Author: rogue-admin

By Zaynab Brown

On Saturday, June 1st, 2024 almost 50 volunteers converged at Pinehurst School in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. This nature-loving group, made up of students, professionals, and retirees aged 19 – 80 years, was there for one purpose: to look for signs of beavers. 

While Oregon might be considered the Beaver State, beavers are conspicuously absent in many of our local waterways, including the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Waterways under beaver management not only create vibrant and healthy habitats for wildlife, but result in improved water quality and quantity, better climate resilience, and wildfire protection for humans. However, as is the case with many broken things, the process of destroying it is often easier than putting it back together. The same can be said for getting beavers back into the Monument. 

Despite the Monument supporting a vibrant beaver population for millennia, rampant trapping for economic gain by European colonists severely decimated their population throughout the American West. As time passed and harvesting beaver pelts no longer provided financial incentive, different pressures moved in to make re-establishment a challenge. These challenges include conflict with humans over agriculture, ornamental landscaping, and infrastructure such as roads, ditches and culverts, as well as water diversion for irrigation and hunting and trapping for sport. 

As with every challenge though, there are people and organizations willing to meet it head-on. One of these organizations in Southern Oregon is Project Beaver, a nonprofit that works to nourish a world where humans partner with beavers for the resilience of our planet. Led by their executive director, Jakob Shockey, Project Beaver with input from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) created the Beaver Management Plan for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. In the plan, a strategy is laid out for attracting and retaining beavers in the landscape through the use of riparian restoration techniques. In order to most effectively focus restoration efforts, it is important to have an accurate baseline for where beavers are (and where they are not) and what they are currently doing. This is where the Friends of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the Beaver Scavenger Hunt came in.

From Pinehurst School, we organized small teams of 3-5 people dispersed to pre-selected sites chosen for historic and present beaver habitat suitability. Armed with data collection tools, they searched approximately 12 miles of waterways through dense vegetation, precarious slopes, and uneven ground. Walking along a riparian corridor is very different from an established trail. While many aspects are more difficult, such as bushwacking and dealing with deep, incised streambeds, the benefits are an unparalleled view of the wildness of the Monument. As Jakob Shockey said “Rarely do grown-ups have an excuse to spend all day playing in the water looking for beaver sticks, let alone 50 of them.”  

Once everyone returned to Pinehurst in the afternoon, tired but refreshed by the beautiful weather and sense of accomplishment, we all gathered around to hear the discoveries that each group made. Building on previous riparian restoration efforts, including the installation of beaver dam analogs, teams reported fresh beaver signs in several key locations. In fact, some teams found so much sign that they were unable to complete their entire route as chewed sticks and stumps emerged from every bend in the creek. While this was not the case with every group, all reported on the beautiful forests and meadows they happened across including impressive old growth trees in some locations as they ventured off the beaten path. 

The data collected was sent to Project Beaver where it is being reviewed and will directly impact future collaborative and process-based restoration to put beavers in charge of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument’s waterways once again. While it was heartening to find fresh sign, there is still a long way to go as the number of beavers in the Monument pales in comparison to what is needed to revive our riparian areas and reap their benefits. There has been recent legislative progress to protect beavers in Oregon, but it is still legal to hunt and trap them within Monument boundaries. The Beaver Scavenger Hunt is just step one in a long-term, collaborative effort to help beavers do what they do best to the benefit of us all. 

While the Beaver Scavenger Hunt was a huge success, that still leaves the question of what is next. We at the Friends are continuing to center the stewardship of our riparian areas as we look toward the future and the implementation of projects to make the Monument a refuge for beavers and all the biodiverse creatures that call it home. We will continue to collaborate with other organizations taking part in process-based restoration projects and carrying out the Beaver Management Plan. Stay tuned for more adventures in the Monument to look for the fruits of our labor –and maybe a chance to play in the water!

