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Bill would limit beaver trapping on impaired waterways on public lands to aid water quality restoration
Summary
House Bill 39 32 would direct the Fish and Wildlife Commission to adopt rules prohibiting taking beavers on waterways that DEQ lists as impaired on public lands; sponsors say beavers help water quality and recharge groundwater while opponents say wildlife management should remain with ODFW.
Representative Pam Marsh told the committee she introduced House Bill 39 32 to “allow beavers to perform their natural benefits on waterways within public lands that have been identified as impaired by the Oregon DEQ.” Marsh said the intent is narrow: to prohibit recreational or commercial take of beavers on DEQ‑impaired waters on public lands so beavers can improve water quality, slow flows, recharge groundwater and create habitat.
Marsh said the bill includes an off‑ramp: a stream may be reopened to take if it is removed from DEQ’s impaired list for six consecutive years. She also said the bill preserves the ability to take beavers where they cause damage to adjacent private lands or infrastructure on public lands.
Scientific and practical testimony supported the bill. Dr. Katie Holzer, senior environmental scientist for the city of Gresham, gave study results showing beaver ponds can remove pollutants including heavy metals and nutrients, provide cooler bottom refuges for trout and salmon, and reduce heat in downstream reaches because beaver dams are porous. Jacob Shockey of Project Beaver and other witnesses described active restoration work and said retaining beavers on public lands helps restoration investments succeed.
Opponents urged caution. Andrew DeHart, an Oregon Trappers Association board member and licensed wildlife control operator, urged leaving harvest and management decisions to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, citing agency data and a 2022 beaver management plan; Jeremy Watson of the Oregon Trappers Association testified that beaver populations are prolific in suitable habitat and that habitat loss, not harvest alone, drives beaver absence in places.
Supporters noted DEQ impairment categories align with the ecological benefits beavers provide — temperature, sedimentation, dissolved oxygen and biological metrics — and urged the committee to allow interagency coordination so ODFW and DEQ can use beavers as a low‑cost restoration tool. The committee closed the hearing without action; written testimony may be submitted for 48 hours.
