Have you ever heard of a beaver dam analog? Well, I had not so when a volunteer opportunity to construct one at The Wilderness Center arose, I signed on.

Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are dams constructed the way beavers would do it, using the same materials and structural design. It is a way to modify a riparian ecosystem to improve it. According to the National Park Service:

This partial and temporary pooling of water creates habitat for fish, maintains connection between the water table and wetland vegetation, increases complexity in the stream channel, and catches sediment. Slower moving water increases water levels and can raise the water table maintaining connectivity between wet meadows and riparian vegetation and the biodiversity they support.

In the case of Fox Creek, the BDA will slow the flow of water that rushes through during heavy rainfall. The increased water volume creates a flash flood situation that disturbs the habitat.

So on a sunny Friday afternoon in September, I joined a volunteer crew to construct the BDA in Fox Creek. It took a few hours of shoveling silt and clay, moving logs and branches, raking and picking up leaves but we worked as a team to get it completed. I met a few cool people who also love the preserve and I look forward to working with them again on the next project day.

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ColorBlindWork | People. Plants. Purpose. believes in diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion and we will go places to be present where no one expects us to be. Most times that means that there are few, if any, people of color present. The more we show up, the more likely others will follow.