By: Zaynab Brown

Mark Twain is famous for saying “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over” and that couldn’t be more true than it is in the present moment, especially in the Western United States. What started during European settlement as a feeling that the vast amount of water in the west could never be depleted has transformed into a point of tension and anxiety. Our need for water increases year after year while climate change simultaneously upends our norms while the Earth grows hotter. Predictably, humans react by trying to bend nature to our needs. In Oregon and California, and around the world for that matter, this manifests itself in epic engineering feats to dam mighty rivers and divert their water to irrigate millions of acres of otherwise dry farmland and to provide drinking water and fill swimming pools in growing suburban enclaves. This trend is also true for the waterways within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

All throughout the Monument you can observe evidence of the “plumbing” so ubiquitous in the west. Various dams and reservoirs –such as Howard Prairie Reservoir, Hyatt Reservoir, Keene Creek Reservoir, and Little Hyatt Reservoir– throw splashes of human-augmented blue over the landscape. While they may provide recreational opportunities, meadows that were once wet grow parched in the summer and streams can no longer support beaver dams with their reduced flows. Now, more than ever, everything comes at a cost.

Most of the water that flows through the creeks and streams of the Monument originates from springs and snow melt. However, much of that water is diverted before it can reach its historic destinations and ends up in the Talent Irrigation District (TID) system that provides irrigation water to a large part of the Rogue Valley to the tune of billions of gallons per year. In fact, water that flows in Keene Creek would naturally flow into the Klamath River watershed. However, a diversion results in that water jumping watersheds into the Rogue River watershed instead. In light of the dam removals underway on the Klamath River, it is unlikely that this diversion will remain uncontested into the future.

On Friday evening, April 26, John Schuyler, a retired forester, gave us a broad view of the history of water policies and infrastructure in the West to inform our understanding of the current situation in Southern Oregon and Northern California. From the Hetch Hetchy reservoir to the Hoover Dam, the theme of human hubris clashing with the reality of water scarcity was found throughout. On Saturday, when a group of participants ventured out into the Monument to see this “plumbing” in person, the irony couldn’t be ignored as we walked along the PCT adjacent to Hyatt Lake. The Monument, designated for its incredible biodiversity and wild character, could not escape the pervasive touch of humans intent on extracting its resources via concrete dams and channels that conveyed cool, clear water into ditches irrigating greener pastures down below. 

By: Zaynab Brown

Every year, the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is delighted to award a number of grants to undergraduate and graduate students and Indigenous Americans for faculty-supervised research projects that enhance the understanding, appreciation, preservation and/or protection of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. These research projects can, and have, taken many forms including in the realms of biology, environmental sciences/education, sociology, arts, humanities, and business. 

An essential component of receiving this grant is the presentation of the students’ research at our annual Monument Research Symposium. This research represents many hours spent in our beautiful Monument gathering data and then countless more analyzing it. To ask our three grant recipients from 2023 to distill all of their findings into a 20 minute presentation is no small feat, but they delivered with flying colors.

Our first presenter, Trevor Holt, is a senior biology major at Southern Oregon University. He worked with his advisor, Dr. Jacob Youngblood, to catalog grasshopper species found in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and pilot a long-term monitoring program. Both of these objectives were designed to better understand grasshopper biodiversity in the Monument in the face of climate change and human development. Monitoring grasshoppers is important because they are a keystone species, the most abundant grassland herbivore, and comprise a diverse biology in many diverse habitats. When it comes to climate change in particular, we learned that grasshoppers can be an important indicator species due to the fact that all of their life stages are dependent on temperature, from hatching to feeding, movement, and population growth. With that in mind, some grasshoppers are more adept and hardy while others, such as the endemic Siskiyou slant-faced grasshopper (Chloealtis aspasma) is more vulnerable to change and to the threat of becoming isolated. With over 2000 individuals collected and identified, Trevor proved what many would have suspected: The Monument is rich in grasshopper biodiversity with over 17 species found in his study!  As the monitoring program continues into the future, Dr. Youngblood and his team hope to monitor at lower elevations and analyze the relationship between populations and weather. 

