You have inspired me. I am purchasing an 80 acre parcel of land soon. It was once wetland and had been turned into farmers feilds. It is my goal to start turning it back and reintroducing plant species that used to be there. It will be a big job but it is now my lifes goal. I am so excited to start. Thank you for showing how change is not only possible but something everyone can be a part of.
Hey man, I read your comment and wanted to recommend a channel I've been following who has done more or less exactly that on a little plot of land in Canada. The channels name is Stefano Ianiro (I will probably have to come back to change the spelling 😅). If you want some ideas on what to do and how you could do it, I'm sure you'll find some inspiration there
It's so cool to know that mossy earth has inspired you to take action and be an agent of change! And it's true, everyone can be a part of this change, and sometimes the best place to start is our own backyard. Good luck on transforming your new land! You can always shoot us an email if you have a question or need some advise. Good luck🤞🏼 Cheers, Flora
This part of Colorado is my lifelong home. I was born here as 3rd gen and grew up playing in the waters of the Poudre and Thompson. Thank you for doing this work and supporting CPRW in their goals. It is also worth mentioning that another threat to the Poudre river watershed, and by far the biggest, most controversial and exceptionally costly is the disastrous NISP Glade Reservoir project railroaded through by misguided and corrupt officials for the interest of thinly veiled private monetary interests and control over public owned resources. A perfect example of greenwashing with claims not based in data, science and in fact in complete and direct opposition of.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and connection to this beautiful region! It's so great to have locals supporting this project, and it's clear how much you care about the Poudre River watershed and its future.Thank you for voicing these concerns. Sadly this story happens way too often, where monetary interest is far greater than any other. Luckily there are people and groups, like the CPRW, that keep fighting for nature! Cheers, Flora
This makes me so happy! I am born and raised in Colorado and have seen these issues grow over the last 20 years! Thank you guys so much for helping our beautiful ecosystems!
This is wonderful, and getting direct feedback from someone in the community that will directly benefit from this work is so heartwarming! Cheers, Flora
me too. Really glad to see this work getting done. There is a similar thing going on up near Breckenridge... basically simulating beaver activity. Would love to see beavers reintroduced to areas in CO, but this is a good start and if successful, it will probably get peoples' attention.
That's super exiting! There will be some citizen involvement along the way, so if you like, you could even participate. I suggest you follow the CPRW to keep a closer eye on what the are doing and where you could lend a helping hand :) Cheers, Flora
Thank you Mossy Earth & partners on this project! Kudos to all! Sure would be awesome if some of those Beaver analogs could turn into actual Beaver dams!
This is very exciting. I’d love to see Mossy working in the Appalachian Coalfields with rewilding. The population is decreasing, the land degraded by industry, and needs a lot of help restoring appropriate disturbance regimes and promoting species reintroductions like elk, fishers (like a big mink), and the American chestnut.
Thanks so much for the nice words and for supporting us, it really means a lot to us, and we could do none of this without our incredible members! Cheers, Flora
We've just recently started this project, and for the next few months nothing will be happening. But next spring CPRW will go back to plant riparian vegetation and trees alongside the margins of the river, and will also be installing more structures in other streams. We'll for sure post more about this project then! Cheers, Flora
Thank you so much for doing this work! This is my hometown backyard and I deeply appreciate the intention and effort you are putting into restoring our fire effected upper portions. Hopefully the beavers will work off of what you guys have started soon!
Exciting to see you working in the US! hopefully with some work, beavers can be reintroduced to the area. I know there have been some successful beaver reintroductions here in California. I'm sure you guys are looking at a LOT, but with the subject of riparian restoration on my mind, I would say to check out whats been going on with the Klamath river
Thanks for the tips! We are actually not planning on reintroducing beavers, and are more on hoping they move in from close by streams where we know they exist. If this doesn't work, perhaps we will consider this at a later stage. Cheers, Flora
I am grateful there are some youth that are leading the way in restoring fundamental functions that life flows from. Seems the usual suspects won't change and we will suffer their stupidity a while longer, so your efforts are vital and appreciated.
