In a bid to boost water quality and aquatic ecosystem health, Wyoming has installed and maintained 130 artificial beaver dams along two creeks in the Casper region. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) installed these dams, which mimic the structure of actual beaver (Castor canadensis) dams, using wooden posts and woven willow branches to slow water flow and create more wetlands along the Lone Tree and Bolton creeks. As a result, the water flows cleaner into the North Platte River, benefitting fish and wildlife species in the process. “These riparian areas are like the supermarkets of the high desert,” said Willow Bish, terrestrial habitat biologist for WGFD, in a press release. “When we keep these areas green longer, we provide critical forage for mule deer, pronghorn and sage-grouse, especially during the late season when other forage has dried out.” The structures will also help reduce erosion, decreasing the sediment that reaches the North Platte River. Wildlife managers hope to hand over the maintenance of these structures to actual beavers, which may return to the area as the water flow changes encourage willow growth.
