Information and Resources for Beaver Management
King County Beaver Management Technical Paper #3 goes into detail about many aspects of beaver life history and ecology.
Tools
Have a beaver pond and want to know what to do? Check out our Decision Flow Chart.
Want to know what possible solutions are available to help with beaver-related challenges? Our solutions table provides a summary, and our Beaver Management Technical Paper #1, Beaver Management Tools Literature Review and Guidance, goes into a lot of detail about different types of these tools.
Permits
WDFW Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA). To do nearly all in-stream work in Washington, you need to get a permit (called a Hydraulic Project Approval) from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
King County Clearing and Grading Permits. These permits are required by King County if you want to change water levels in a wetland, which usually includes beaver ponds.
Technical Assistance
Beavers Northwest is a non-profit based out of the King-Snohomish county area of Washington State. They that specializes in providing technical support to property owners who are experiencing beaver conflicts.
Washington State supports live beaver trapping and relocation, which can be used in certain circumstances.
Beaver Management Devices
Below are links to various types of hydraulic solutions to beaver flooding.
The Flexible Leveler. A description of one type of hydraulic solution that is inexpensive, generally works well, and is currently the most common flow device in use in the region.
Flood reduction from Beavers Northwest.
Building a Beaver Deceiver. Photo-documentation of the process of installing "beaver deceivers" at Peterson Pond in King County.
WDFW Beavers page, includes designs for culvert fencing.
Our Beaver Management Technical Paper #1, Beaver Management Tools Literature Review and Guidance, goes into a lot of detail about different types of these tools.
Washington Hunting and Trapping
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) furbearer trapping seasons and rules, including links to seasons and rules.
WDFW information on hiring a Wildlife Control Operator (WCO) and list of Nuisance WCOs in Washington.
WDFW's web page on live trapping and relocation in Western Washington.
The Tulalip Beaver Project, which relocates beavers to hydrologically impaired tributaries in the upper Snohomish Watershed.
Our fact sheet on Current Laws, Policies, and Practices provides a concise summary. The full report, Beaver Management Technical Paper #2, Current Laws, Policies, and Practices is also available.
Beavers in the News
The New York Times, September 6, 2022: It was War. Then a Rancher's Truce with some Pesky Beavers Paid off , by Catrin Einhorn.
CBS News, August 31, 2022: From pest to protector: How beavers are helping fight climate change, by Tori B. Powell.
The Seattle Times, June 6, 2021: The enchanting world of beavers in King County — and how they might benefit a warming planet, by Ryan Blethen.
The Atlantic, December 4, 2018: The Re-beavering of the American West , by Ben Goldfarb and BioGraphic.
Kitsap Sun, December 3, 2018: Busy beavers create salmon habitat in Kitsap, by Tad Sooter.
KUOW, December 17, 2018: This story will make you a Beaver Believer, Bill Radke interview Ben Goldfarb
Biographic, November 22, 2018: They will build it (a story map written by Ben Goldfarb)
NPR Weekend Edition, June 24, 2018: The Bountiful Benefits of Beavers (by Luke Runyon, including interview with Ben Goldfarb)
High Country News, February 20, 2018: In Oregon, a peculiar case for protecting the beaver
Herald Net, Everett Washington, May 9, 2017: Troublesome dams in Mill Creek fixed by the ‘beaver deceiver’