These four papers, three of which are co-authored by The WATER Institute, refute the long-held belief that beaver are not native to California.
Novel Physical Evidence that Beaver Historically were Native to the Sierra Nevada
James, C. D. and R. B. Lanman (California Fish and Game 98:129-132, 2012)
This paper (James and Lanman 2012) brings to light the buried beaver dam wood dug up in Sierra in the late 80’s and carbon dated 580, 1730, and 1850 A.D. This is significant because it proves that beaver occurred in the Sierra before European settlers arrived. This refutes’ California Fish and Wildlife’s long-held belief that beaver are not native to the Sierra above 1,000 feet in elevation. This erroneous belief was based on reports issued in 1937 and 1942, when few beaver left and no modern means to verify their historic presence.
The Historical Range of Beaver in the Sierra Nevada: a Review of the Evidence
Lanman, R. B., H. Perryman, B. Dolman and C. D. James (California Fish and Game 98:65-80, 2012)
The OAEC WATER Institute and fellow beaver advocates published this paper on the historic evidence of beaver in the Sierra Nevada in 2012 in the California Fish and Game Journal, a major peer-reviewed scientific publication. This is significant because it provides extensive physical, historical, and ethnographic evidence that indicate beaver, in fact, occurred across most of the Sierra Nevada prior to European contact.
The Historical Range of Beaver (Castor canadensis) in Coastal California: an Updated Review of the Evidence
Lanman, C. W., K. Lundquist, H. Perryman, J. E. Asarian, B. Dolman, R. B. Lanman, and M. M. Pollock (California Fish and Game 99:193-221, 2013)
In 2013, Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman co-authored this peer-reviewed scientific paper, re-evaluating the historic evidence of beaver on the California coast. This significant body of evidence, along with that from the Sierra papers, has supported the rewriting of the historic range map of beaver to include most of California.
The Historic Range of Beaver in the North Coast of California: a Review of the Evidence
K. Lundquist, et al., 2013
In 2013, Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman, co-authored this report commissioned by The Nature Conservancy on the historic evidence of beaver on the north coast of California, where Coho salmon occur. It includes detailed maps, historic illustrations, tables, and appendices.