlands and changing the riparian vegetation. Beaver numbers have fluctuated over time, from the initial high populations to being hunted down to near extinction, to re-introduction to urbanization. Understanding how beaver dams modify the landscape in terms of changes in vegetation on the riparian and stream morphology can enhance the best management practices in water quality management and conservation.