
Feasibility Study on the Reintroduction of Beavers at Inspiration Ridge Preserve: Mitigating Climate Change Impacts to Peatlands on the Southern Kenai Peninsula
With the disappearance of beavers from the Fritz Creek watershed and decreasing water availability on the Kenai peninsula over the past twenty years, peatlands and wetlands in the Kenai Lowlands have dried significantly, putting stress on the carbon storage function of the ecosystems. As ecosystem engineers, beavers have been used as tools to recharge groundwater and restore wetland ecosystems. Entrusted by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) and the property owner of the Inspiration Ridge Preserve (IRP), we conducted a feasibility study of reintroducing beavers to the Fritz Creek watershed. We applied the Methow Beaver Project (MBP) Suitability Scorecard (2020 version) to evaluate metrics of beaver habitat suitability including multiple physical and ecological factors, then calculated a final suitability score for each section of the stream habitat (separated into three reaches). Each reach received an overall suitability score above 45, indicating that they are suitable habitats for beaver reintroduction. However, the two critical factors of stream depth and aquatic escape from predators, received low scores across all three reaches indicating actions needed before reintroduction. Based on these results, we strongly recommend the installation of at least three Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) in the stream to raise the water levels in order to provide the ideal escape cover. We further outline beaver reintroduction methods and a monitoring plan for the possible alteration of the physical environment in the event of reintroduction.
Esther Chiang, MLA, MS (ESM); Riley Glancy, MS (GDS, ESM); Nikita Hahn, MS (ESM, SusDev); Hannah Hicks, MS (ESM); Linfeng Li, MS (ESM, GDS); Zhangyanyang Yao, MS (GDS, SusDev)