Join us in discussion with Jakob Shockey, co-founder of Project Beaver, for an insightful webinar that explores a pivotal question, "How can we move towards coexistence and partnership with Nature even in places where we as humans have dramatically altered the landscapes?"  Looking to Nature and co-creative partnership, we will delve into the role of beavers as natural engineers and their crucial contributions to environmental health and sustainability.

During the webinar, you’ll learn about the critical ecological benefits that beavers provide. They create and maintain wetlands, essential for a diverse range of flora and fauna, which serve as natural water filters, reduce flooding risks, and help in carbon sequestration efforts. Jakob will discuss how the structures built by beavers, such as dams, can prevent flash flooding and reduce soil erosion, essential for restoring degraded landscapes and repairing damaged watersheds.

Despite their importance, beavers are often seen as nuisances. This session will challenge such views and highlight the need for a shift towards coexistence and appreciation of beavers as valuable partners in our environmental efforts.

Engage with us to explore how co-creative and co-existence efforts with beavers can lead to a more sustainable and resilient future for all life.

NOTE:  Slides were used in this episode.  To see the visual, visit the video recording here.

Jakob Shockey is a professional wildlife biologist, entrepreneur, land steward, and storyteller. His work focuses on restoring the natural process and order of resilient habitat, its wildlife, and the complex interrelationship with humans. He has been working professionally in Oregon’s streams, rivers and wetlands for over a decade. He is the foremost authority in mitigating beaver conflicts with human infrastructure in Oregon, through his company Beaver State Wildlife Solutions.  Jakob also co-founded and leads Project Beaver, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering humans to partner with beavers and value their works. 

Jakob lives in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southwestern Oregon, with his wife and their three children along the same creek he grew up swimming in. While Jakob remembers cannonballing into pools that teamed with young coho, that stream now goes dry every summer, and instead of swimming, his kids play with powdery rocks. That shift in baselines for what is perceived as “normal” in just one generation has animated his work.

Jakob values community, truth, awareness, and grace. He is a clear-eyed optimist, working for resilient human and non-human habitat with tools like strong inference and evolutionary theory. He flies a paraglider, climbs big trees, volunteers with Search and Rescue, plays the fiddle, and once gentled a wild horse, which he took with him to college. He also sings to himself, loves flying kites and can’t spell.

To learn more about Jakob and Project Beaver, visit their website at:  https://projectbeaver.org/

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