Nice footage! Our research group at CSU is studying how these newly added features in the Poudre impact the microbiome in the river channel and adjacent floodplain sediments, and the associated biogeochemical processes they perform (methane cycling, denitrification etc...)
That is so cool! Super happy to see someone from CSU that is working on the project here in the comment section. Can't wait to see the results from these studies you're conducting :) Cheers, Flora
There will be some citizen science involvement further down the line, to help the CPRW collect data and monitor the success of the project. Perhaps you could contact the CPRW to get involved! Cheers, Flora
You can have a read through the project page on our website, and if you still have questions you can just ask us :) We're always happy to reply when we have the time! Cheers, Flora
I didn't realize the Poudre was in trouble. I knew the High Park Fire had made for poor runoff, but thought the 2013 flood had cleaned the river pretty well. I guess Cameron Peak took it back down again.
Love to see these structures in place to slow dow the spring runoff, allowing it time to soak into the aquifer, and collect sediments so its no longer a barren gravel stream bed.
Yes, there will be some citizen science happening later on in the project. Contacting the CPRW is the way to go if you want to get involved! Cheers, Flora
We are not actually planning to re-introduce beavers. We are restoring the habitat, installing the structures to help the river flow more naturally and connect to the floodplain. We will also do revegetation, to further help the riverine conditions recover. But since there are some beaver populations in near by streams, we hope that by recovering the habitat and creating better conditions, they will eventually move in to the streams we are working in. I hope this helps clarify our long-term vision for the area :) Cheers, Flora
Give me a broad, braided river over a straight, narrow channel any day of the week. Rivers run at their own ungoverned pace; they don't need to race out to sea.
I actually know of an area in a gravel mine where there are beavers living and will be displaced in coming years when construction continues, i'd love to help catch and relocate these beavers to the site as they will likely die otherwise!
That's terrible! Could you contact the CPRW with this information? As they are on the ground, they might be of more help than us. With this project we are hoping that the beavers move in from close by streams where they still exist - but if there is a population that will soon be displaced, perhaps it would make sense to find them a new home! Thanks so much! - Flora
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes I’m sure you will release this in a coming video, but I contacted them and they informed me that they already have beavers moving into the area! It’s unfortunate for the beavers I located but great for the overall project. I asked them to keep my offer in mind for coming projects or simply other areas in need!
As a Colorado native (75+ years) and outdoors enthusiast, I built a home in the foothills of northern Colorado, a distance from these watersheds and projects. The efforts to create pseudo-beaver dams and riparian habitat is wonderful conservation. Applause and thank you. However, the introductory narrative of how the area and Poudre River drainage became “degraded” seems more fiction than true. If Federal and State grazing leases cause so much damage, why are permitted? Changes in global weather patterns (drought) seems the dominant factor. Since the second half of the 20th century, uncontrollable waves of various pine beetle infestations have devastated the forests making them ripe for fire. With these fires, wildlife, even birds, moved north and west to unaffected areas.
Livestock with unrestricted access to the river can be damaging, but restricted access can heal the landscape. The wolves of Yellowstone have shown that keeping grazing animals moving daily on to different ground is the key. Keeping the animals away until the land can rest, then bringing the animals back for a day or less is the best.
When you were showing the initial footage, I was thinking how good this river looks compared to many rivers in the US, particularly in the rust belt areas of the eastern US. I’m amazed this needs attention and funding compared to rivers that are in tough shape.
It seems there are a lot of rivers in need of restoration, sadly we cannot help all of them. Hopefully this kind of project will inspire more river restoration work across the US! Cheers, Flora
There are, for example, Greenback Cutthroat Trout in this area. However, these trout are native fish that co-evolved with beaver activity and can navigate the dams, particularly during high-flow periods when they migrate to spawn. Beaver dams also help to create diverse aquatic habitats, which often benefit native fish populations overall. Therefore, the structures should not block fish movement or harm these species in any way. I hope this helps :) Cheers, Flora
I have a question about fish passing. How is the design of the “Biber”dams for the Fish? Is bigger fish living there or native? How you manage that? Thanks for your work 🫶
While I admire this project, it would seem that the better option would be simply to reintroduce beavers to the area. They are nature's experts at developing the river flow for maximum sustainability.
