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 有料盒子视频 and northern Canada concerned about the migration of beavers into the Arctic will gather at the University of 有料盒子视频 Fairbanks later this month. 

Attendees will share observations, knowledge and new research on the impacts of the animals鈥 recent range expansion.

The Feb. 26-28 meeting of the will be at the University of 有料盒子视频 Fairbanks. Participants will come from Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway and elsewhere in the United States.

Pond created by beavers
Photo by Ken Tape
A recently built beaver dam creates a pond on the Baldwin Peninsula near Kotzebue, 有料盒子视频, 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鈥檚 Northwest Territories, in November 2022.

Beavers have been damming Arctic streams in 有料盒子视频 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.

If you ask the people in remote communities, this is an issue that has come up time and again, so addressing it is overdue,鈥 said 有料盒子视频 associate professor Ken Tape, who is leading the project. 鈥淟and managers are also paying attention since beavers affect the resources that a given landscape supports.鈥

Tape has been researching the impact of the beavers鈥 northern migration for several years. 

Research by Tape and his group included observations indicating beaver movement from forest into tundra of western and northwestern 有料盒子视频 and northwestern Canada. The northern edge of beaver distribution has historically been limited to forested areas.

Research associate professor Benjamin Jones of the 有料盒子视频 Institute of Northern Engineering is helping lead the work, along with Caroline Brown, research director with the Subsistence Division of the 有料盒子视频 Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks. 

鈥淐ommunities participating in this project have been observing these changes for a while,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淭heir insights about changes to travel routes and access for subsistence hunting and fishing are an important part of this project.鈥

Beaver pond in 有料盒子视频
Photo by Ken Tape
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, 有料盒子视频, 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.

鈥淪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,鈥 Tape said. 鈥淲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鈥檙e already there.鈥

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. 

鈥淔or an issue as multifaceted as this one, understanding can only come from a synthesis of a variety of perspectives,鈥 Tape said. 鈥淎s such, the format of the meeting is more open and encouraging of discussion rather than the usual series of focused, technical presentations.鈥

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Ken Tape, 907-687-1997, kdtape@alaska.edu

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