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Research & Writing
Beavers on Trial: Ecological Vitality vs the Nuisance Label in Colorado
Beavers on Trial: Ecological Vitality vs the Nuisance Label in Colorado
Coexistence in Question: Rethinking Beaver Relationality in Colorado
Abstract: Colorado's waterways present a complex paradox. The North American beaver (Castor canadensis), known for its remarkable ability to heal degraded streams and enhance landscape resilience, is often regarded as a "pest" or "menace." This perception, being deeply embedded within the contemporary United States (US) cultural legacies of genocide, colonialism, exploitation, and various other geopolitical events, has led to the formation of a ill-pictured narrative that catalyzes human-wildlife conflicts (HWC), particularly in the case of human-beaver conflict (HBC) (Goldfarb, 2018), especially within Colorado and the American West. Beavers are considered a keystone species and ecosystem engineers due to their intrinsic behaviors that involve building dams, canals, and lodges. These activities create wetlands and ponds, recharge aquifers, filter water, and increase water supply. Additionally, beaver-modified riverscapes (BMR) moderate extreme events such as floods, droughts, and wildfires, while supporting highly biodiverse and complex communities of flora and fauna (Brazier et al., 2020; Boyle & Owens, 2007; Baker & Hill, 2003). On one hand, these ecological effects are well-respected and admired, while on the other, they are still perceived as having an extremely negative connotation
May 2025
Beavers and their role in providing ecosystem services: potential for climate change mitigation
Literature review of beavers as agents of climate resilience
Dec. 2024.
Integrating Microbial Source Tracking and Benthic Invertebrate Data to Assess Urban Impacts in the Saint Vrain River System
Field study that integrated microbial source tracking and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling to assess the ecological impacts of urbanization, agriculture, and wastewater effluent on water quality in Saint Vrain Creek (CO).
Dec. 2024.
Beavers and the RCC
A literature review of beaver-induced changes to hydrology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystems through the lens of the River Continuum Concept (RCC), arguing that beavers disrupt and enhance river corridor processes in ways that support greater ecological diversity, stability, and nutrient retention.
Sept. 2024.
The Ecological Importance of Castor canadensis: Changing The Legal Narrative of Beavers in the State of Colorado
Undergraduate Honors Thesis.
May 2023
Filtration Capacity of Beaver Pond Wetlands in the Animas Watershed
Evaluation study of the ability of beaver pond wetlands in the Animas watershed to naturally filter mine-impacted water, supporting beaver-driven restoration as a potential low-cost, ecosystem-based water quality solution.
May 2022
Critiques the state’s practice of classifying North American beavers as “nuisance wildlife.” Through a multidisciplinary lens (colonial history, multispecies justice, and riparian ecology) this paper shows how the label masks beavers’ keystone role as watershed engineers, legitimizes lethal control, and perpetuates speciesist policy. It closes with a suite of non-lethal, coexistence-oriented management and legislative reforms.
May 2025
Beavers on Trial: Ecological Vitality vs the Nuisance Label in Colorado
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