Why aren't there more beaver in Rocky Mountain National Park?

Product Type: Proceedings, Pages in

Year: 2004

Author(s): Baker, B.W., D.C.S. Mitchell, H.C. Ducharme, T.R. Stanley, and H.R. Peinetti

Suggested Citation:
Baker, B.W., D.C.S. Mitchell, H.C. Ducharme, T.R. Stanley, and H.R. Peinetti. 2004. Why aren't there more beaver in Rocky Mountain National Park?. In: . Wildlife & riparian areas: Colorado Riparian Association Seventeenth Annual Conference, October 13-15, 2004, Estes Park, Colorado. Estes Park, CO: Colorado Riparian Association. p. 85-90.

Abstract

Beaver populations have declined dramatically in Rocky Mountain National Park since 1940. Declines were initiated by trapping in 1941-1949. Blood tests of 39 livetrapped beaver indicated disease is not present in the population. Current beaver populations occur in areas with low willow use by elk. We compared use of woody stems in a winter food cache with nearby unused stems and found that beaver selected stems that had a lower percentage of leaders browsed by elk. We experimentally tested the effects of elk browsing on regrowth of simulated beaver-cut willow inside and outside 5 elk exclosures and found intense elk browsing on regrowth of simulated beaver-cut willow inside and outside 5 elk exclosures and found intense elk browsing produced plants of low vigor that were small, short, and hedged with a high percentage of dead stems…