Tuesday talk examines beavers in Wallowa County

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Fish biologist Ian Wilson has a long interest in stream and habitat restoration, and a growing interest in the role of the humble beaver in shaping and managing ecosystems.

Wilson will speak about “Beaver in the County — Then and Now” during a free talk at noon Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, 403 N. Main St., Joseph.

The Wallowa Valley, like most of North America before the plundering of beaver for European hats, was a series of beaver ponds, marshes, and playas. It is estimated that there were over 300 million North American beaver before the trapping frenzy.

What did the Wallowa Valley look like 150 years ago? What happened to our ponds and marshes? And what will the reintroduction of beaver to our environment do?

Wilson is a project coordinator for the Grande Ronde Model Watershed, working on public and private lands with agency partners to plan, implement and monitor stream restoration projects in the Grande Ronde basin.

Before joining the Grande Ronde Model Watershed, he worked for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, implementing stream restoration projects and studying chinook and steelhead populations in Northeast Oregon. He has a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife from Oregon State University with a specialization in fisheries.

For more information, call Rich Wandschneider at 541-263-0930.