beaver from oregon flagFact Sheet:
Landowners Living With Beaver Grant Program Fund (HB 3143)

The Landowners Living With Beaver Grant Program Fund will be established within the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) through the Oregon Conservation & Recreation Fund (OCRF) to provide funding that supports beaver coexistence strategies for private landowners efficiently, quickly, and as needed.

Orchard fencing protects trees from crop damage.

Orchard fencing protects trees from crop damage.

Need for this fund:

  • Beaver habitats help to recharge groundwater, enhance fire resiliency, create climate refugia for other species, improve water quality, and support healthy habitat for salmon.
  • ODFW, with help from stakeholders, developed a 3-year Beaver Action Plan in 2023, which aims to advance restoration of beaver habitats and includes private lands. Landowners will benefit if financial assistance is made available to protect beaver habitats and advance the plan’s goals, yet there have been no funds allocated for this purpose.
  • In 2023, the legislature passed HB 3464, which removed the predatory animal status of beavers and shifted management on private lands from the Department of Agriculture to ODFW. This opened an opportunity provide an alternative to beaver extermination. Landowners now need to shift historical management practices.

Program structure:

  • OCRF will award block grant funds up to $50K to eligible applicants, including Watershed Councils, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and nonprofit organizations, for the purpose of implementing beaver mitigation projects on private land.
  • Grant funds may be used for non-lethal mitigation tools, including but not limited to tree protection tools, flood prevention devices, culvert and infrastructure protection systems, crop protection strategies, and landowner education/outreach.
  • A portion of funds may be used for developing technical skills and building statewide capacity for providing technical assistance.
  • Allocation of $1.5M continuously appropriated with a legislative report due in 2029.
culvert protection systems prevent beavers from entering.

Culvert protection systems prevent beavers from entering.

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