Yes that's true, but the habitat is so degraded that it currently could not support any beavers. By doing these interventions and revegetating the margins of the river, we aim to get the ecosystem to a point where beavers could return and stay to do all this work. This will take time, of course, but the return of the beaver is the long term goal of this project. Cheers, Flora
Parabéns pelo projeto de retenção de água. O único problema que eu vejo é a falta de plantio de árvores frutíferas próximo ao rio. A água vai ajudar a dispersar as sementes das frutas em lugares em que o homem não tenha chegado.
Na próxima primavera vamos voltar ao mesmo troço do rio para plantar árvores e vegetação nativa, para ajudar a estabilizar as margens, e faremos o mesmo nos outros sítios onde vamos instalar as estruturas! - Flora
Doesn't this kind of dam prevent the fish to travel freely along the river ? Maybe there is no fish, but I doubt it... What is the purpose of the dams, to overflow the flat land around ? What is the "repairing part", for what kind of damage ? You spoke about chemicals, about farm animals coming to drink, maybe it's part of other actions, but the information wasn't super clear to me...
This seems to be a misconception, as these structures don't create an impediment for the movement of fish. There are species in this river, such as the Greenback Cutthroat trout, which have co-evolved alongside beavers, and are adapted to these natural barriers. What we are trying to "fix" here, is the way the river flows, as the removal of beavers in the area has caused a lot of issues. The beaver damns helps retain sediment, slow down the flow of the river, create spawning habitats for fish, support aquatic invertebrates and insects, they also connect the river to it's natural floodplain... the list goes on. Besides this, recent fires have burned a very large area and destroyed a lot of habitat. Trees and riparian vegetation are an important part of stabilising the river banks and regulating water temperature, this is why we are also planning on doing revegetation alongside the river next year. I hope this helps, and you can always check out the project page and website to learn more, we have all this information available and explain the theory of change for these interventions! Cheers, Flora
Yes, these structures allow fish migration. There are some local fish here (like the Greenback Cutthroat trout), but they co-evolved with beavers, and these natural barriers are not an issue for their movements. Cheers, Flora
after huricane Helene 6 states are effected with deforestation and river and streams and lakes have been poisoned and devastated,along with land slides.
@MossyEarth-FieldNotes oh, no, I'm just in the next state over, for America that's not a very long drive and my car runs mostly on alcohol so at least I wouldn't be burning straight fossil fuels
Why couldn't you use actual beavers to repair the habitat? There's a guy on TH-cam that's constantly having to remove dams in culverts from beaver activity in logging forests called post10
The habitat is currently so degraded that it can't support beavers. We are trying to restore the habitat to a point where eventually beavers can move back in and start building their own damns and maintaining ecological integrity of the river. Cheers, Flora
Apologies if I am missing something, and I probably do, since I'm sure each project has more research into it than what you could possibly fit in a 5' video, but I don't see the point of these kinds of interventions. Creating these artificial damns requires not only active human involvement, but intensive repair and maintenance work for as long as we intend to keep them. And at the end of the day it's not fixing the underlying issues with the river, which might be the conflicts with the beavers or the land use around it, but just merely fixing one of the symptoms. These project seems like it will only change things for as long as you are able to pump money into it, and as soon as that stops the situation will return to it's previous, degraded state. It doesn't feel like the most efficient and impactful use of the resources that you aim to achieve. And I repeat that I might be wrong. This is just my humble opinion with the information that I have. You generally make an amazing job and I'm very happy being a member. But I thought it could be useful to mention this, because at the very least, you might be able to explain why I'm wrong and what I have failed to consider.
The idea is to put in temporary dams, which will enable water to collect and provide a fertile habitat for riparian planting of trees like willows. The willows themselves help to stabilise the banks of the streams and their branches and leaves enrich the water and create debris piles, which create riffles, which alter the stream flow, and also get caught in the dams. Once willow are established, they provide food for beavers and once beavers can set up shop, they will build their own, far superior dams and continue the work that the coalition has started. All this is necessary because human beings have degraded the river so badly, and exterminated the local beaver population. No doubt in time, with responisble stewardship, the river might self restore, but we don't have much time to undo so much of the harm we have already done, so we are essentially kick-starting the natural processes.
