Fitzhugh Creek

Severe erosion along Fitzhugh Creek in 1991.  The Bureau of Land Management partnered with CalTrout to enhance a six-acre wet meadow along Fitzhugh Creek in the western foothills of the Warner Mountains.  Six beaver dam analogs were installed along the creek to improve the hydraulic function of the meadow which will hopefully result in a greater diversity of native plants, wildlife species, and aquatic species.

Beavers create dams made form logs, sticks, and mud.  Beavers use the resulting pond created by the dam to build homes called lodges.   The lodges protect them from predators as the entrance to the lodges are underwater. The ponds keep the nearby areas lush and green and create fire-resistant patches in the landscape. 

Unfortunately, beavers haven't been observed in the area since the 1980s. Past overgrazing by livestock resulted in severe erosion along
the creek and the meadow system slowly dried out.  The beaver dam analogs are intended to do the job that natural beaver dams would do: slow the flow of the water in the stream and create small ponds that will rehydrate the meadow.  These beaver dam analogs are made from native juniper branches and willows.