The city of Paso Robles announced that the California Conservation Corps will be harvesting willow stakes from the Salinas river on October 1st.
The city says this is a regional pilot project aimed at enhancing environmental health and water quality in the upper Salinas corridor. Willow stakes will be carefully selected, and will be used to create beaver dam analogs (BDAS) at strategic locations in the river.
According to the city, BDAS are human-made structures that resemble beaver dams, which will encourage the development of beaver habitat. The presence of beaver dams promotes ecological diversity, improves water quality, regulates water flow, and reduces natural fire fuels.
This is a “significant step toward restoring natural processes within the river system and promoting long-term sustainability in the region,” according to the city.
