October 5th Fundraiser for Salinas River Center : Register Here

September 17th and October 28th, 6:30pm ,Atascadero Library

May 18 2024 Seminar

Bringing Beavers Back to the Morro Bay Watershed?

Saturday, May 18, 2024 10:30am-2:30pm
In-person & on-line seminar
Where: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Baker Science Building
Hosted by: SLO Beaver Brigade and the Morro Bay Open Space Alliance

You’re invited to join us and the Morro Bay Open Space Alliance for an interactive seminar on bringing beavers back to the Morro Bay Watershed. You can attend this event either in person at Cal Poly campus or by viewing virtually (both in-person and virtual registration links coming soon!). Lunch will be provided for those who attend the physical event. The next day, May 19, we will be leading tours out to the beaver habitat on the Salinas River in Atascadero so you can see with your own eyes the habitat that the beavers can create.

Beavers are native to the creeks that flow into Morro Bay, but they were hunted completely out of the area well over 100 years ago. Now, we are seeing the environmental challenges facing Morro Bay such as:

Steelhead trout listed as a threatened species
Sedimentation into the bay
Sea water intrusion
Incised, degraded creeks
Poor water quality in some tributary creeks

And, we at the Beaver Brigade see the potential for beavers to directly address many of these challenges. By their natural action of dam building, here are some of the environmental benefits beavers can bring:
Catch and accrue sediment in creeks, reversing process of erosion

Increase freshwater infiltration into groundwater table
Hold more water in creeks year round
Improve habitat for fish, as well as plants and other animals, thus increasing biodiversity.
Improve water quality by filtering water through their dams
Increase natural carbon sequestration
Improve fire resiliency

So, how do you go about setting the stage for beavers to safely and sustainably return to the watershed?

Especially when the land use and human population has changed so much since the beavers were there? We think the first step is education and public awareness. We’ll have some presentations, as well as time for breakout sessions and interactive discussions. This way, citizens of the watershed and Cal Poly students alike can get an understanding of not only why beavers are important to our watershed health, but also realistic answers on what it looks like to coexist with beavers and how to facilitate restoration projects.

Join us at the Charles Paddock Zoo Party For The Planet for the Unveiling of the Beaver Mural By Chumash Artist John Khus-Zarate. April 20th, 10:30am, 9100 Morro Road, Atascadero.