Become a “Beaver Believer”

Join Coastal Rivers for an online discussion with “Beaver Believer” Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, will discuss the history of this world-changing species; how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, and climate change; how we can coexist with this challenging but vital rodent; and reveal how our modern conception of a healthy ecosystem is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once eliminated millions of beavers from North America’s waterways. The consequences of losing beavers have been profound: ponds drained, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans losing vital habitat.

Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”— including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens — recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts.

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About Ben Goldfarb

Ben Goldfarb is the author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. His work has appeared in publications including the Atlantic, Science, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. His next book, Crossings, on the science of road ecology, will be published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2023. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Elise, and his dog, Kit — which is, of course, what you call a baby beaver.

Photo courtesy of Ben Goldfarb.