A study by The Wetlands Conservancy group has confirmed that beavers have been found living in saltwater along the Oregon coast, challenging scientist’s assumptions about where the Beaver State’s namesake can actually thrive.
The study, conducted by ecologists with the nonprofit organization through funds from the Oregon Zoo Foundation, revealed that beavers are using tidal wetlands in Oregon’s Central Coast. Beaver dams and lodges were found when ecologists checked for signs of activity from Yaquina Bay to Salmon River.
“We’ve always thought too much saltwater would kill a beaver, but then we started to see evidence up in Washington of them living on the coast and actually building their dams in tidally influenced areas,” Katie Ryan, executive director of The Wetlands Conservancy, said in a news release from the Oregon Zoo. “That led us to question what’s happening here in Oregon.”
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Scientists believe that beavers’ presence in this region may help to re-establish wetlands in areas that have been drained from agriculture.
“A lot of the tidal wetlands on the coast have been dewatered for agriculture, and for them to function as an ecosystem, they need to have water,” Ryan said. “Beavers are helping to bring the water back to those areas, creating critical habitat for juvenile and adult salmon, and many other species.”
The beaver activity was confirmed through a pilot program established as part of a $40,000 grant from the Oregon Zoo Foundation. Because of the revelation, officials say they plan to expand the program to further study this previously unknown behavior.