Faux Beaver Dam Installation: Potlatch Watershed, Idaho
Project Contact: Susan Firor, Alta Science and Engineering, Moscow, Idaho
During the summer of 2016, Latah Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD), Alta Science and Engineering, and other partners installed structures intended to mimic natural beaver dams (Faux Beaver Dams or FBDs) on two creeks on private properties in the Potlatch Watershed: Corral Creek and Big Bear Creek. At Corral Creek project goals were to improve hydraulic and riparian conditions to restore beaver and steelhead habitat. At Big Bear Creek, project goals were to rehydrate a meadow by encouraging more floodplain access, to improve riparian conditions, and to introduce complexity in the form of bedform sinuosity, logjams, and FBDs. Because of differences at the two sites, installation of FBDs was accomplished using two different methods. At Corral Creek, FBDs were installed by hand, at Big Bear Creek work was accomplished by machine.
During the first year after FBD installation, each structure was visited as close to the spring high flow event as possible and again during the summer to visually evaluate their performance. At both sites, the FBDs were largely submerged at high flow. Observations of structure performance found that structures adjust significantly with high flows and are providing several important functions including; racking wood that is being transported downstream during high flows; causing backwater resulting in improved floodplain access and meadow hydration; and causing extensive sedimentation in incised channels. Observations of structure performance also indicated that fish passage was provided at all observed flows either over, around, or through the structures.
To learn more about this effort, view the full restoration highlight here: Restoration Highlight pdf.