GILLETTE, Wyo. — A new beaver holding facility in northwestern Wyoming will assist wildlife managers in their efforts to improve riparian and stream habitat, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Beavers are routinely used to improve habitat in Wyoming, and the newly constructed facility will increase the capacity for habitat enhancement using beavers in the northwest portion of the state, said Jerry Altermatt, Cody Region terrestrial habitat biologist.
The facility is located at the regional office in Cody and is intended as a temporary housing option for nuisance beavers trapped on private land that are translocated to areas in need of habitat restoration, per Game and Fish.
“Over 80 beavers have been translocated in the Cody Region since 2018, resulting in at least eight successfully established colonies,” Altermatt said in an Oct. 19 release.
Game and Fish says beavers are often called ecosystem engineers; they provide benefits to stream ecosystems by building dams that slow the movement of water, trapping sediment, and slowly raising the stream bed over time.
“The dams also raise the water table and expand riparian habitats, the areas adjacent to streams that can support water-loving plants like willows, Game and Fish says. “This expansion of the riparian area benefits species like moose and mule deer that rely upon these habitats for food and cover.”
Successfully transplanting beavers means capturing a breeding pair and their offspring, per Game and Fish.
“Transplanting a family group increases the likelihood that the beavers will stay in the transplant location and establish successfully,” Altermatt said. “Sometimes this process can take time as the beavers are often caught one at a time.”
The Cody facility can hold up to four family groups and should increase the number of beavers translocated each year in the region and adjacent regions by quadrupling the capacity for trapping and holding beavers.
“The facility provides a secure location to house beavers and allows for more flexibility for pausing and resuming trapping efforts as necessary to allow trap-shy beavers to settle down,”m Altermatt said in the release. “In addition, the holding facility will allow the opportunity to pair up individuals that are not established mated pairs, improving the success of establishment after translocation.”
