WildEarth Guardians

Monday, January 13, 2014
New Mexico Legislator Encourages Proper Beaver Management for Climate Adaptation

Senate Memorial Recommends New Mexico Craft a Statewide Beaver Management Plan
Contact: Bryan Bird (505) 699-4719

Santa Fe – Senator Tim Keller today introduced a memorial for the 2014 New Mexico legislative session that calls on the Governor’s Administration to develop recommendations jointly on how New Mexico may proceed to put together a statewide beaver management plan. The memorial recognizes the critical role that beavers play in maintaining and restoring the health of headwater streams and in enhancing water storage, a role critical for New Mexico's communities, industries and wildlife facing water scarcity challenges.

“Its clear that we need to manage these busy animals in New Mexico intentionally both to relieve conflicts and reap the benefits they can provide,” said Senator Tim Keller. “Beaver can be an ally in mitigating drought and ensuring a reliable water supply in the state.”

The North American beaver, with its dams and ponds and associated wetlands, if restored to suitable but unoccupied habitats could increase water storage of streams and rivers in New Mexico that are undergoing dramatic changes in runoff patterns; would serve to greatly attenuate the effects of flooding associated with heavy precipitation events as well as landscapes impacted by wildfire; and would serve to greatly enhance the persistence and resilience of many endangered animals and plants in New Mexico, including the Rio Grande cutthroat, the official state fish of New Mexico.

“Senator Keller recognizes the simple and cost-effective benefits of managing beaver in our state for better water production,” said Bryan Bird an ecologist with WildEarth Guardians. “His solution is quite creative and will benefit all water stakeholders.”

Scientific research shows that beavers play a vital role in increasing river and wetland ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change and New Mexico would benefit from a strategic plan for statewide beaver management designed to capture the full watershed benefits of beaver populations and minimize conflicts with other land uses, such as agriculture and the development of transportation infrastructure. The state of Utah recently adopted a statewide beaver management plan developed in a process that involved a wide range of public and private landowners, users and managers.

SM 4 BEAVER POPULATION & MANAGEMENT PLAN

http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislation.aspx?chamber=S&legtype=M&legno=%20%20%204&year=14