Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Senator Martin Heinrich (NM) introduced the Developing Alternative Mitigation Systems (DAMS) for Beavers Act, legislation that would help protect public infrastructure and private property from beaver damage while supporting non-lethal mitigation efforts for these climate-solving animals and saving taxpayers money.

Beavers play a critical role in shaping our environment. From improving water storage and filtration to creating habitats for endangered and vulnerable species, beavers are indispensable ecosystem engineers in our fight against climate change.

However, beaver activity has caused substantial damage to private property and public infrastructure, resulting in the federal government and private trappers conducting lethal campaigns that kill tens of thousands of beavers each year. This killing is cruel and frequently fruitless since refuge-seeking beavers quickly recolonize targeted areas, and non-lethal methods are more effective at mitigating the impacts of beaver activity.

The bill would provide $3 million annually for humane, non-lethal beaver mitigation alternatives, such as water flow control devices, mesh fencing, culvert-protective fencing, and pond levelers. State and federal agencies, local governments, Tribes, landowners, and nonprofits would all be eligible to receive funding.

These investments have been proven to save taxpayers money:

• A study in Virginia compared the costs of repairing road damage caused by beavers at 14 sites before and after using flow devices. The state transportation department saved hundreds of thousands of dollars per year with the non-lethal method. Specifically, the ‘before’ costs were more than $300,000 per year, which included preventive road maintenance, damage repairs, and lethal removal of beavers. The cost of installing flow devices was less than $45,000 and maintenance costs were $277 per year.
• A 20-year project in Billerica, Massachusetts found that the average cost of beaver trapping and dam breaching was $409 per site per year, while the cost of installing and maintaining flow devices was $229 per site per year. By investing in flow devices at sites where they were feasible, Billerica saved its taxpayers $7,740 per year.

“Washington state is at the forefront of the expansion of non-lethal beaver mitigation methods,” said DelBene. “The DAMS for Beavers Act will invest in cost-effective, long-term solutions that will prevent beaver damage to infrastructure and private property across the nation while allowing beavers to continue their ecologically beneficial restoration work.”

“The DAMS for Beavers Act will allow organizations like Beavers Northwest to provide low-cost services to landowners to manage flooding, protect infrastructure, and coexist with beavers,” said Elyssa Kerr, Executive Director of Beavers Northwest. “With the assistance and incentives from this bill, stakeholders will be able to serve more landowners at lower cost resulting in more beavers on the landscape. More beavers mean more wetlands to support salmon, frogs, waterfowl, and all the other wildlife that can benefit from these special habitats. We look forward to being able to offer landowners this opportunity for cost share to address any beaver conflict concerns while retaining critical beaver-created habitats throughout Western Washington and beyond!”

“Beavers play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems,” said Nancy Blaney, Director of Government Affairs, Animal Welfare Institute. “The DAMS for Beavers Act will make an important investment in long-term, nonlethal solutions that will not only benefit beavers but also support communities, promote climate resilience, and protect infrastructure.”

“The DAMS for Beavers Act will protect our infrastructure, create jobs, as well as restore and protect our natural resources with proven, cost-effective methods,” said Adam Burnett, Executive Director, Beaver Institute. “Our nonprofit Beaver Institute has trained professionals across the U.S. ready to do this work. We strongly support this much-needed national legislation.”

This bill is cosponsored by Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01).

This legislation has been endorsed by over 60 organizations and Tribes, including the Animal Welfare Institute, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Center for Biological Diversity, California Academy of Sciences, International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute, Sierra Wildlife Coalition, Trinity County Natural Resources Division, Beaver & Wildlife Solutions, Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Humane Society of the United States, Beaver Institute, FOUR PAWS USA, Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife, Western Nebraska Resources Council, Albuquerque Wildlife Federation, Animal Protection New Mexico, Rio Grande Return, The Rewilding Institute, WildEarth Guardians, Wildlife for All, Protect Our Wildlife, Vermont Wildlife Coalition, Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund, Humane Voters of Washington, Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance, Methow Beaver Project, Potomac Valley Audubon Society, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, and Wyoming Untrapped.

The text can be found here.