California releases beavers after 70 years with stunning results

A 1,000-year-old painting on a cave wall just solved California's modern water crisis.

Kenneth McDarment, a member of the Tule River Indian Reservation, had walked past the ochre-red pictograph of a beaver countless times in his life. But when severe drought struck his community a decade ago, the ancient artwork suddenly clicked into focus with new meaning.

If beavers once thrived here and managed water naturally, McDarment realized, maybe bringing them back could help now. That single moment of recognition sparked California's first beaver restoration program in over seven decades.

For years, the Tule River Tribe and Maidu Summit Consortium had been dismissed when they proposed relocating beavers. But their persistent advocacy paid off when California's Department of Fish and Wildlife finally partnered with both tribes in 2021.

On October 18, 2023, seven beavers splashed into their new home at Tásmam Koyóm, a 2,325-acre valley in Plumas County that means "tall grass" in Mountain Maidu language. Valerie Cook, the state's beaver restoration manager, watched a tiny beaver catch a ride on its sibling's tail like a surfer and called it a career highlight.

The state found these beavers in areas where they caused flooding problems, then safely transported them to locations where their natural engineering skills could shine. Instead of treating them as pests to eliminate, California recognized them as powerful allies.

The results arrived faster than anyone expected. The relocated beavers constructed an impressive 328-foot dam that transformed the landscape, increasing water coverage by more than 22% according to the state's April 2025 report.

The Ripple Effect

These furry engineers are creating benefits that reach far beyond a single dam. Research shows beaver wetlands burn significantly less during wildfires, experiencing only one-third the vegetation loss of areas without beaver activity because the dams maintain moisture levels that make plants less flammable.

The ponds also work like natural water treatment plants, filtering pollutants and trapping sediments as the slowed water allows beneficial microorganisms to break down harmful compounds. During droughts, beaver dams store water during wet periods and slowly release it during dry spells, keeping streams flowing when they would otherwise run completely dry.

Emily Fairfax, a geography professor at the University of Minnesota, explains that beavers are "really powerful ecosystem engineers" who provide so many services and build such resilient landscapes that it's hard to list them all at once.

For the tribes, this project represents something even deeper than environmental wins. "We can make our future different from our past," declared state wildlife director Charlton Bonham during the historic first release, acknowledging California once treated these animals as varmints to eliminate.

Ancient wisdom painted on cave walls is now guiding California toward a climate-resilient future, one dam at a time.