Methow Beaver Project

Home
United States
Twisp, WA
Methow Beaver Project

The Methow Beaver Project is a program of the Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit

As we gain understanding of the ecological impacts of climate change, we see that water storage is essential to the long-term health of the Methow Watershed. Earlier snow melts and precipitation that falls as rain instead of snow will make for drier summers, stressing fish populations as well as local irrigators. Beaver dams and the wetland "sponges" they create allow the watershed to retain water

for longer, improving late-season flows. Beaver dams also increase riparian habitat, reduce stream temperatures, restore stream complexity, and capture sediment. These effects support many species, including the Spring Chinook, Steelhead, Cutthroat Trout, and Bull Trout that spawn in the Methow watershed. Restoring beaver populations is a way to adapt to changing climate conditions, ensuring the future of our salmon recovery efforts and of the local community.

06/12/2026

Last year we discovered that a birdhouse gourd makes an excellent plastic-free buoy, to help keep our natural floating wetlands afloat. However, after about seven months, they started to let water in. Due to their shape, the top bulb still maintains some buoyancy after waterlogging begins, but we want to see how long they can stay fully buoyant. Enter beeswax! Follow to find out how well the beeeswax coating works.

04/28/2026

🌱 Help support virtual fencing for cattle in the Methow Valley 🐄

Want to help protect riparian areas, support healthy grazing practices, and give ranchers better tools for managing cattle on the landscape?

The Methow Okanogan Beaver Project, a program of the Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation, and Conservation Northwest, along with other partners, are helping establish infrastructure for virtual fencing for cattle in the Methow Valley.

Now we need volunteer help to get the e-collars ready in time for cattle collaring on May 1 and the following week.

Do you want to help out at some point from April 28–May 3, installing batteries in and labeling virtual fence collars for cattle?

You can set your own schedule, and even a couple of hours will make a difference. With enough people pitching in for a short shift, we can get this done! Help is especially needed Tuesday, April 28–Thursday, April 30.

Tools will be provided for up to two people at once, but if you can, please bring: Phillips screwdrivers and cordless drills with Phillips heads.

Contact Julie Vanderwal for details: [email protected]

Virtual fencing will:

-Aid in protecting riparian and other sensitive areas from grazing
-Facilitate rotational grazing, which promotes healthy native grasses and carbon storage
-Help ranchers monitor and locate cattle
-Provide fencing options after wildfires

You can help make this happen by putting batteries in collars in time for cattle collaring next week!

03/06/2026

Upcoming Event! Join Okanogan Land Trust for this very special OkaKnowledgy event and learn about OLT's community conservation initiative: the campaign to buy, protect, and restore Bonaparte Meadows!💧🌿

Come learn about Bonaparte Meadows, a calcareous fen, one of the rarest wetland types in the United States, and join three local experts as they explore the geology, botany, and human history of this incredible wetland ecosystem.

The event takes place on March 11th at 6:00 pm at the Community Cultural Center of Tonasket. We hope to see you there! 🦫

11/11/2025

Today, we honor and thank our Veterans, past and present, for their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice for our country. Thank you for defending democracy and safeguarding our communities, homes, health, and safety!

In honor of Veterans Day, check out this photo from Idaho Fish and Game. Where they used surplus military parachutes to relocate beavers to the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness Area! 🦫🪂

06/17/2025

Join us for some upcoming events!

June 28th, 2025: A guided tour of Bear Creek to see beaver engineered streams, extensive wetlands, and riparian restoration in action. For details, please RSVP via email to [email protected].

June 29th, 5-6:30pm: Presentation at the Methow Valley Interpretive Center in Twisp for an evening of watershed wonders and engineering ingenuity from an unassuming and underappreciated keystone species, the American Beaver. Beavers, their behaviors and their unique adaptations to a semi-aquatic life hold many secrets and surprises to astound, delight, and benefit us all! Come learn and celebrate the benefits and opportunities to partner with beavers for watershed restoration, biodiversity support, water security, and climate resilience as beavers help us reimagine watersheds and bring them back to life.

05/16/2025

Due to a stormy weather forecast tomorrow, we have rescheduled our Twisp Ponds Work Party for Wednesday, May 21st, from 10am - 4pm. If you're interested in joining us for this new date, sign up at https://forms.gle/rpBRKftfx2wH5LLT

We hope to see you there!

05/12/2025

🚨Calling all beaver-loving volunteers!🚨

Please join us this Saturday, May 17th from 1-4 pm for a hands-on work party at Twisp Ponds, where we will work together to make this beloved community location cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable for all it's residents and visitors - human, beaver, or otherwise! To help us plan for the work party, please RSVP at this link: https://forms.gle/rpBRKftfx2wH5LLT (also available on our website at methowbeaverproject.org/events). We hope to see you there!

05/01/2025

More dates have been added for this exciting hands-on workshop! Come learn how to use plants to improve the water quality and habitat in our region's ponds. 🌱🌿💦

04/24/2025

Saturday, May 17th from 1-4 pm, join the MOBP team for a tour of the beaver habitat at Twisp Ponds followed by an opportunity for some hands-on work to spruce up the Twisp Ponds property ahead of an upcoming salmon restoration project. Work will include wrapping priority shade trees to protect from beaver browsing, removing old chicken wire and other trash from the site, and some light brush trimming along the trails. This will be a fun opportunity for some engaging service work and community-building in a scenic beaver habitat location! 🦫🛠🌳

Twisp Ponds is MSRF's seminal restoration site that is privately owned and managed for salmon habitat but has welcomed the public for walking, hiking, birding, swimming, educational events, etc...for nearly 20 years now. Public and private partnerships are a great way to conserve what we love....together! Come help!

Sign up on our website: https://methowbeaverproject.org/events/

📸Photo from a 2021 student work party group at Twisp Ponds.

04/22/2025

Happy Earth Day, planet Earth! 🌎🦫♥

Address

Twisp, WA
98856

Website

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DFGUAP7U3UR4J

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Methow Beaver Project posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Methow Beaver Project:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Twisp?