@anniehill9909 well, the impact might not seem as obvious and long lasting as with some of your other projects, but I am sure you have looked into the literature and the scientific evidence is there. I appreciate the time you took to respond me. Thank you
I just saw this comment, and also saw that Annie has already responded and her explanation is completely on point, really nicely explained! Thank you Annie 🙏🏼 But that's it, this ecosystem is so degraded at the moment that without any intervention, it would only stay the same or even keep getting worse. What we are essentially doing is trying to help the river and riparian habitat ecosystems recover, so that they can start supporting more life again. And since there are beavers in close by streams, we hope that by improving conditions in these streams, they will eventually move in. Once that happens, our work is done, and we just let them do their thing as keystone species. It will take some time, of course, but the CPRW are on the ground, and after all structures are installed, they will continue out in the field monitoring and collecting data on how things improve post interventions. Perhaps you can check out the project page and read the management plan for this project, where it's all explained from beginning to end. I really hope this helps clarifying the ideia behind these interventions, and feel free to reach out anytime you have questions. Thank you so much for being a member and supporting us, non of this would be possible without you! Cheers, Flora
Currently the ecosystem is so degraded, that introducing beavers would't do much, as they would not stick around for long. The river is not in a good state, they have no shelter and no available food, so this would be pointless. What we're doing by adding these structures is helping the river regain its more naturalised flow, and later in spring, we will go back and plant riparian vegetation and native trees (like aspen and cottonwood). In some time, this landscape will hopefully look much healthier, and also be able to support wildlife again, such as the beavers. Ultimately, that's the goal! But of course this will take time. I hope this has clarified the project a bit, a gives you a bit more faith in our work. Cheers, Flora
You have inspired me. I am purchasing an 80 acre parcel of land soon. It was once wetland and had been turned into farmers feilds. It is my goal to start turning it back and reintroducing plant species that used to be there. It will be a big job but it is now my lifes goal. I am so excited to start. Thank you for showing how change is not only possible but something everyone can be a part of.
It’s people like you who make a change, hope I can do something similar once I earn some money!
I wish I could do this but I'm super broke so I just sow seeds where I can lol
Hey man, I read your comment and wanted to recommend a channel I've been following who has done more or less exactly that on a little plot of land in Canada. The channels name is Stefano Ianiro (I will probably have to come back to change the spelling 😅). If you want some ideas on what to do and how you could do it, I'm sure you'll find some inspiration there
It's so cool to know that mossy earth has inspired you to take action and be an agent of change! And it's true, everyone can be a part of this change, and sometimes the best place to start is our own backyard. Good luck on transforming your new land! You can always shoot us an email if you have a question or need some advise. Good luck🤞🏼
Cheers, Flora
Weird to have so claiming to be hamish on youtube...
This part of Colorado is my lifelong home. I was born here as 3rd gen and grew up playing in the waters of the Poudre and Thompson. Thank you for doing this work and supporting CPRW in their goals.
It is also worth mentioning that another threat to the Poudre river watershed, and by far the biggest, most controversial and exceptionally costly is the disastrous NISP Glade Reservoir project railroaded through by misguided and corrupt officials for the interest of thinly veiled private monetary interests and control over public owned resources. A perfect example of greenwashing with claims not based in data, science and in fact in complete and direct opposition of.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and connection to this beautiful region! It's so great to have locals supporting this project, and it's clear how much you care about the Poudre River watershed and its future.Thank you for voicing these concerns. Sadly this story happens way too often, where monetary interest is far greater than any other. Luckily there are people and groups, like the CPRW, that keep fighting for nature! Cheers, Flora
Very excited to see a project in the US finally. Thank you! Checkout the restoration of the Klamath River :)
This makes me so happy! I am born and raised in Colorado and have seen these issues grow over the last 20 years! Thank you guys so much for helping our beautiful ecosystems!