Our next presenter, Tayla Moore, used her Monument Research Grant to focus on a single grasshopper species, the aforementioned Chloealtis aspasma. Tayla is also a senior biology major at Southern Oregon University who worked with her advisor, Dr. Jacob Youngblood to map the distribution of C. aspasma and uncover its natural history. C. aspasma, as mentioned above, is also called the Siskiyou slant-faced grasshopper. While Chloealtis species are widespread in North America, C. aspasma is endemic to Southern Oregon and potentially Northern California where they are designated as a species of concern by the Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service. They live in open fields and meadows at high elevations and their dispersal is limited by smaller wings and their preference for high elevation, mountainous regions. In total, Tayla was able to visit 26 sites within the Monument and found C. aspasma in ten. Of these ten, five were previously undocumented populations. Unfortunately, observing this elusive grasshopper’s natural history proved to be more difficult and further research will need to be done to uncover more information on its feeding, reproduction, and thermoregulation patterns. 

Finally, our third presenter, Hilary Rose Dawson, a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Oregon, joined us for a second year in a row to explore truffle species found in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Now, most people’s experience with truffles begins and ends in a culinary context, and while there are certainly a handful of culinary truffles found in Oregon, we also learned about the fascinating diversity of non-culinary truffles found just below the surface. These truffles have scents ranging from artificial banana to burnt rubber and serve a variety of essential ecological functions. However, humans aren’t exactly known for their sensitive noses so it was essential for Hilary –aided by her sister, Heather Dawson–to employ a canine friend named Rye. In 2023, they visited almost 30 sites in the Monument and found 57 species across 26 genera, an incredibly diverse range! Of these, 32 were not documented in genetic databases making them potentially undescribed species. Hilary hopes to finish sequencing and finalizing the list of truffle species found in the Monument and ultimately publish a paper on the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument’s truffle diversity and a case study on how truffle dogs can be used in truffle research.

  If you are interested in learning more about these projects, the symposium can be watched in its entirety on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@friendsofthecascade-siskiy4103

With our 2024 Monument Research Symposium a resounding success, we are looking forward to getting to experience the unique projects that students will propose for this coming grant cycle. Applications are now open and information can be found at https://www.cascadesiskiyou.org/programs . The deadline for applications is April 26 at 11:59 PM PST.

By: Zaynab Brown

For most people, when we experience nature we experience it through the lens of a human. This is, of course, to be expected. However, in learning about wildlife tracking, you not only learn to differentiate between a feline and canine paw print but are also invited to see the world from the perspective of an animal. While the animal is absent, you get a snapshot into a moment of his/her life as he/she navigates the world. Maybe you observe that the animal is trotting and ask yourself “why?” or “where?” Why was it that the coyote decided to detour around the ravine and what did he find there? What did the trees look like from his perspective? Needless to say, we can’t know the true answers to these questions but in the process of considering them we may begin to look at the environment around us differently. We may notice things that before had seemed too small or insignificant to grab our attention. Suddenly, the world is much more fascinating.

To begin this fascinating journey into the world of animal tracking, we started in a classroom. Admittedly, this is less exciting than a forest floor or open plain but humans are strange creatures. Our instructor for the Friday lecture and Saturday hike was Nolan Richard, a biology teacher at South Medford High School who currently holds a Level 3 Track and Sign Certificate from Cybertracker International. 

Together, in a group of almost thirty participants, we learned to identify paw prints belonging to cats, such as bobcats and cougars, and dogs such as coyotes and foxes. We examined the subtle differences in the orientation of their pads and the presence of claws. We saw large bear tracks and discussed the differences between elk and deer. We even learned how to use our own hands to determine the left and right orientation of what had initially appeared to be identical images. Together, we examined rubbery casts of prints and attempted to identify the animal who had made them. Some were from our area, such as the skunk, beaver, and mountain lion. Others however, like the massive grizzly bear, we were unlikely to see in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (or in Oregon at all for that matter!)

