This article was originally published in BC Outdoors magazine in Spring 2025 and reflects beaver dam analogue (BDA) restoration work completed by the B.C. Wildlife Federation during the 2024 field season in the Thompson–Nicola region. Since its publication, BCWF has continued to expand this work in the region, including collaboration with Nooaitch Indian Band, the Lower Nicola Indian Band, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and local landowners during the 2025 field season. Restoration and monitoring efforts are ongoing, with additional work planned in the years ahead. In the 2025 field season, BCWF reached its goal of installing at least 100 BDAs across British Columbia.
It takes teamwork and dedication to build a beaver dam. Ask any beaver.
During the 2024 field season, the B.C. Wildlife Federation completed the construction of 36 beaver dam analogues (BDAs) on three creeks in the Thompson–Nicola region. Crews of seven or more people worked on site, cutting branches with chainsaws and loppers, wading into streams to pile mud and branches, and pounding posts to support the structure of the BDAs. It was one of the largest operations to date under BCWF’s 10,000 Wetlands Project.
The post-pounder alone is so heavy it takes four or five people to operate. But a large group of collaborators and helping hands were drawn in by the novelty of recreating the region’s once-numerous beaver dams, and by the potential payoff: improved wildlife habitat, flood mitigation, and reduced wildfire risk.
The Nooaitch Indian Band, the Lower Nicola Indian Band, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and local landowners all teamed up to build BDAs on Voght Creek, Gordon Creek, and a tributary to Spius Creek.
“Smaller tributary streams have been severely impacted by forest harvesting, wildfires, and in some instances cattle in the territory for the last several decades,” said Morgan Jumbo, Special Projects Manager for the Nooaitch Indian Band. “Identifying and restoring as many degraded streams as possible is my goal.”
When assessing a site to plan the location of BDAs, the team looks for areas along the stream where a structure will slow the flow of water, create pools, or promote new pathways for water to move through the landscape—mimicking the effects of natural beaver dams.
After completing site assessments, the crew sources branches from the surrounding area. Once a large enough pile of branches is gathered, the team splits into smaller groups. A lopping team cuts branches to size for placement in the stream, while others wade into the channel to lay down large branches as the first layer of the BDA. Meanwhile, another group prepares mud in a jet sled to cover successive layers of branches.
Beavers were once abundant across North America, and their dams created lush ecosystems that retained water and supported surrounding landscapes. However, the fur trade dramatically reduced beaver populations, contributing to widespread degradation of stream ecosystems.
BDAs are built using local materials to restore ecosystem health and replicate the natural benefits of beaver dams. In some cases, beavers may even adopt a BDA site and take over maintenance of the structure.
“This type of work was very new to me,” said Jumbo. “I have just started to hear about low-tech process-based restoration in our territory. The results are very favourable—creating water storage, deeper pools for fish, and increasing fire resiliency across the landscape. It also benefits beavers by shifting perceptions away from them being seen as a nuisance animal.”
At Voght Creek and the Spius Creek tributary, extreme weather events—including wildfires and atmospheric rivers—have caused severe erosion, deepening stream channels and disconnecting them from their floodplains. To counter these impacts, the team built nine BDAs along Voght Creek, ten on the Spius tributary, and one post-assisted log structure (PALS) designed to mimic a natural log jam. PALS help collect sediment and debris while slowing water flow.
Gordon Creek was damaged by the 2021 Lytton Creek Fire Complex and subsequent atmospheric river events. BDAs installed at this site are helping increase groundwater retention and slow erosion.
“For the sites we have worked at, I would like to further build upon the work and possibly create healthy stream networks either upstream or downstream of each site,” said Jumbo. “This would create a cascading effect that benefits our main stem river networks.”
The team is continuing long-term monitoring of these sites. In the future, BCWF hopes to expand the reach of restoration efforts so that resilient, restored habitat exists in pockets throughout entire watersheds.
“My hope is that funding for this type of work becomes more readily accessible,” said Jumbo. “I believe there should be contributions from land users such as forestry companies, the Ministry of Forests, ranchers, and BC Hydro to support the restoration of degraded streams.”
Funding for this project was provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
This story, by Emma Kingsland (Restoration Practitioner), first appeared in the MAY/JUN 2025 issue of BC Outdoors Magazine in our member exclusive insert. Become a BCWF member today to get our news delivered directly to your mail box at bcwf.bc.ca/membership.
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