FORKS — “A Novel Climate Adaptation Tool — Beaver Relocation” will be presented at the Olympic Natural Resources Center at 7 p.m. Friday.
Benjamin Dittbrenner, a doctoral candidate in the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and the executive director of the nonprofit organization Beavers Northwest, will present the lecture in the Hemlock Forest Room at the center at 1455 S. Forks Ave.
Refreshments will be served, and attendees are urged to bring potluck dishes.
The lecture is the second in the ONRC’s Evening Talks series this fall.
The first program, which was Sept. 26, revolved around UW’s portable planetarium.
Role in restoration
On Friday, Dittbrenner will tell of the role of North American beavers in wetland restoration and as a potential climate adaptation tool.
Beaver populations are rebounding from near extinction, Dittbrenner said, and in some areas, beaver activity and flooding have caused conflicts with human infrastructure and land use.
He said beavers also represent an opportunity: They can restore aquatic systems with greater efficiency, long-term success and less cost than traditional, human-based restoration.
Dittbrenner will talk about the results of relocating nuisance beavers to areas that need wetland and hydrologic restoration.
Dittbrenner holds a master’s degree in biodiversity, conservation and policy from the University at Albany and bachelor’s degrees in biology and environmental science and conservation from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
His doctoral research focuses on exploring nontraditional approaches to promote habitat enhancement and maintenance, increase ecosystem resilience and reduce effects of climate change on riparian systems at multiple scales.
He co-manages the Sky Beaver Project, which seeks to relocate beavers from areas where human-beaver conflicts would normally result in euthanization of the beaver to headwater riparian systems.
Extension of UW school
The series is a service to the community as an extension of the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
The Evening Talks at ONRC is supported by the Rosmond Forestry Education Fund, an endowment that honors the contributions of Fred Rosmond and his family to forestry and the Forks community.
For information, visit www.onrc.washington.edu or email Frank Hanson at fsh2@uw.edu.