Armed with this new knowledge, we met on Saturday excited to find some tracks and put our burgeoning skills to the test. Although we quickly learned that when it comes to tracking, some conditions are better than others. In a perfect world there would be powdery snow, not too deep and not too recently fallen. We don’t live in a perfect world however and the snow we had was icy and hard. While this will allow some larger animals to still leave tracks, most animals will simply walk on top of it without leaving a trace. But this didn’t stop us and soon we found coyote tracks snaking through a small meadow and many deer tracks. These prints, while not pristine, could still tell us a story if we looked closely enough. 

An important thing to remember, especially when looking at tracks that lack fine detail, is to consider the environment around you coupled with knowledge about local species. Some species, while abundant at lower elevations –such as a skunk– are much less likely to be found at higher elevations. Or, if you are looking for snowshoe hare tracks, they are much more likely to be found around tree cover than out in the open. 

Finally, it is not only tracks that animals leave behind! There is also a whole world of “animal signs.” Perhaps most well known of the animal signs is scat, or feces. Our group discovered lots of scat when we visited Buck Prairie Two. We learned to differentiate between smaller deer scat and larger, more irregularly shaped elk scat. The scat can also tell you a lot about the diet of the animal that left it. For example, a domestic dog that primarily eats processed food will have scat that is very uniform in texture while that of a similar-sized animal such as a coyote or bobcat will usually contain fur or bones. Our group also found squirrel middens –mounds of discarded douglas fir cone debris, elk rubs, old beaver chews, holes made by a pileated woodpecker, and lots of browse. 

Near the end of our hike, we stumbled upon some of the most detailed tracks yet. Four clear toes with claws and a heel pad were starkly visible and the animal that made them was slowly plodding in a direct-register walk where the back foot directly replaced the front in the same print. Participants were suggesting a large coyote or maybe even a cougar! The answer turned out to be much more mundane. It was a domestic dog. According to Nolan, dog tracks are some of the most common you find, especially if you are at a location that humans frequent. Since domestic dogs range extensively in size and shape, it can be almost impossible to differentiate them from their wild counterparts. This is why, Nolan reminded us, that it is especially important to pay attention to your environment. Are there human boot prints nearby? Is it near a road? In these circumstances, always assume it’s a dog. 

Dog or not, I couldn’t help but imagine the way the animal saw the world as it walked through the peaceful forest and left prints in the crunchy snow. Did he/she also notice the squirrel middens and smell the elk scat, or take note of the way the snow glittered in the afternoon sun? We’ll never know but we can imagine.

By: Zaynab Brown

One of the things I enjoy most about working for the Friends is getting to tell people about the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. As I explain its size (114,000 acres) and its proximity to Ashland, people’s eyes usually widen. We live in a valley surrounded by mountains and wild places, but we often take them for granted. The fact that some of that landscape is so biodiverse that it merited federal designation is even more of a surprising fact to some. While it is possible to describe rare and endemic species, eco regions, and mountain ranges, it’s not the same as getting to see it with your own eyes. So, when words fail me, as they often do, I will direct the curious to a very special video. 

At just over 17 minutes long, it may initially seem short for a documentary. But contained within those minutes is an incredible cinematic and photographic journey of the Monument and the creatures who call it home. Sweeping drone footage is coupled with captivating shots of some of the smallest Monument inhabitants. Combined with insightful narration by Crystal Nichols, the filmmaker, it transports you to another world in our own backyard that is open to all of us to explore responsibly. Therefore, it was an easy decision to base an event called Meet the Monument around Crystal’s film.

