The majority of streams, rivers, and wetlands across California have been degraded by a number of factors, such as intensive land use, dam building, hydraulic mining, the overuse of groundwater, the historic near-extirpation of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis), and the intentional straightening of stream courses, among other things. 

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As a result, many of our state's rivers and streams have become channelized, incised, and less perennial than they once were, and the vast majority of our wetlands (> 95%) have been lost altogether. Restoring these vital aquatic systems sits at the core of our mission at Wet Meadows. 

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Process-based restoration: 

Our restoration philosophy is one of restoring processes, rather than simply things. With wet meadow and stream channel restoration work, this involves looking to nature to see how hydrological processes function. The use of beaver dam analogs (BDAs) and natural systems mimicry more generally is at the heart of our approach to habitat rehabilitation and watershed health. The proper placement of BDAs, large woody debris, or rocks and stones can serve as a corrective stimulus that helps the system more quickly resume meandering, ponding, infiltration into groundwater, and connection with the floodplain.  ​

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We evaluate the effectiveness of our interventions through changes in hydrologic conditions, biological monitoring, and adopt adaptive management techniques to make corrections with time. As practitioners of the process-based restoration approach, we encourage human collaboration with natural systems and, of course, with the original terra-formers of our North American watersheds—the beaver. Most of our work is meant only to be a preliminary corrective measure that creates wet enough conditions for beaver to be able to reestablish (if context allows) and carry the work forward on their own accord.

 

Furthermore, we see healthy upland and riparian areas as inextricably intertwined and design projects accordingly in order to address landscape-level concerns. ​

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We prioritize efforts in headwater drainages and tributaries where tangible, quantifiable, & low cost intervention can be repeated at scale to serve the greater vasculature of our river systems and groundwater basins, focusing on one sub-basin at a time.

 

As a collective of environmental scientists and land managers, we also offer assistance with streamlining the funding and environmental permitting processes in order to get projects on the ground quickly. 

 

We work with private landowners, tribal members, agencies & partnerships to facilitate upland and riparian habitat rehabilitation opportunities across California.​​​

We are licensed, bonded, & insured (CSLB C-49 License #1148726).

 

Snapshot of meadow and stream channel restoration services we provide:

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• Meadow and stream restoration funding, permitting, and contracting services 

• Log jams (for high stream power systems) ​

• BDAs (rocks, sticks, soil, plants)

• Willow planting (as reinforcements for BDA walls or as standalone riparian buffer strip trees)