This is wonderful, and getting direct feedback from someone in the community that will directly benefit from this work is so heartwarming! Cheers, Flora
me too. Really glad to see this work getting done. There is a similar thing going on up near Breckenridge... basically simulating beaver activity. Would love to see beavers reintroduced to areas in CO, but this is a good start and if successful, it will probably get peoples' attention.
So cool! I'm a Coloradan and I've been watching your videos across the world and never thought I would see one in my own backyard.
That's super exiting! There will be some citizen involvement along the way, so if you like, you could even participate. I suggest you follow the CPRW to keep a closer eye on what the are doing and where you could lend a helping hand :) Cheers, Flora
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes Awesome! Thanks for the response, Flora. I will totally give CPRW a follow and see if I can plug in : )
Thank you so much for doing not only the work through collaboration but also sharing it!
My home river, where I learned to kayak! Does my heart glad. Keep up the great work!
This is in my backyard!!! I am a grad student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, just downstream of this watershed
Well that's perfect, because if you like, this means you can participate later on in the project as a citizen scientist! Cheers, Flora
Awesome to see some projects in the US. We have so many opportunities which is sad but great that you're here!
Thank you Mossy Earth & partners on this project! Kudos to all! Sure would be awesome if some of those Beaver analogs could turn into actual Beaver dams!
Let's hope that the natural dam makers will soon be returning and be able to go about their lives in peace and without harrassment from people.
This is very exciting. I’d love to see Mossy working in the Appalachian Coalfields with rewilding. The population is decreasing, the land degraded by industry, and needs a lot of help restoring appropriate disturbance regimes and promoting species reintroductions like elk, fishers (like a big mink), and the American chestnut.
This is my dream job, I love building dams on small creeks and rivers haha.
Keep up you effort, you guys are awesome and thanks for what you do!
Thanks so much for the nice words and for supporting us, it really means a lot to us, and we could do none of this without our incredible members! Cheers, Flora
Please post more about this! I love to see all of the work and details!
We've just recently started this project, and for the next few months nothing will be happening. But next spring CPRW will go back to plant riparian vegetation and trees alongside the margins of the river, and will also be installing more structures in other streams. We'll for sure post more about this project then! Cheers, Flora
This is so exciting! Right in my backyard!
This is a wonderful project! Heal and restore our rivers!
Beavers 🦫 for the win
🦫
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes🦫
Thank you so much for doing this work! This is my hometown backyard and I deeply appreciate the intention and effort you are putting into restoring our fire effected upper portions. Hopefully the beavers will work off of what you guys have started soon!
I’m so happy to see a project in my home country the US. It’s been a long time since you’ve done anything here. No judgement.
We're really exited with this project too! Thanks for the support! Cheers, Flora
I'm so excited that Mossy Earth is in the US now!
Exciting to see you working in the US! hopefully with some work, beavers can be reintroduced to the area. I know there have been some successful beaver reintroductions here in California. I'm sure you guys are looking at a LOT, but with the subject of riparian restoration on my mind, I would say to check out whats been going on with the Klamath river
Thanks for the tips! We are actually not planning on reintroducing beavers, and are more on hoping they move in from close by streams where we know they exist. If this doesn't work, perhaps we will consider this at a later stage.
Cheers, Flora
This is wonderful! Thank you for doing the work that you do.
I am grateful there are some youth that are leading the way in restoring fundamental functions that life flows from. Seems the usual suspects won't change and we will suffer their stupidity a while longer, so your efforts are vital and appreciated.
Nice footage! Our research group at CSU is studying how these newly added features in the Poudre impact the microbiome in the river channel and adjacent floodplain sediments, and the associated biogeochemical processes they perform (methane cycling, denitrification etc...)
That is so cool! Super happy to see someone from CSU that is working on the project here in the comment section. Can't wait to see the results from these studies you're conducting :) Cheers, Flora
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes Yes, it's going to be a really exciting project. Good luck with the rest of the installations!
This is really exciting to see Mossy Earth in my home state! Maybe I can help out with the project so close to home.
There will be some citizen science involvement further down the line, to help the CPRW collect data and monitor the success of the project. Perhaps you could contact the CPRW to get involved!