At Public Lands, an outdoor recreation and gear store based in Medford with whom we collaborated, a group of around thirty participants gathered on a Thursday evening.The crowd was made up of both Monument lovers and those who had never even heard of it. With snacks and drinks provided by the store, the film was played to a keen audience. Afterwards, Crystal took the stage, so to speak, and among the displays of jackets and ski goggles answered questions about her process of creating the film and the many adventures she had getting those perfect shots. Collette, Executive Director of the FCSNM, then shared a brief presentation on our organization and resources for exploring the Monument and getting involved.

The film itself was partially funded by the Friends Research Fund which awards small grants to university students and indigenous people that enhance the understanding, appreciation, preservation, and/or protection of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Crystal’s film certainly did just that. 

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the 2024 grant cycle of the Friends Research Fund, the application will be opening soon and can be found under the Student Research Grants section of our website.

I served as Artist in Residence in Cascade Siskiyou National Monument during the last week of June, 2023. It was a glorious time, with spring flowers and new growth everywhere, and the weather was pleasant. The strongest impression I had, though, was that everything was green. Overwhelmingly green. 

             I live on Washington’s dry side where the predominate color is desiccated brown. There really aren’t many shades of brown: light brown, medium brown, dark brown, brown in sunlight, brown in shadow. And for most of the year, the occasional touches of green are faded, like the pale green of sagebrush. In contrast, green was not at all reticent at Cascade Siskiyou National Monument in June.

            Cascade Siskiyou has a full palette of greens. “50 Shades of Green” could have been the title for at least one of the paintings! I frequently work en plein air and try to replicate the feeling of a specific place. It’s challenging when everything is green because green comes in such an amazing variety: Pine tree green is not fir tree green; grass green is not moss green; dogwood tree green is not aspen tree green, along with random touches of contrasting burnt orange and russet. Furthermore, green is not easy to reproduce. Yellow plus blue is green, of course, but which yellow (bright cadmium, earthy yellow ochre) and which blue (sky blue cerulean or deep-water ultramarine)? Each combination produces a different range of tones. And any yellow-blue mixture must be moderated with its complement, a red hue, so it looks like it belongs in nature rather than in a coloring book.

            So I spent my time in the Monument painting green in all its glory. I painted the variety of greens in the forest and in the reflections in Hyatt Lake, and I painted the delicate soft pale green of mullein and the chartreuse green of moss on a fence. There were more greens, lots more, reflecting the variety of plants and ecosystems in the Monument. I suppose the overwhelming green was, in part, a seasonal condition and that summer, fall, and winter would bring a different set of colors. And that will be a challenge for another Artist in Residence!

Words and paintings by Leslie Ann Hauer

The 2023 Monument Days with The Crest’s Nature Day Camp have recently concluded an unforgettable season. The program spanned seven weeks and served about 150 students aged 5 to 12. These days provided the perfect backdrop for young explorers to forge connections with nature, engage in captivating discussions, and cultivate collaborative skills. Participants were not only immersed in the beauty of the outdoors but also had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the environment through hands-on activities and educational sessions. The diverse range of age groups allowed for the exchange of unique perspectives. 

This program holds immense value as it enables children to spend more time in nature, fostering a lifelong appreciation for the world around them. The increased duration spent amidst natural surroundings has been correlated with enhanced physical and mental well-being, the nurturing of curiosity, and the fortification of critical thinking skills. As the children hiked through trails, observed local wildlife, and participated in interactive workshops, it helped them develop a sense of interconnectedness with the ecosystem while learning information that will be highly relevant to their futures.

Looking forward, we are eagerly anticipating an ongoing collaboration with The Crest, envisioning further growth and refinement to the program. Our goal is to continue inspiring and nurturing the next generation of nature enthusiasts and environmental stewards.

By Meaghen O’Rourke

Last weekend, our adventure led us through the awe-inspiring landscape of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. We set out to hike to peaceful Little Hyatt Reservoir, following a section of the iconic PCT. The journey began in a dense and secluded forest, where nature enveloped us in its beauty. As we ventured further along the trail, the trees gradually gave way to rays of sunlight cascading down to the forest floor.

