“Think BIG”
Beaver Introduction Group(BIG) for Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties.
Photos ©Greg Kerekes 2026
What’s the “BIG” idea?
Beaver Reintroduction into the Stanislaus National Forest
EPFW is a member of BIG, a coalition of beaver advocates from nonprofits, private companies, and public agencies. Our mission is to promote and aid the reintroduction of beavers in our counties. We are working to identify 5 meadows in the Stanislaus NF to present to CA State Fish and Wildlife for approval as beaver reintroduction sites. We used the GIS Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT) modeling which utilizes spatial data (vegetation, hydrology, stream gradient) to map potential sites for beaver reintroduction. Given some limitations of this model we are utilizing boots on the ground surveys to assess viability of possible restoration sites.
Why do we need more Beavers in the Sierras? With more beavers we get more: Water, Wildlife, and Wildfire Resilience.
A beaver’s dam stores and sinks water, raising the water table and spreading it through the landscape. This not only improves wildlife habitat, it makes the ecosystem more fire resilient. In our drought and fire prone state beavers are a WIN WIN!!!
Beaver Flow Device Photo by Mike Callahan
Changing Beaver Management in California
For decades “trap and kill” was the only option for beaver management in CA. In the last 10 years beaver advocates have worked tirelessly to shift the paradigm of beaver management to a coexistence and relocation first approach. Still over 1000 "Nuisance" beavers were trapped and killed in 2025 in California because we lack approved sites to release them. The state relocation program is just getting off the ground. Do you have land with year-round water and proper beaver forage like willows, cottonwoods, aspen, or alder? Private landowners can submit an application to be approved as a reintroduction site. More information on the state reintroduction program and coexistence team helping to solve beaver related challenges below.
“The Return of California’s Golden Beaver” a short film by BIG member and EPFW Advocate Greg Kerekes. This film documents saving the beavers of San Jose and the beginning efforts to shift the paradigm of beaver management in California, It also discusses some of the benefits beavers bring to the landscape and methods for coexistence.