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
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| Type | type of beaver dam | Active Dam: actively maintained by beaver Inactive Dam: no longer maintained by beaver but exists near active colonies Relic Dam: historically maintained by beaver colonies that have been extirpated from system Uncertain: unsure if dam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 |