Adopt A Wildlife Acre

In the face of climate change and increasing water scarcity, an unlikely hero has emerged in the world of ecosystem restoration and water management: the beaver. These industrious creatures, once overlooked or even considered pests, are now being recognized as invaluable partners in environmental conservation. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is at the forefront of this paradigm shift, spearheading efforts to build greater tolerance for beaver and the benefits they provide. 

Beavers are nature's original engineers, capable of transforming landscapes in ways that benefit both wildlife and human communities. Their dams and ponds create complex riparian habitats that support a diverse array of plant and animal species. These structures also play a crucial role in water management by slowing down stream flows, which helps control flooding and recharges groundwater supplies. During periods of drought or wildfire, beaver-created wetlands serve as vital green refuges, providing oases of life in otherwise parched landscapes.

The National Wildlife Federation has recognized the potential of beavers as ecopartners and is actively working to harness their natural abilities. In Montana, NWF is part of a collaborative partnership that provides expert assistance to landowners seeking non-lethal approaches to manage beaver activity. This initiative is crucial in building greater tolerance for beavers on the landscape by reducing conflicts and increasing awareness of their many benefits.

One of the key strategies employed by the NWF is the implementation of innovative solutions like culvert fencing. By working directly with  landowners, the NWF team helps install these protective measures that prevent beavers from damming culverts while allowing them to continue their beneficial activities elsewhere on the property. This hands-on approach not only solves immediate problems but also serves as an educational opportunity, demonstrating the coexistence of human infrastructure and beaver habitats.

Beaver restoration exemplifies a broader shift towards nature-based solutions to environmental challenges. By working with, rather than against, natural processes, NWF is demonstrating how we can create more resilient ecosystems that benefit both wildlife and human communities.  

As we look to the future, the importance of water conservation and management cannot be overstated. By partnering with nature's engineers, we can create landscapes that are better equipped to withstand the impacts of climate change, support biodiversity, and ensure a more secure water future for generations to come.

I’m excited to introduce you to the newest aspect of our wildlife conflict resolution program: wildlife friendly fencing. National Wildlife Federation has been leading this work in southwest Montana on the edges of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem since 2021, and already we’re making huge strides for migratory wildlife. We’ve removed or modified 23 miles of problematic fencing in important winter range and corridors for pronghorn, elk, moose, and mule deer. Our goal is to complete 100 miles of fence modifications or removals by 2028.

As you know, retiring grazing allotments on public lands to reclaim crucial habitat for keystone species like grizzly bears and wolves, and the protect bighorn sheep remains a top priority. In the last GlobalGiving newsletter you heard about our biggest grazing retirement to date: over 100,000 acres of alpine wildlife habitat in the San Juan mountains of Colorado will be restored by eliminating sheep grazing in this highly sensitive environment. But we also recognize that wildlife must be able to move to survive, and as the human development footprint continues to expand, we need to be proactive about conserving and restoring migration corridors.

In the West, wildlife migrations often mean treks of hundreds of miles over thousands of feet of elevation change between winter and summer ranges. And this means navigating barriers like roads and fences. Fencing is a ubiquitous aspect of the built environment that is often overlooked. There are hundreds of thousands of miles of barbed wire fences crisscrossing the landscape of western North America. These fences affect wildlife movement on both a daily and seasonal scale. A recent study found that mule deer encountered fences an average of 119 times each year, and pronghorn confronted fences at more than twice that rate, about 248 times per year. These encounters require valuable time and energy spent navigating barriers, leading to stress and premature mortality. Furthermore, entanglement in fences kills up to 1.3 ungulates per 6 miles of fence, with potentially major effects on recruitment and adult survival for species like mule deer and pronghorn.

Research has shown that modifying bottom and top-wire heights of fences helps wildlife pass through easier. By replacing the bottom wire with a barbless strand and raising it a minimum of 16” off the ground, we can help reduce the barrier effect of fences for elk and moose calves and black bear cubs, and for fence sensitive species like pronghorn, that all have a hard time jumping. Lowering the top wire to no more than 42” off the ground and creating a gap of 12” between the top two wires reduces the likelihood of entanglement for jumping animals. Better yet, we can remove fencing altogether where it is no longer needed.

The other important piece to this is the age-old saying “good fences make good neighbors”. In our context, what this means is that people can come together and agree on the placement and structure of a fence. This gives us an entry point. Providing incentive-based conservation programs to landowners located in important wildlife habitats means we see results on the ground. And once one landowner adopts wildlife friendly fencing, it spreads throughout the valley via word of mouth. By working with public land agencies and private landowners, we’re changing the landscape across jurisdictions to better accommodate the needs of wildlife. Because wildlife don’t heed human-made boundaries – unless they’re made of barbed wire.