Approaching the trail’s end, the pleasant sound of rushing water reached our ears, beckoning us closer even before it came into view. Emerging from the forest’s embrace, we encountered a gravel road that led us towards an intriguing sight – a weathered and time-worn dark barrier. Atop this barrier, crystal clear water flowed gracefully, sparkling as it descended into the tranquil flow of Keene Creek.

Little Hyatt Reservoir, the destination of our hike, holds a place in the region’s history of water rights and natural resource usage. As we gathered together, I transported the group back in time, sharing the history of the early 1900s and mid-1920s when irrigation districts in the area completed several water diversion and delivery systems. The complexity of water resources is evident in the presence of transbasin usage throughout this region. In 1923, the construction of Hyatt Reservoir in the Klamath Basin was completed, with the purpose of transferring water to users in the Rogue River Basin. Subsequently, Little Hyatt Reservoir became another addition to the system at a later time.

In 2003, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) applied for water rights to Little Hyatt Reservoir, and by 2010, they had secured a recreational, aesthetic, and wildlife water right. As we discussed the acquisition of water rights, we examined the dam, observing large cracks spanning its length. Concerns had surfaced during a 1999 structural review about the dam’s stability, as it relied on the support of a deteriorating concrete canal. The KPFF Consulting Engineers recommended repairs to prevent potential dam failure.

A subsequent 2007 assessment confirmed the dam’s precarious state, mirroring the 1999 report’s findings. By 2010, the BLM made the decision to buttress the dam as the primary option, with a contingency plan of partially removing the dam by lowering it to about 6 feet. However, the implementation of repair options depended on securing the necessary funds.

Taking a moment to absorb all this information and gaze at the old structure, we stood in contemplation. The reservoir had transformed into a captivating case study, showcasing the intricate complexities of water rights and usage. Yet, there was more to explore. To gain a vantage point above the dam, we had to navigate over old concrete slabs and clamber up a small rock face, a challenging endeavor. Undeterred, the adventurous group bravely embraced the task, and our efforts were richly rewarded with a breathtaking view of the reservoir from above.

Sitting amidst the serene beauty of the water and the lush forested surroundings, the day exuded tranquility. Reflecting on the reservoir’s history and contemplating its future added an extra layer of meaning to the experience, making it all the more gratifying. Our hike to Little Hyatt Reservoir was both relaxing and informative as we examined the intricate relationship between the natural world and human needs.

As a resident of Oregon, I had always taken beavers for granted. Oregon is the “Beaver State” after all. I thought they were like elk or black bears, present in the Monument but secretive. So it was to my surprise when, at the Beavers in the Monument Friday Night Talk, I learned that there are only two known populations in the entire 114,000 acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. This fact on its own is shocking. However, as Jakob Shockey, Executive Director of Project Beaver and leader of July’s Hike and Learn, explained their historic prevalence on the landscape, their absence became even more disquieting. 

Beavers were once the engineers of much of our landscapes in the Northern Hemisphere. They dammed streams and rivers to create wetlands areas where they were protected from predators and their foods of choice (willow, aquatic plants, etc.) grew abundantly. But it wasn’t only the beavers benefitting. Through thousands of years of coevolution, entire ecosystems grew reliant on these riparian areas. Yet that all changed with the arrival of the European colonists to North America. It didn’t take long for economic demand for beaver pelts to result in unmitigated trapping and removal of them from the environment. 

Over time, without their stalwart creators maintaining them, those precious wetlands began to drain and shrink. No longer was water being spread across meadows by beaver dams. Instead, it began carving a path through the ground as it raced toward the ocean. These are the incised streams we are used to seeing today. 

It is not a mystery that healthy riparian habitat is crucial to water quality and ecosystem resiliency. Every year, millions of dollars are poured into improving this habitat through human intervention. Jakob, however, pointed out an obvious strategy that is often overlooked: Reestablishing beavers. Not only do beavers work for free, they also do a better job at it than people ever could. While a person might check on a restoration site a couple times a year after completion, the beaver is out every single day caulking holes, digging canals, and moving vegetation. Juvenile fish find protection in their wetlands and adults are not stymied by their dams. As the saying goes “Beavers taught salmon to jump!” 

