Week

Date

Topics

Lab/Assignments or Field Trips

1

Jan 11

INTRODUCTION

• Introductions & Expectations
• Overview of Beaver in Restoration, Conservation & Management Context

BEAVER BIOLOGY, FUR-TRAPPING HISTORY & DAM BUILDING

• Beaver Biology
• Fur Trapping History
• Beaver Dam Building - Why and How?

Reading Assignment - Read Baker & Hill (2003); Read Chap 1-4 (pp 3-57) in Dollin (2010)

Reading Assignment - Read Mueller & Schartz (2011) - Chapters 1-12

Field Trip - Field trip to Curtis Creek  - Tentatively 1/13

2

Jan 18

BEAVER DAM-BUILDING FEEDBACKS

• Physical Feedbacks (Hydraulic, Hydrologic, Geomorphic)
• Ecological Feedbacks

Reading Assignment - Read Macfarlane et al (2015) & Read Mueller & Schartz (2011) - Chapters 13-16

Homework Assignment 1 - Map locations & status of beaver dams from imagery - Due 1/25

3

Jan 25

PREDICTING & MAPPING WHERE BEAVER BUILD DAMS

• Beaver dam capacity modelling
• Capacity Model Lab

Reading Assignment - Read Pollock et al. (2014)

Reading Assignment - Read Bouwes et al. (2016) & Evans (201?)

Homework Assignment 2 - Apply BRAT Capacity Model - Due 2/15

4

Feb 1

OVERVIEW OF BEAVER CONSERVATION & RESTORATION USING BEAVER

• Beaver Conservation & Regulations
• Impairments beaver might be able to help with
• Scope of Beaver Restoration Techniques

BEAVER RESTORATION CASE STUDIES

• Suzy Creek
• Bridge Creek
• Anabranch Overview

5

Feb 8

NO CLASS

6

Feb 15

LIVING WITH BEAVER MITIGATION & ADAPTIVE BEAVER MANAGEMENT PLANS

• Nuisance Problems
• Mitigation Techniques
• Adaptive Management Principles
• AM Plan Components
• Concept of Pilots

Reading Assignment - Read Bennett al (2016) & Wheaton (2012)

Reading Assignment - Read Portugal et al. (2015)

7

Feb 22

CLASS FIELD TRIP TO WALMART

• Visit the Walmart beaver mitigation project and review adaptive management plan

8

Mar 1

SLOP - Potentially No Class

MAR 3 - Field Trip to Birch Creek to look at Translocation

Homework Assignment 3 - Prepare an Adaptive Beaver Management Plan - Due 3/16

Spring Break

9

Mar 15

BEAVER TRANSLOCATION

• Practical Constraints & Opportunities
• Methods and Best Practices
• Legal & Permitting Considerations

JOE IN SAN RAFAEL (GUEST LECTURE)

Reading Assignment - Read Pollock et al. (2014) and Pollock et al (2012), and BDM (2015)

10

Mar 22

BEAVER DAM ANALOGUES

• Overview of different techniques and purposes
• Planning & Objectives
• Design Principles
• Design Exercise
• Designing Pilot Projects

Reading Assignment - Read Hood. (2012) - ‘Beaver Manifesto’ & Macfarlane et al (2014, pp 2-3, 36-43, 48-55, and skim 88-101)

11

Mar 29

BEAVER RESTORATION EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT & PLANNING

• Critical Planning Principles
• People & Expectation Management
• Conflicts & Management Priorities
• BRAT - Decision Support

Reading Assignment - Read Portugal et al (2015) - Pine Creek

Project Assignment 1: Prepare BDA Desktop Pilot Design & Report - Due 4/13

Project Assignment 2: Develop Watershed Beaver Restoration Plan - Due 4/25

12

Apr 5

BEAVER DAM ANALOGUE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

• Field Design
• Structures vs. Complexes
• Construction Bidding, Permitting & Safety
• As-Built Documentation
• Adaptive Management Monitoring & Maintenance

April 7 - Weekend Fieldtrip to design and build BDAs. Joint with WATS 5340

13

Apr 12

NO MEETING - Joe in Tetons (WATS 4950 fieldtrip)

14

Apr 19

NO MEETING  - Joe in Scotland

15

Apr 26

COURSE SYNTHESIS & PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

FINAL PROJECT - due 4/25

Finals

May 1-5

No Final Exam