Cheers, Flora
@MossyEarth-FieldNotes thanks Flora! I'll look into that.
Yay! The best natural restoration channel 2nd account (?) posted!!! This project is really well thought. I have so many questions!
You can have a read through the project page on our website, and if you still have questions you can just ask us :) We're always happy to reply when we have the time! Cheers, Flora
I can't wait to see what it will look like in the Spring!
That makes two of us! ^^ - Flora
I didn't realize the Poudre was in trouble. I knew the High Park Fire had made for poor runoff, but thought the 2013 flood had cleaned the river pretty well. I guess Cameron Peak took it back down again.
This is the best project you guys have done yet restoring a watershed can transform an area. Please do some projects in Ohio!
wooo, awesome
Love to see these structures in place to slow dow the spring runoff, allowing it time to soak into the aquifer, and collect sediments so its no longer a barren gravel stream bed.
Absolut sehenswert und informativ. Greetings from Germany.
that's some amazing colour coordination
love seeing these projects get done, thanks for helping!
Gosh this channel is so cool
Are you guys taking volunteers for this project?
Probably better to contact the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed directly.
Yes, there will be some citizen science happening later on in the project. Contacting the CPRW is the way to go if you want to get involved! Cheers, Flora
Omg yes! Excited to see yall in the US! Welcome! This is so exciting!
Amazing guys!
Super cool to see something from this project
Is there reintroduction of beavers planned yet or are they hoping to get the river healthier and the native trees more established first?
That is the burning question isn't it? Perhaps next fall (autumn) when the transplanted willows are coming up nicely?
We are not actually planning to re-introduce beavers. We are restoring the habitat, installing the structures to help the river flow more naturally and connect to the floodplain. We will also do revegetation, to further help the riverine conditions recover. But since there are some beaver populations in near by streams, we hope that by recovering the habitat and creating better conditions, they will eventually move in to the streams we are working in. I hope this helps clarify our long-term vision for the area :) Cheers, Flora
Can't wait to see how this project turns out. So cool to have Mossy Earth right here in Colorado.
This is seriously so wonderful ❤❤❤
Good luck!
Give me a broad, braided river over a straight, narrow channel any day of the week. Rivers run at their own ungoverned pace; they don't need to race out to sea.
Wow that is amazing
I have heard good things about CPW
I also have to recommend a collaboration with Dustups in Texas
I love you guys
I hate autocorrect
I actually know of an area in a gravel mine where there are beavers living and will be displaced in coming years when construction continues, i'd love to help catch and relocate these beavers to the site as they will likely die otherwise!
That's terrible! Could you contact the CPRW with this information? As they are on the ground, they might be of more help than us. With this project we are hoping that the beavers move in from close by streams where they still exist - but if there is a population that will soon be displaced, perhaps it would make sense to find them a new home!
Thanks so much! - Flora
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotesAbsolutely I will reach out to them! Thank you!
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes I’m sure you will release this in a coming video, but I contacted them and they informed me that they already have beavers moving into the area! It’s unfortunate for the beavers I located but great for the overall project. I asked them to keep my offer in mind for coming projects or simply other areas in need!
As a Colorado native (75+ years) and outdoors enthusiast, I built a home in the foothills of northern Colorado, a distance from these watersheds and projects. The efforts to create pseudo-beaver dams and riparian habitat is wonderful conservation. Applause and thank you. However, the introductory narrative of how the area and Poudre River drainage became “degraded” seems more fiction than true. If Federal and State grazing leases cause so much damage, why are permitted? Changes in global weather patterns (drought) seems the dominant factor. Since the second half of the 20th century, uncontrollable waves of various pine beetle infestations have devastated the forests making them ripe for fire. With these fires, wildlife, even birds, moved north and west to unaffected areas.
Livestock with unrestricted access to the river can be damaging, but restricted access can heal the landscape. The wolves of Yellowstone have shown that keeping grazing animals moving daily on to different ground is the key. Keeping the animals away until the land can rest, then bringing the animals back for a day or less is the best.
