Yale Environment 360 reports that Baugh Creek in a remote Idaho valley has a newly-altered landscape as a result of beaver activity, as shown in newly released satellite imagery from NASA. Beavers erected dams that formed ponds and flooded meadows, supporting the growth of grasses and shrubs. A wide swath of healthy riparian vegetation now surrounds the stream, which is more verdant than other, nearby waterways.⁠ Its another case of nature’s engineers at work for nature.

Because beavers may create a nuisance by cutting trees or building dams, officials as early as the 1930s began trapping beavers near cities and dropping them “sometimes by parachute” into remote areas like Idaho’s wilderness.

The ponds and wet areas formed by the beavers guard against both drought and fire. The restored, healthy stream buffers resultant provide critical habitats to nearly all wildlife. The roots of the trees and shrubs along stream banks guard streams against excessive erosion.

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