BEAVERS: ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS

View the online story, published June 21, 2025 in The Seattle Times. Reporter Lynda Mapes writes, “Chocolaty brown and marvelously fat, this was one very well-fed beaver, chomping away on the restoration site’s new plantings…”

Beavers have been shaping wetland ecosystems for centuries. Working with them may actually be the easiest, most economical way to restore habitats for salmon and other wildlife.

Why work with beavers? Once hunted nearly to extinction, beavers are now recognized as a keystone species—and they just might be able to restore riparian habitats better than people can. In the illustration (above), I show the benefits of beaver engineering. Their dams slow down and filter the water. Deeper water percolates into groundwater, resurfacing later to cool streams for fish. Beaver ponds attract a plethora of wildlife, including birds, fish, muskrats, and otters. Beaver paths create new water channels for spawning salmon. Beavers don’t seem to mind people and have been found alongside hiking trails, in urban parks, and even in storm drains.

But beavers eat so much that they can actually undo the hard work done by ecologists like Jen Vanderhoof, a King County senior ecologist and beaver expert. These busy rodents like to snack on tree plantings.

Now, scientists have figured out ways to outgrow the beavers’ appetites, and are partnering with beavers to restore salmon habitats.

Process

First, I gathered references and sketches in the field with Vanderhoof at two beaver sites: Chinook Bend Natural Area and Meadowbrook Pond. I also referred to night videos of beaver activity provided by the county. Back in the studio, I created preliminary drawings.

I rendered the final art in Procreate and Adobe Illustrator.