Hold Back the Snowpack
Big Hole Watershed Committee Implementor
Project Goals and Objectives
Keeping water on the landscape for longer periods of time has been a priority for BHWC for nearly 15 years. Low-tech, process-based restoration projects are just one way we accomplish this goal. We often use Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) to store water on the landscape. Similar to natural beaver dams, BDAs slow water velocity, allowing sediment to settle and build up behind them. As the sediment accumulates, the streambed rises and with it the elevation of the surrounding water table. The BDAs also enable the stream to overtop its banks and reconnect with its floodplain, improving water availability for surrounding grasslands. BDA projects such as this one help to prolong peak flows, maintain base flows, lower water temperatures, and capture sediment. Upper East Fork Divide Creek (USFS land) – 2019 In 2019, BHWC and partners installed 78 Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAS) on East Fork Divide Creek. BDAs are low-tech structures that store and slow water. The project stored an estimated 97K gallons of water and treated over 1600 feet of stream channel. East Fork Divide Creek (private land) – 2019-2020 In the spring of 2019, BHWC and partners installed 75 Beaver Dam Analogues (BDA) structures on a portion of Divide Creek that flows through private property. Using lessons learned in 2019, we returned in 2020 to build additional structures in strategic locations to reactivate natural offsite water storage locations. The beaver mimicry structures treated approximately 6,400 feet of stream channel, impacting 16 acres of floodplain.
Structure Construction Elements
Wooden Posts: Installed in rows across the stream Willow and Woody Debris: Interwoven between posts to create a semi-permeable dam. Cobble and Gravel: Placed at the base to increase stability and encourage sediment deposition. Fine Organic Material (Mud and Leaves): Used to plug gaps and further mimic natural beaver dams. Natural Anchoring Materials: Additional rocks or logs used to stabilize the structure
Project Photos
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