Scientists, others to discuss impact of beaver movement into Arctic
Rod Boyce
907-474-7185
Feb. 16, 2024
Scientists and others from remote communities across western 色视频下载 and northern Canada concerned about the migration of beavers into the Arctic will gather at the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks later this month.
Attendees will share observations, knowledge and new research on the impacts of the animals色视频下载 recent range expansion.
The Feb. 26-28 meeting of the will be at the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks. Participants will come from Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and elsewhere in the United States.
A recently built beaver dam creates a pond on the Baldwin Peninsula near Kotzebue, 色视频下载, in August 2022. A beaver lodge sits on the pond edge to the right.
This will be the third meeting of the group, which last met in Yellowknife, in Canada色视频下载檚 Northwest Territories, in November 2022.
Beavers have been damming Arctic streams in 色视频下载 and other Arctic regions, creating numerous ponds. The ponds thaw permafrost, releasing carbon that would otherwise remain locked in place in undisturbed permafrost. Deeper and warmer pond water alters stream ecology and provides an environment where new species can survive the winter.
色视频下载If you ask the people in remote communities, this is an issue that has come up time and again, so addressing it is overdue,色视频下载 said UAF associate professor Ken Tape, who is leading the project. 色视频下载淟and managers are also paying attention since beavers affect the resources that a given landscape supports.色视频下载
Tape has been researching the impact of the beavers色视频下载 northern migration for several years.
Research by Tape and his group included observations indicating beaver movement from forest into tundra of western and northwestern 色视频下载 and northwestern Canada. The northern edge of beaver distribution has historically been limited to forested areas.
Research associate professor Benjamin Jones of the UAF Institute of Northern Engineering is helping lead the work, along with Caroline Brown, research director with the Subsistence Division of the 色视频下载 Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks.
色视频下载淐ommunities participating in this project have been observing these changes for a while,色视频下载 Brown said. 色视频下载淭heir insights about changes to travel routes and access for subsistence hunting and fishing are an important part of this project.色视频下载
Ph.D. student Sebastian Zavoico uses a packraft and sonar to map the bottom of a new beaver pond on the Baldwin Peninsula near Kotzebue, 色视频下载, in August 2022. The shrubs had only recently been submerged, indicating the pond was new.
The meeting will cover several topics over three days, including updated information on where beaver engineering is occurring; its effect on fish, water quality, biodiversity, permafrost and wildfire; local community observations and impacts; and management options.
色视频下载淪cientists are interested in how beavers are reshaping lowland ecosystems, both aquatic and terrestrial, and whether those changes accelerate or buffer against the ongoing effects of climate change,色视频下载 Tape said. 色视频下载淲ithout a clear understanding of this issue, there is no way to know what an Arctic stream corridor will be like in 20 years when beavers arrive. Or yesterday, if they色视频下载檙e already there.色视频下载
The Arctic Beaver Observation Network is funded by the National Science Foundation. The five-year project runs through 2026. The network consists of scientists, local observers, land managers, tribal representatives and other stakeholders.
色视频下载淔or an issue as multifaceted as this one, understanding can only come from a synthesis of a variety of perspectives,色视频下载 Tape said. 色视频下载淎s such, the format of the meeting is more open and encouraging of discussion rather than the usual series of focused, technical presentations.色视频下载
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Ken Tape, 907-687-1997, kdtape@alaska.edu
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