While reintroducing beavers might seem like a perfect solution, humans have long had a complicated relationship with these aquatic mammals, one that has been fraught with misunderstandings. It seemed that every person in attendance on Friday had a question or myth about beavers that they wanted debunked. In fact, the law itself in Oregon perpetuated one of these myths by categorizing beavers as predators until only recently with the passage of Representative Pam Marsh’s Beaver Believer Bill. The new law, once signed by Governor Kotek, will categorize them as furbearers, with the same protection as racoons or foxes. 

After stressing the importance of beavers and their precarious position, Jakob introduced Project Beaver’s new partnership with the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Working with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and area ecologists, Project Beaver mapped the waterways of the Monument and determined areas of “high intrinsic potential habitat” for beavers. This is where the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and volunteers come in. At the end of the Friday lecture, after we were all fully convinced of the essential function of beavers, Jakob introduced a new initiative to survey and monitor the waterways using citizen science. 

On Saturday morning, a group of enthusiastic volunteers came armed with two new apps: Avenza (with a map of potential beaver habitat) and ArcGIS Survey123. Once we were done with the obligatory tech support, we took a convoy up to Friedenberg Springs. Friedenberg Springs is a special area in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument where Jenny Creek flows through what was a historic beaver meadow. It is also the site of many Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) installed last fall by Project Beaver and the BLM. Our expedition that day had two goals: To learn how to collect and report data using the Survey123 form and to check on the potential presence of beavers. 

As we waded down into the creek –blissfully cool on that hot July day– we stood amongst the willows as Jakob showed us how to identify beaver sticks. What for many people would look like an unassuming stick resting on the creek bed took on new meaning as we noticed the scraped lines of a beaver’s teeth on the ends and the patches of stripped bark and cambium. There was noticeable excitement amongst the group as we realized we may be in the vicinity of these elusive rodents. 

Splitting up into small groups, we journeyed down the creek. Along our way we used loppers and hand pruners to cut down willows and plant their stakes along the bank so they could propagate and provide further food and habitat. Like finding easter eggs, we exclaimed in delight as beaver sticks were found and logged in the app. The ultimate goal, however, was to find the beaver dam that Jakob had spoken about where he had confirmed beaver activity a couple months before. We had some false starts as we mistakenly identified BDAs as actual dams. But soon the density of the beaver sticks began to increase and chutes and canals became visible along the bank. We knew we were close. Then, we saw it. 

Unlike the previous BDAs, this dam was covered in plant matter, additional sticks, and caulked with mud and rocks. Since the dam was originally a BDA the beavers had improved upon, you could still see the posts sticking out along the top. However, the joy was short lived as Jakob informed us that the dam was no longer being maintained since he had last been there. The beavers were gone. It is possible that the beavers simply went on a “summer vacation,” an observed phenomenon where beavers will explore other waterways during the summer months, perhaps looking for a different site to settle down. Yet a more ominous possibility hung over us; That they had been trapped. 

There are no rules against trapping in the Monument, and if a person does trap a beaver they do not have to report that they did. The beaver simply disappears. This poses a serious challenge to bringing them back into the landscape. 

While this disappointment hung heavy in the hearts of all the staff and volunteers, it also brought a sense of urgency and enthusiasm. What other beaver populations might exist within the Monument that we don’t know about? With better monitoring, we might be able to get a more accurate idea of where beavers are moving and why. Even as we sat down for lunch after removing our wet shoes, the air was thick with questions. The waterways highlighted in neon green on the map were both a mystery and cautious reassurance. We couldn’t wait to get back out there. 

Please stay tuned for volunteer opportunities for beaver monitoring and riparian restoration within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. We will be announcing further dates on our website and through our newsletter.