Field Reports Archives - Beaverworksoregon

10 Jul 24

Trip Report: All Hands All Brands BDA Installation Volunteer Event

Trip Report: All Hands All Brands BDA Installation Volunteer Event Over the weekend, Think Wild Beaver Works joined several conservation groups from Central Oregon in the Ochoco National Forest to install Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) along Gray Creek. This initiative aimed to enhance wildlife habitat in the area. The event,…

15 Jun 23

Field Report 7: (Too) Hot and Dry Summer

Field Report 7: (Too) Hot and Dry Summer – What does this mean for High Desert Beavers? Boy is it hot out there! According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 2021 was the hottest June ever on record. At this point, in mid-Summer, our daytime temperatures continue to…

14 Jun 23

Field Report 6: A side by side look at “Restoration” Projects

Field Report 6: A side by side look at “Restoration” Projects Earlier this year we traveled northeast Oregon to check on the progress of a 4 year long restoration project along a tributary of the John Day river. The spring-fed creek had disconnected from the valley floor through decades of…

14 Jun 23

Field Report 5: Beaver in Daytime near Scent Mound Site

Field Report 5: Beaver in Daytime near Scent Mound Site Field Report 5: Beaver in Daytime: Meet “4:20” After a week of wintery weather, where beaver channels and food cache ponds froze over and beavers seemed to stay in the dens for 48 hours, we now see a beaver out…

14 Jun 23

Field Report 4: Beaver Browse Mid-Winter Dietary Observations

Field Report 4: Beaver Browse Mid-Winter Dietary Observations Field Report 4: What Are The Beavers Eating Now? Mid-Winter Dietary and Harvest Observations Beavers being the mighty herbivores they are, commonly behave as energy-maximizers — choosing food that is of high quality and low-search/handling time. All three Middle Deschutes River monitoring…

beaver-scent-mound-marking-on-deschutes-river

13 Jun 23

Field Report 3: Beaver Scent Mound Update

Field Report 3: Beaver Scent Mound Update Daily trips to the discovered scent marking mound discovered early November proved interesting- even if less beaver activity. The river rose over much of the mud markings. However, the castoreum deposited seems to live on as the deer ducked many low branches to…

packrafting-video-along-the-deschutes-river

10 Jun 23

Field Report 2: Warm Winter Packrafting in December Report

Field Report 2: Warm Winter Packrafting in December Report It’s been a balmy winter so far here in the high desert Deschutes river basin so I’ve been able to continue monitoring the beaver sites by packraft. The beaver activity seen from a packraft is the absolute best way to observe…

10 Jun 23

Field Report 1: The Birds and the Beavers 3 Laws of Ecology

Field Report 1: The Birds and the Beavers 3 Laws of Ecology In all 3 Beaver Response Team sites we’ve been monitoring over the year, off the Middle Deschutes it’s hard not to notice the increase in more winged wonders this fall/winter. November ushered in the migratory ducks, geese, coots…

10 Jun 23

Beavers in Winter – A Report from the Field

Beavers in Winter – A Report from the Field It’s Transition Time for Beavers in the Deschutes River Basin – Winter 2020 A Report from the Field Beavers around Central Oregon spend much of their lives moving mysteriously up and down the Deschutes River unseen. Even on hot summer days…