Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund

Humans often kill beavers when their damming and tree-chewing behaviors cause problems such as flooding and destroyed vegetation. This approach is ineffective because new beavers will soon move into the empty habitat. Lethal trapping, dam destruction, and culvert unclogging are only temporary solutions that, in the long-run, are expensive and unsustainable.

Beavers and the wetland habitats they create are beneficial to people, plants, animals, and entire landscapes and watersheds. We believe it is possible for people to share land with live beavers while addressing flooding and tree-chewing problems using long-term, cost-effective solutions.

The Human Beaver Coexistence Fund (HBCF) educates the public about the benefits of coexisting with beavers and provides resources and financial support to address human-beaver conflict using nonlethal management strategies.

We accomplish this mission by offering a cost-share incentive program to help landowners and managers pay for beaver coexistence projects of two types:

Tree Protection: Funds will support landowners in purchasing the materials needed to deter beavers from chewing and felling trees.

Flow Device Installation: Funds will support landowners in installing flow devices to address flooding damage caused by beaver damming behavior.

We also share information and resources, on the ground and online, to educate communities about the benefits of and strategies for coexisting with beavers. We currently serve Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.