ABOUT US
Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife (BWW) is a tax-exempt educational nonprofit with members in the U.S., Canada and overseas.
Our mission is:
- to help people learn about the beaver, a keystone species that restores and maintains wetlands, the land’s most beneficial ecosystem.
- to provide information about environmentally sound, cost-effective, long-term solutions for problems that arise between humans and beavers.
Just as the center stone, or “keystone” of an arch holds it together, beaver dams create vital wetlands that provide critical habitat for many wild species—and essential natural services for people.
Since 1985, Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife (BWW) has been accomplishing our goals by using some powerful tools, including research, networking and public education. We publish the news-magazine Beaversprite, and create and distribute literature and videos, designed for children and adults. BWW designated April 7 as International Beaver Day to celebrate the four-footed engineers’ contribution to a healthy environment. We regularly give programs, inform the media, consult, and otherwise assist individuals, agencies and communities.
Spreading the Word about Nature’s Engineers
Although the beaver is native to North America, Europe and Asia, people are often unaware of these reclusive animals. The public may consider them nuisances, because felled trees and flooded roads are obvious, while most benefits, such as water cleansing, are hidden. BWW gives programs at conferences (including our own international event) and at the meetings of many different organizations. For example, in 2007 we presented at an environmental conference in China—where most participants were unfamiliar with the native beavers, and in 2009 we gave programs in Minnesota and Alaska.
Promoting win-win-win Solutions
BWW studies and publicizes the best solutions for problems, such as damage to trees and beaver flooding of roads and properties. We regularly help people through direct contact by phone, e-mail and on-site consultations with the best solutions for specific conflicts. For example, methods of managing beaver flooding have now evolved so that cost-effective, long-term solutions are readily available.
BWW has installed many beaver flow devices to demonstrate long-term solutions for protecting road culverts and managing water levels upstream of beaver dams. We have created literature with detailed information, and a DVD, about the best ways to coexist.
Beaversprite
Our triannual news-magazine Beaversprite takes an in-depth look at a variety of timely, interesting beaver, wetlands and wildlife issues. Each issue is available either via a paper copy or in color as a pdf via email, and a subscription comes with a membership. A special offer for a personal, or gift, membership is available below.
Become A Member
Join BWW now and you will receive a subscription to our triannual Beaversprite news/magazine.
Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife is run by scientists/educators with post-graduate degrees (a PhD in Materials Science and a Masters Degree in Biology), who take no salaries, and a multi-talented Board of Directors. Our work is supported by memberships and donations with an occasional grant or welcome legacy. As BWW is a 501(c)(3) publicly supported charity, contributions are tax-deductible.
Educational Literature — Plus
BWW publishes and distributes a variety of literature, such as a popular beaver brochure (tens of thousands distributed), and our “How to Control Beaver Flooding” booklet. In addition, we produce and distribute videos, including “Meet the Beaver” for children, “My 40 Years with Beavers” and “Coexisting with Beavers
Support Services
We regularly assist those who seek environmentally sound solutions for beaver problems that allow these key animals and their vital wetlands to remain. We recommend proven strategies, and often work behind the scene to aid wildlife advocates and environmentalists. Our nonprofit has become a resource for educators, agencies and the media.
Want more information about the services BWW provides? Visit the Services page. Want to learn about the history of our organization? Click here to visit the History page
Meet The Team
Co-Founder of Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife
Owen holds a Bachelors in Chemistry & PhD in Material Science.
He formerly was a professor of Chemistry/Physics for 23 years and founder/president of the local Audubon Society. He helped found our educational nonprofit in 1985, and soon became a valuable leader thanks to his teaching experience.
Here he is seen standing on an old beaver dam located on the Brown’s 300-acre wildlife sanctuary called “Wildsprite”. That is poplar at his feet just waiting for beavers to arrive.
Both Owen and Sharon love kayaking and canoeing on the rivers and lakes of the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. They have a very light (26 lb./11.8Kg) carbon fiber “Hornbeck” canoe that they can easily carry into back country wetlands and over dams to assess conflicts at beaver wetlands.
Biologist/Co-founder of Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife
Sharon has a Masters Degree in Biology. Previously, she was the supervising technologist at a large cancer institute’s hematology laboratory, and taught Biology courses full-time at the college level.
Her articles and photos, including some of Dorothy Richards, have appeared in national magazines. Since helping to found BWW in 1985, she has focused on the beaver and ways to coexist with this important keystone species. She researches and writes articles for “Beaversprite”, and is the editor of that tri-annual.
As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for 20 years, she raised orphaned kits and aided injured beavers. Here she is swimming with one of four beaver orphans that were initially kept indoors before being taken to a farm pond on the sanctuary for exercise. At first, she entered the water with the kits as it was thought that the switch from a bathtub to a big pond had made them anxious. Later, a large snapping turtle was discovered at the pond and relocated.