Coteay Creek stunx (Beaver) Dam Analogue

Project Overview:

In partnership with the Osoyoos Indian Band and the B.C. Wildlife Federation, the Okanagan Nation Alliance has a plan to restore the Wetlands and bring back the beavers. 

In collaboration, up to 60 structures will be installed within the Coteay Creek Watershed over the next two years. Two types of structures will be built: beaver dam analogues (BDAs) and post-assisted log structures (PALS). PALS use a technique that has been employed for centuries: driving vertical posts through the log structure to temporarily hold the wood in place, preventing it from floating away immediately or during the first high-flow event.

Historically, stunx (beavers) played a vital role in maintaining healthy wetlands throughout Syilx Territory, particularly in the Okanagan Creek watershed. Since European settlement, the loss of beaver populations and active damming has led to significant changes in the region’s hydrology. Streams are drying out, banks are eroding, vegetation is declining, and water quality is deteriorating—conditions further worsened by cattle activity.

This project aims to bring back the beavers by using methods of beaver mimicry such a creating Beaver Dam Analogues, which will in turn improve the regions hydrology and have many positive impacts on the environment.

What is a Beaver Dam Analogue (BDA)?

Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) are small, hand-built structures made from locally sourced natural materials designed to replicate the function of real beaver dams. Though temporary, they help initiate long-term ecological processes that improve stream and wetland healthy.

BDA’s Help to:

  • Slow water flow and reduce streambank erosion

  • Capture sediment and improve water quality

  • Raise groundwater levels and restore floodplain connectivity

  • Encourage the growth of native wetland and riparian vegetation

  • Create habitat for wildlife and improve grazing conditions for livestock

Coteay Creek Beaver Dam Analogue Fact Sheet

 

 

Project Media:

Beaver Dam Analogue Project Captured by IndigiNews CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY : People are imitating beavers to help them return – Indiginews

Project Progress/Status:

The project launched in Spring 2025 with initial site design, permit applications, and detailed planning and preparation. Construction of in-stream structures and monitoring activities are scheduled to take place throughout September and October 2025. As the project approaches completion in Spring 2026, ongoing monitoring will continue, followed by final reporting and evaluation.

Project Team:

Kasey Moran, Riparian Ecologist

ONA Ecosystems Project Manager

E: kmoran@syilx.org