In Wisconsin we don’t have a shortage of beavers, despite over hunting and over trapping in the nineteenth century. But their resurgence isn’t without friction, especially as development encroaches on their environments. On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes is joined by journalist Bennet Goldstein whose recent reporting covers the ways that people are living with beavers and learning how to mitigate floods and drought from them.

Goldstein describes how human-built dams were constructed around Wisconsin in the early twentieth century to mitigate floods in the very hilly Driftless region. An increasing number of these earthen dams are failing. In lieu of federal funding support, local municipalities are stepping in and coming up with creative solutions to severe storm events, using beaver-inspired methods. 

Goldstein’s reporting brings to light the “symbiotic relationships” that are being developed, including mock beaver dams. This nature-based solution can keep water in the watershed, refill aquifers, and purify waterways, all of which is crucial for restoring watersheds. 

They also talk about urban beaver sightings and how “beaver believers” and wildlife management staff approach the relationship between humans and beavers. And they end the show talking about the importance of solutions journalism and the challenges of photographing beavers.

Bennet Goldstein reports on water and agriculture at Wisconsin Watch and serves on the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a collaborative reporting network across the Basin. Before this, Goldstein was on the breaking news team at the Omaha World-Herald in Nebraska. He has spent most of his career at daily papers in Iowa, including the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

Featured image of a beaver in the Wisconsin Mammals exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum in Milwaukee via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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