Nature's engineers: the art of wetland restoration using a beaver’s blueprint

In Sublette County, Wyoming, the Bureau of Land Management invested funds from the Inflation Reduction Act to change the way rivers and creeks behave. A group of biologists, cultural resources specialists, and other scientists are partnering with a crew of technicians from the Northern Arapahoe Tribe to build small, natural dams. 

The dams are meant to mimic those created by beavers to slow creek flow and create wetlands and ponds. BLM hopes that the new human-engineered dams will encourage beavers to move into the area, and will reduce erosion and the effects of drought. 

The dams are located on the La Barge Restoration Landscape, one of 21 such landscape areas in the western United States. The Inflation Reduction Act is a component of the President’s Investing in America agenda. 

BLM Storyteller Christopher Lett reports from Wyoming.

PROJECT FACT SHEET: Read more about the La Barge Restoration Landscape here.

LEARN MORE: Read about all Inflation Reduction Act Restoration Landscapes.