Leave it to Beavers: The Science of Making a Wetland

We're excited to partner with The San Juan Preservation Trust to bring you this program about our wetlands! Join Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Furbearer Biologist in a discussion and presentation to deepen your understanding and appreciation for beavers in our local ecosystems.  We will discuss mitigation techniques for dealing with human-beaver conflicts, the benefits of beavers on the landscape, and what landowners can do when our coexistence plans fall short.  This talk will be geared towards adults but kids will find fun beaver facts to walk away with, too!

Shawn Behling is a furbearer biologist, ecologist and plant physiologist educated at Seattle University, University of Maryland and University of Washington.  While her degrees focus on plant science, she began working with beavers while completing her PhD work.  By constructing beaver mitigation devices with Beavers Northwest she learned about the ecology and behavior of these animals and instantly fell in love with both beavers themselves and spending as much time as possible in waders.  She currently works for Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and spends her time overseeing the Beaver Relocation Program and various GIS-based wetland projects.