What is beaver-based restoration and how can it help us?
A Science Pub lecture with Meg Waller, Environmental Scientist, and Restoration Program Manager with Bark.
About the Lecture
Climate change is impacting our environments more than ever. Our region is predicted to get less precipitation, both in the form of rain and snow, and in turn experience more frequent and intense wildfires over an extended fire season. This impacts humans, plants, animals and the land alike.
Considering these predictions, a major focus of restoration groups across the region is how to store more water. One of the most valuable partners in this water-focused restoration is beavers! By damming small streams, they create ponds and wetlands that store water and offer myriad other ecosystem benefits. Beavers benefit nearly all aspects of our ecosystems, storing and filtering water, sequestering carbon, increasing nutrients and boosting biodiversity.
After centuries of being hunted for their pelts and castoreum, beavers are having a moment or, more accurately, a movement. People from Oregon to Georgia to Scotland are teaming up to spread the word about the incredible work these semi-aquatic rodents can do and how beneficial they are to so many ecosystems. Beaver-based restoration is an emerging, holistic restoration method perfectly suited to a dynamic planet.
Science Pubs are a casual lecture series located in fun venues across the region, recommended for ages 10 and over.
Tickets
$8 suggested donation | Advance tickets recommended
Zoom Option
If you are unable to join us in person, you can watch on Zoom. You must register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About the Speaker
Meg Waller was raised on Lake Beluthahatchee in Northeast Florida – a black water swamp chock-full of gators, cypress trees, venomous snakes, and birds of prey. She moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2018 to pursue a degree in Environmental Science at Portland State University, and began volunteer work for Bark, a Portland-based environmental restoration company. After completing her degree in 2023, she joined Bark as a full-time employee, initially joining to update the National Wetland Inventory maps for Mt. Hood.
Through her on-site research with Bark, Meg began to grow a general knowledge of and interest in beavers, especially by way of leading Bark’s Beaver Habitat Surveys. Now, Meg’s work focuses on identifying areas on Mt. Hood to conduct restoration projects aimed at enticing beavers into new areas of the landscape. This work includes identifying habitats suitable for beaver reintroduction, and sharing crucial data with key Oregon conservation groups.
Meg is one of two Oregon-based co-leaders in the Beaver Institute‘s International Beaver Network, and a Lodgekeeper in the PNW Beaver Network. She leads a class on Environmental Justice and Salmon at Portland State University, and assist with the Parrott Creek Child and Family Services Cultural Ecology Project, which focused on Indigenous-led restoration on their 80-acre property, which is the active home of a local beaver family.
Questions? Email sciencepub@omsi.edu
Ticketing questions call 503.797.4000 x0
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are unable to join us in person, you can watch on zoom. You must register in advance via the Zoom link above. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
To guarantee a seat at this event, we recommend you purchase your ticket in advance. Please show your ticket at the check-in table in front of the theater upon arrival.
We will always have tickets available at the door. They are first-come, first-served and admission will remain a suggested donation
Mission Theater offers pizza and sides, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. No outside food or drink is allowed.
The Mission Theater is wheelchair accessible. They have a ramp leading to the theater’s side entrance on 17th Avenue; just let OMSI or McMenamins staff at the front door know you need ramp access.
Street parking is available in the area surrounding the theater. Some spaces may be free, while others may require payment via Parking Kitty. Note that Parking Kitty does not require payment after 7pm.