Beaver Census Protocol

Final Version: Production Grade

This protocol is production grade and fully supported in QRiS. Layers and metrics have been finalized by the owner to be used in data collection & metric calculation. Updates may occur to existing layers or metrics but will not result in data loss to the user.

Overview

The Beaver Census Protocol tracks beaver activity by logging the locations of dams and other signs of their presence, which is used in LTPBR planning to pinpoint sites where beaver populations currently exist or have historically colonized. This helps identify potential locations for translocation or suitable sites for LTPBR implementation.

Protocol Summary

Attribute	Value
Name	Beaver Census Protocol
Status	Production Grade
Version	1.0
XML URL	https://github.com/Riverscapes/RiverscapesXML/blob/master/QRiS/protocols/beaver_census_protocol.xml
Citation	Wheaton J.M., Bennett S.N., Bouwes, N., Maestas J.D. and Shahverdian S.M. (Editors). 2019. Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration of Riverscapes: Design Manual. Version 1.0. Utah State University Restoration Consortium. Logan, UT. 286 pp. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.19590.63049/2.
Author	Jordan Gilbert

Layers

The protocol consists of two point layers to assess beaver activity: Beaver Dams and Beaver Signs.

Attribute	Type	Description
Beaver Dam	Point	observations of beaver dams
Beaver Sign	Point	observations of beaver activity besides dam locations, such as lodges, chewed trees, and food caches

Layer Attributes

Beaver Dam

Field	Description	Values
Type	type of beaver dam	Active Dam: actively maintained by beaver Inactive Dam: no longer maintained by beaver but exists near active colonies Relic Dam: historically maintained by beaver colonies that have been extirpated from system Uncertain: unsure if dam is present or can't classify dam as active, inactive, or relic
Confidence	level of confidence for identifying dam location	High: confident that identified location is a dam Medium: reasonably confident that identified location is a dam Low: low confidence that identified location is a dam

Beaver Sign

Field	Description	Values
Type	type of beaver activity	Bank Den Bank Lodge Canal Chew Stick Clipped Vegetation Felled Tree Food Cache Harvested Branches Other Pond Excavation Pond Lodge Scat Scent Mound Set of Tracks Skid Trail Slide