Completion Form

2022

Two seasonal technicians were hired for the project including Bryce Bonzo, and Steven Orme. 
 The project also paid for two seasonal vehicles which are crucial to the success of the program.

From July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, traps were set at nuisance complaint areas including:
Sevier River near Hatch
Panguitch Canal
Southgate Golf Course
Town of Virgin
Gunlock
Ivins Reservoir
Panguitch Canal ponds
Egan Fish Hatchery
Beaver Canyon
Panguitch Creek
Kingston

The live traps used were Hancock or Koro style traps.  Each trap was secured with a cable and rebar stake, and baited with gland or lure and vegetation.  Traps were checked each morning, and reset for the following evening.  Before each site was trapped, notes were made about the complaint in a Google sheet for record keeping.  Teresa Griffin contacted Forest Service biologist and other stakeholders on the trapping and release sites. All captured nuisance beaver were held in quarantine at the SRO facility and processed by DWR vet Annette Roug, Virginia Stout, Teresa Griffin, Mindi Cox, and countless other employees and volunteers. VHF Transmitters were attached to healthy adult beavers.

Beavers were fed each day with fresh willow and aspen, had water changes done each morning, and mister systems turned on in the morning to keep the ambient temperature cooler.  During the heat of the day, beavers congregate under a ramp or inside a metal barrel, which allows them to dry out completely, so they are utilizing clean water each evening.

Once beavers were caught, arrangements were made with technicians and Forest Service personnel to relocate the beavers.  The Forest Service spent approximately $13,000 in-kind dollars assisting with beaver translocation and monitoring efforts.  The Division of Wildlife Resources staff (not including beaver technicians) spent approximately $6,000 in-kind dollars with processing, translocation, and monitoring efforts.  Volunteers contributed approximately $3,000 in-kind.  Wildland Network (contributor in FY23) also assisted in site assessment, monitoring, and networking with UDWR/FS during FY22.

Throughout this project, most beavers were "processed;" meaning they were given tail transmitters, oxygen levels, respiration rate and heart rate monitored, identified gender, measured, weighed and given an approximate age and body condition score.  The VHF tail transmitters have shown us survival and movement post translocation.  Kits were not given tail transmitters because of the size of their tails relative to the transmitters.

We have identified some beavers as "alive" and some that have died throughout this process.  However, there are still multiple beavers we have been unable to locate since VHF transmitters were attached; we are still actively searching for these frequencies through surveys performed by Forest Service, Division of Wildlife biologists and seasonal technicians.

A total of 16 live beavers were moved during this fiscal year, which is a decrease from the 34 that were moved the previous year.  Four beavers did die from trap or capture mortalities. 
Often we must issue kill trap permits to complaints during the winter months or if we can accommodate live trapping.  Kill trapping does not factor in this figure which was a necessary DWR action in areas where beaver are not tolerated due to threats to fishery infrastructure or other nuisance events.  This year with two technicians, we were able to accommodate most nuisance calls and deploy adequate trap-set days.  We have noticed an increase in public satisfaction when we quickly address or resolve beaver nuisance issues, and conduct concurrent trapping in multiple known beaver nuisance areas.

The release areas of focus for FY 22 were as follows:  
Little Creek (Panguitch Unit)
Robinson Canyon (Paunsaugunt Unit)
East Fork of Sevier (Paunsaugunt Unit)
Threemile Creek (Panguitch Unit)

Monitoring has occurred at many of the past release location searching for live beavers or sign that they are beginning to construct dam features.  We are gaining more support from counties and private landowners who see the benefits from beavers.  We hope to increase documentation of released beavers and additional benefits to riparian vegetation.  One area that is responding exceptionally well is the East Fork of the Sevier. A fire occurred in this drainage this spring, so it will be interesting as fall monitoring occurs, to document if beaver dams have been washed out by subsequent floods, or if they were able to catch more sediment.   We would like to applaud the partnership that DWR has with the federal biologists, without them and their support, this project wouldn't be possible.  Their willingness to always help, or offer their technicians to support transporting beavers, or doing telemetry is priceless when we are all busy and stretched thin.  Threemile Creek, which headwaters were burned during the Brian Head fire, also look like pools and small dams are improving riparian vegetation.  Wildland Network has also joined the partnership and is assisting DWR and FS in planning, monitoring and evaluating sites.  Many volunteers have got involved in the project, from SUU students to community members. Beavers have been taken to schools to educate students on the benefits of beavers prior to their release.  Several private landowners lands have been evaluated and would like to receive beavers on their property, when available.  The partnerships continue to grow between agencies and the communities and we continue this project.  And the biggest thanks goes to the beavers, actual live beavers, that are doing the continued riparian restoration.  Leave it to the beavers....
  THANK YOU PARTNERS!

Since we've acquired the VHF transmitters, we plan to continue to track the signals to better assess and document survival and telemetry. Monitoring efforts will attempt to search all drainages that we have moved beavers with transmitters over the past several years- as well as FY22.  Though we would like to utilize GPS telemetry, at this time, it would be almost completely ineffective (ATS quotes "three percent success rate") due to beavers being under water and in lodges so much of the time.  However, we will continue looking for new technologies for tracking beaver movements with a higher efficacy rate at a more reasonable cost.  We hope to consult with Julie Young (USU) regarding latest techniques and additional monitoring options.

The Pine Valley Forest Service has been working all year with politicians, water users and private landowners to get approval to reintroduce beavers into the Pine Valley wilderness, where beavers may be the only options for stream restoration work.  We look forward to continuing this avenue until beavers are released in areas scoured by floods post fire in Reservoir Canyon.  Enough gratitude cannot be shown to all the supporters, partners, contributors  and the beavers for moving this project forward.

Teresa Griffin

08/31/2022 16:56:34