US West expands beaver dams to fight drought

Conservation groups and government agencies are building wood-and-brush “starter homes” to attract beavers to streams across the increasingly dry American West. Beaver dams slow water and help maintain pools, support native fish, and create natural firebreaks, potentially making watersheds more resilient to drought and climate change. On a southwest Wyoming ranch, more than 100 human-made dams are helping beavers expand their habitat; advocates are also relocating beavers from places where they are unwanted to remote streams.