Information and Resources for Beaver Management
King County Beaver Management Technical Paper #3 goes into detail about many aspects of beaver life history and ecology.
Tools
- Have a beaver pond and want to know what to do? Check out our Decision Flow Chart.
- Want to know what possible solutions are available to help with beaver-related challenges? Our solutions table provides a summary, and our Beaver Management Technical Paper #1, Beaver Management Tools Literature Review and Guidance, goes into a lot of detail about different types of these tools.
Permits
- WDFW Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA). To do nearly all in-stream work in Washington, you need to get a permit (called a Hydraulic Project Approval) from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- King County Clearing and Grading Permits. These permits are required by King County if you want to change water levels in a wetland, which usually includes beaver ponds.
Technical Assistance
- Beavers Northwest is a non-profit based out of the King-Snohomish county area of Washington State. They that specializes in providing technical support to property owners who are experiencing beaver conflicts.
- Washington State supports live beaver trapping and relocation, which can be used in certain circumstances.
Beaver Management Devices
Below are links to various types of hydraulic solutions to beaver flooding.
- The Flexible Leveler. A description of one type of hydraulic solution that is inexpensive, generally works well, and is currently the most common flow device in use in the region.
- Flood reduction from Beavers Northwest.
- Building a Beaver Deceiver. Photo-documentation of the process of installing "beaver deceivers" at Peterson Pond in King County.
- WDFW Beavers page, includes designs for culvert fencing.
- Our Beaver Management Technical Paper #1, Beaver Management Tools Literature Review and Guidance, goes into a lot of detail about different types of these tools.
Washington Hunting and Trapping
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) furbearer trapping seasons and rules, including links to seasons and rules.
- WDFW information on hiring a Wildlife Control Operator (WCO) and list of Nuisance WCOs in Washington.
- WDFW's web page on live trapping and relocation in Western Washington.
- The Tulalip Beaver Project, which relocates beavers to hydrologically impaired tributaries in the upper Snohomish Watershed.
- Our fact sheet on Current Laws, Policies, and Practices provides a concise summary. The full report, Beaver Management Technical Paper #2, Current Laws, Policies, and Practices is also available.
Beavers in the News
The New York Times, September 6, 2022: It was War. Then a Rancher's Truce with some Pesky Beavers Paid off , by Catrin Einhorn.
CBS News, August 31, 2022: From pest to protector: How beavers are helping fight climate change, by Tori B. Powell.
The Seattle Times, June 6, 2021: The enchanting world of beavers in King County — and how they might benefit a warming planet, by Ryan Blethen.
The Atlantic, December 4, 2018: The Re-beavering of the American West , by Ben Goldfarb and BioGraphic.
Kitsap Sun, December 3, 2018: Busy beavers create salmon habitat in Kitsap, by Tad Sooter.
KUOW, December 17, 2018: This story will make you a Beaver Believer, Bill Radke interview Ben Goldfarb
Biographic, November 22, 2018: They will build it (a story map written by Ben Goldfarb)
NPR Weekend Edition, June 24, 2018: The Bountiful Benefits of Beavers (by Luke Runyon, including interview with Ben Goldfarb)
High Country News, February 20, 2018: In Oregon, a peculiar case for protecting the beaver
Herald Net, Everett Washington, May 9, 2017: Troublesome dams in Mill Creek fixed by the ‘beaver deceiver’