I live in colorado, this is awesome news!!
yea a project in my home state awesome you guys are great
When you were showing the initial footage, I was thinking how good this river looks compared to many rivers in the US, particularly in the rust belt areas of the eastern US. I’m amazed this needs attention and funding compared to rivers that are in tough shape.
It seems there are a lot of rivers in need of restoration, sadly we cannot help all of them. Hopefully this kind of project will inspire more river restoration work across the US! Cheers, Flora
Beaver have been spotted moving into the area!
Have they really? 👀
Wow you're right in my backyard
Will the structures block running finish in this area? Are there trout and salmon here? Thanks
There are, for example, Greenback Cutthroat Trout in this area. However, these trout are native fish that co-evolved with beaver activity and can navigate the dams, particularly during high-flow periods when they migrate to spawn. Beaver dams also help to create diverse aquatic habitats, which often benefit native fish populations overall. Therefore, the structures should not block fish movement or harm these species in any way. I hope this helps :) Cheers, Flora
Hope some beebers move in!
nice
is it not cheaper to release beavers ?
Awesome ❤
I have a question about fish passing. How is the design of the “Biber”dams for the Fish? Is bigger fish living there or native?
How you manage that?
Thanks for your work 🫶
did you get a grant for the beaver dam analogues?
While I admire this project, it would seem that the better option would be simply to reintroduce beavers to the area. They are nature's experts at developing the river flow for maximum sustainability.
Yes that's true, but the habitat is so degraded that it currently could not support any beavers. By doing these interventions and revegetating the margins of the river, we aim to get the ecosystem to a point where beavers could return and stay to do all this work. This will take time, of course, but the return of the beaver is the long term goal of this project. Cheers, Flora
Parabéns pelo projeto de retenção de água. O único problema que eu vejo é a falta de plantio de árvores frutíferas próximo ao rio. A água vai ajudar a dispersar as sementes das frutas em lugares em que o homem não tenha chegado.
Na próxima primavera vamos voltar ao mesmo troço do rio para plantar árvores e vegetação nativa, para ajudar a estabilizar as margens, e faremos o mesmo nos outros sítios onde vamos instalar as estruturas! - Flora
👍
Come to NW OHIO work in our oak Savannah
Doesn't this kind of dam prevent the fish to travel freely along the river ? Maybe there is no fish, but I doubt it...
What is the purpose of the dams, to overflow the flat land around ? What is the "repairing part", for what kind of damage ?
You spoke about chemicals, about farm animals coming to drink, maybe it's part of other actions, but the information wasn't super clear to me...
This seems to be a misconception, as these structures don't create an impediment for the movement of fish. There are species in this river, such as the Greenback Cutthroat trout, which have co-evolved alongside beavers, and are adapted to these natural barriers.
What we are trying to "fix" here, is the way the river flows, as the removal of beavers in the area has caused a lot of issues. The beaver damns helps retain sediment, slow down the flow of the river, create spawning habitats for fish, support aquatic invertebrates and insects, they also connect the river to it's natural floodplain... the list goes on. Besides this, recent fires have burned a very large area and destroyed a lot of habitat. Trees and riparian vegetation are an important part of stabilising the river banks and regulating water temperature, this is why we are also planning on doing revegetation alongside the river next year. I hope this helps, and you can always check out the project page and website to learn more, we have all this information available and explain the theory of change for these interventions! Cheers, Flora
@@MossyEarth-FieldNotes Ok, thank you.
Do These structures allow fish migration or does that not play an important role in this river?
Yes, these structures allow fish migration. There are some local fish here (like the Greenback Cutthroat trout), but they co-evolved with beavers, and these natural barriers are not an issue for their movements. Cheers, Flora
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after huricane Helene 6 states are effected with deforestation and river and streams and lakes have been poisoned and devastated,along with land slides.
That is horrible :(
- Flora
If yall need help im like 9 hours away by car or i could hike there and film it as a bit of content lol, its only about 600 miles
That sounds like an extremely long drive, and really no need. But thank you so much for offering!
Cheers, Flora
@MossyEarth-FieldNotes oh, no, I'm just in the next state over, for America that's not a very long drive and my car runs mostly on alcohol so at least I wouldn't be burning straight fossil fuels
it's the Cache le Poudre river.
