The Strathcona Regional District is entering the second phase of an innovative project that will reduce flooding in the Kw’as Bay Road area on Cortes Island and ensure that both beavers and humans can continue to coexist.
For many years, people living near Kw’as Bay Road have been experiencing floods caused by beaver dams and blocked culverts. This has presented risks to the community, impacting access for emergency services and recreational activities in the park, as a blocked culvert causes floods and damage to nearby roadways.
The beaver cohabitation and flood mitigation project involves manually installing, by hand, to not disturb the beaver dams, three pond levellers and a culvert protection fence to mitigate flooding, reduce risks and restore wetlands. These coexistence techniques offer non-lethal solutions to managing beavers, while also supporting beaver-maintained wetlands. The project will also conserve over two hectares of wetland and riparian habitat.
According to Miranda Cross, a biologist and wetland restoration specialist managing the project, wetlands that are home to beavers are crucial for adapting to climate change and building resilience.
"Beavers are our number one partners in climate change adaptation and resilience," said Cross, who works with Rewilding Water & Earth, the company contracted to carry out the project alongside wetlands management company VanIsle Wetlands. "We should do everything we can to support their activities on the landscape."
Beaver dams act as natural sponges by storing runoff water and slowly releasing it to reduce flooding and erosion. They also protect downstream spawning areas, helping to grow salmon and trout populations. Beaver ponds and wetlands also store carbon, replenish water tables during droughts, and create fire-resistant landscapes.
The project is an emerging and environmentally friendly approach to managing beavers. Port Alberni became the first beaver-friendly community on Vancouver Island after a similar project in 2020 at two locations on Lugrin Creek.
In the past, the methods for managing beavers involved trapping, relocating or even killing these semi-aquatic creatures. These actions remove them from the landscape and ecosystem, depriving the environment of the advantages they offer as keystone species, Cross explained.
The installation process begins in the fall, and plans are underway to hold a public workshop in September. The SRD has hired a company to create a documentary about the project and is looking for video footage of beaver activity to include in the film.
The project is made possible with a $354,960.60 disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation grant from the province and other partners. This funding also helps the regional district carry out risk assessments and put up tsunami education signs.
