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Bill to allow voluntary beaver relocation from western to central/eastern Oregon draws opposition from restoration experts
Summary
Senate Bill 354 would authorize the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to include voluntary relocation of beavers from Western Oregon to Central and Eastern Oregon to enhance watersheds and wetlands.
Senate Bill 354 would require the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to include in its voluntary beaver relocation program the option to relocate beavers from Western Oregon into areas of Central and Eastern Oregon where beavers are native, with the stated aim of providing watershed enhancement.
Sponsor Senator David Brock Smith said historical beaver populations once shaped Eastern Oregon landscapes and that reintroducing beavers could restore wetlands, store water and benefit habitat. He described voluntary relocation as "another tool in the toolbox" and said many Western Oregon culverts become plugged annually, producing local conflicts in areas with dense beaver populations.
Jefferson Jacobs, a riparian restoration ecologist with the Oregon Desert Association, testified in opposition. Jacobs said he has worked on restoration projects for nearly 20 years and that relocating beavers is "not an effective or humane way to achieve restoration goals." He argued relocation is stressful and often fatal for animals, can cause overcrowding where beavers already exist, and will not succeed where habitat conditions are unsuitable. He recommended supporting other bills (HB 3143 and HB 2984, as he cited them) that fund nonlethal coexistence strategies and habitat restoration instead of translocation.
Senator Pruzanski questioned whether beavers translocated into Eastern Oregon have remained in past efforts; the sponsor and some senators acknowledged predation and suitability concerns. Committee members and witnesses discussed alternatives such as artificial beaver dams and habitat restoration techniques already employed in some Eastern Oregon projects.
The hearing record shows the committee accepted written testimony for 48 hours after the meeting but did not record a vote or final action in the transcript.
Ending
The committee closed the public hearing after testimony for and against the relocation approach. Restoration experts urged nonlethal coexistence and habitat work over translocation; sponsors argued voluntary relocation could be another tool for watershed enhancement.
