House approves limited ban on beaver trapping on impaired public waterways, prompting rural‑urban debate

The House passed House Bill 39 32, which prohibits beaver trapping on public lands within waterways that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has designated as impaired — an action sponsors said will allow beaver activity to restore and improve degraded riparian habitat.

Sponsor Representative Marsh argued beaver dams provide low‑cost, natural benefits — recharging groundwater, improving water quality and creating wildlife habitat — and said targeted closures would keep beavers in areas where they can help restore impaired waterways. She noted the bill allows removal of beavers when they cause damage to infrastructure or adjacent private lands and includes an off‑ramp: if a stream is removed from DEQ’s impaired list for six consecutive years, the Fish and Wildlife Commission may reopen the stream to trapping.

Opponents, including Representatives Bridal, Bobby Levy, Boyce and Osborne, raised concerns that the bill removes key management discretion from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), risks long‑term ecological harms such as increased sedimentation or warmer stream temperatures for cold‑water fish, and could overwhelm agency resources because DEQ has only surveyed a portion of the state’s streams. They warned of private landowner impacts where adjacent public lands host beaver colonies, and cited national examples where trapping bans produced infrastructure damage.

The bill reserves tribe co‑management through cooperative agreements and allows lethal removal when necessary. It passed on final reading after extended debate and will move to the Senate.