Yes, our partners at the CPRW said we could call it the Poudre to keep it short. Thanks, Flora
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Why couldn't you use actual beavers to repair the habitat? There's a guy on TH-cam that's constantly having to remove dams in culverts from beaver activity in logging forests called post10
The habitat is currently so degraded that it can't support beavers. We are trying to restore the habitat to a point where eventually beavers can move back in and start building their own damns and maintaining ecological integrity of the river. Cheers, Flora
Let's all hope that the next US government won't Interfere with your project in the future
Apologies if I am missing something, and I probably do, since I'm sure each project has more research into it than what you could possibly fit in a 5' video, but I don't see the point of these kinds of interventions.
Creating these artificial damns requires not only active human involvement, but intensive repair and maintenance work for as long as we intend to keep them. And at the end of the day it's not fixing the underlying issues with the river, which might be the conflicts with the beavers or the land use around it, but just merely fixing one of the symptoms. These project seems like it will only change things for as long as you are able to pump money into it, and as soon as that stops the situation will return to it's previous, degraded state. It doesn't feel like the most efficient and impactful use of the resources that you aim to achieve.
And I repeat that I might be wrong. This is just my humble opinion with the information that I have. You generally make an amazing job and I'm very happy being a member. But I thought it could be useful to mention this, because at the very least, you might be able to explain why I'm wrong and what I have failed to consider.
The idea is to put in temporary dams, which will enable water to collect and provide a fertile habitat for riparian planting of trees like willows. The willows themselves help to stabilise the banks of the streams and their branches and leaves enrich the water and create debris piles, which create riffles, which alter the stream flow, and also get caught in the dams. Once willow are established, they provide food for beavers and once beavers can set up shop, they will build their own, far superior dams and continue the work that the coalition has started. All this is necessary because human beings have degraded the river so badly, and exterminated the local beaver population. No doubt in time, with responisble stewardship, the river might self restore, but we don't have much time to undo so much of the harm we have already done, so we are essentially kick-starting the natural processes.
@anniehill9909 well, the impact might not seem as obvious and long lasting as with some of your other projects, but I am sure you have looked into the literature and the scientific evidence is there. I appreciate the time you took to respond me. Thank you
I just saw this comment, and also saw that Annie has already responded and her explanation is completely on point, really nicely explained! Thank you Annie 🙏🏼 But that's it, this ecosystem is so degraded at the moment that without any intervention, it would only stay the same or even keep getting worse. What we are essentially doing is trying to help the river and riparian habitat ecosystems recover, so that they can start supporting more life again. And since there are beavers in close by streams, we hope that by improving conditions in these streams, they will eventually move in. Once that happens, our work is done, and we just let them do their thing as keystone species.
It will take some time, of course, but the CPRW are on the ground, and after all structures are installed, they will continue out in the field monitoring and collecting data on how things improve post interventions.
Perhaps you can check out the project page and read the management plan for this project, where it's all explained from beginning to end. I really hope this helps clarifying the ideia behind these interventions, and feel free to reach out anytime you have questions. Thank you so much for being a member and supporting us, non of this would be possible without you!
Cheers, Flora
Show us! Don't just tell us!
nope you're causing more damage than you're helping just add beavers
Currently the ecosystem is so degraded, that introducing beavers would't do much, as they would not stick around for long. The river is not in a good state, they have no shelter and no available food, so this would be pointless. What we're doing by adding these structures is helping the river regain its more naturalised flow, and later in spring, we will go back and plant riparian vegetation and native trees (like aspen and cottonwood). In some time, this landscape will hopefully look much healthier, and also be able to support wildlife again, such as the beavers. Ultimately, that's the goal! But of course this will take time. I hope this has clarified the project a bit, a gives you a bit more faith in our work. Cheers, Flora
Less talk, more montages.
look at all those tracks your making ~ huge mistake! waste of tax dollars!
Ahhh, the beautiful Flora with her fantastic brown eyes...... Im sorry something else happed after that but im not sure what. ❤