Audubon program to explore beavers' impacts on fisheries
Lake County Leader | UPDATED 1 hour, 51 minutes AGO
Beaver earns the adjective "busy" while gnawing on his latest building material. (Ron Hoffe photo)
Niall Clancy will discuss "Beavers and Their Impacts on Fish" during Mission Mountain Audubon's community program at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4, in the Polson Library Meeting Room.
Beavers are often celebrated as ecosystem engineers – but what do they really mean for fish? This talk explores the complex, sometimes surprising relationship between beaver dams and fish populations, from habitat creation and climate resilience to barriers and movement challenges.
Drawing on new research and field studies, Clancy will unpack whether beavers are friends, foes, or something in between for native fish.
The speaker, who is currently the director of the Fisheries Lab at Salish Kootenai College, is a freshwater ecologist with a particular affinity for streams and nongame species. He holds a bachelor’s in science from Montana State University, master’s from Utah State University, and doctorate from the University of Wyoming.
The program is free and open to the public.