Watershed restoration,
habitat mgmt.
& fuels outfit
Beaver Coexistence Services
Wet Meadows is an approved coexistence contractor
for CA and Western U.S. States
with the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center's
California’s Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program
We specialize in providing technical assistance to property owners and land managers who are experiencing beaver conflicts.
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We can assist with non-lethal management options and implementation of mitigation infrastructure to reduce Human-Beaver conflict and reduce the potential risks beaver occupancy poses to private range and ranchlands, agricultural operations, municipal infrastructure, and residential development. The services and structures we utilize to reduce beaver conflict are proven to be highly effective, generally low cost, and require little to no maintenance once installed.
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While beavers can be problematic for land owners and managers in both rural and developed areas-they can also provide essential ecosystem services that improve salmonid habitat, water quality, and biodiversity. Wet Meadows is here to help you manage beaver populations so that you can continue enjoying the benefits of America's best ecosystem engineers!
Culvert Exclusion Fence
Also known as "Keystone Fences". These structures are installed at the mouth of culvert pipes and are designed in a manner which prevents beavers from building dams directly on or near the culvert. Installation of these structures is straightforward and if installed properly, have a 96% success rate in reducing dam building and blockage of culvert pipes. Keystone fencing or culvert exclusion fencing is a tried and true solution to consistently blocked culverts. Implementation of these devices can greatly reduce the annual costs of stream, culvert, and road maintenance for private and public land managers.
Pond-Leveler Pipes/Flow Devices & Multi-Intake Pond-Leveler Devices
A pond leveler or flow device, is a system that uses a pipe to manage water levels in a beaver pond, preventing flooding while allowing beavers to remain on site, within the already existing pond. This method can allow the land owner or manager to retain the positive ecosystem services provided by beavers while effectively mitigating the risk of flooding. Beavers dam building instinct is triggered by the sound and feel of free flowing water - when leaks in an existing dam and pond system are felt, beavers will work relentlessly to find the source and block it, as such, these devices are designed to create a permanent leak in the beaver dam which, as a result of specific design features, goes un-noticed by the resident beaver population. When installed, these devices allow excess water to flow through a heavy duty corrugated pipe and act on gravity to maintain a desired water level.
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Similar to a standard single pipe flow device, multi-intake pond leveler devices involve using multiple inlet pipes connected to the outflow pipe to manage beaver activity and water flow. Compared to a single pipe flow device, which will be more than sufficient for most situations, multi-intake systems further reduce the risk of blockage of the system - i.e. if one pipe within the system is somehow blocked by beaver damming or non-intentional accumulation of debris, there is another avenue for water to flow out of the beaver pond to maintain the desired water level. Multi-intake systems also allow for a greater flow of water out of the beaver pond to maintain the desired water level, as such, these systems are most beneficial in larger beaver ponds or in areas with consistent high flows or those which are subject to extreme high flow events.
Fence & Pipe Devices
Fence and pipe devices, AKA a Beaver Deceiver, is a combination of a small culvert exclusion fence and a flexible pond leveler device. This solution works best in situations where the roadbed is high enough that an existing beaver pond does not pose a direct threat of flooding or destructive impact to infrastructure. This method has a proven 99% success rate. Furthermore, implementation of this mitigation combo can effectively control beaver damming, prevent damage caused by beaver activity, requires little to no maintenance once installed, and maximizes the realized environmental benefits of beaver ponds within your property or municipality.