A Closer Look at KVRC's Tailored Restoration Approach

As our work at the Beaver Creek site shifts to planting and monitoring, planning is underway for our next project site, Onahu Creek.

Just as a physician would treat a broken bone differently from a sore throat, each of our project sites—Beaver, Onahu, Upper Baker, and Lower Baker Creek—has unique needs, and our restoration methods are specifically tailored to address them. Here’s how and why restoration at Beaver Creek and Onahu Creek will look slightly different.

A Custom Fit: Beaver Creek vs. Onahu Creek

Beaver and Onahu Creeks suffer similar issues: intricate dams and their resulting benefits deteriorated in the absence of beavers. This caused stream channels to become "incised"—meaning the stream cuts too deeply into the landscape, like a trench. This deep incision disconnects the river from its natural floodplain, drying out wetlands and reducing the stream's capacity to hold water and support the Valley’s natural functions.

At Beaver Creek, the damage was severe. Stream channels were deeply incised, with banks actively collapsing. KVRC used intensive methods, including Simulated Beaver Structures (SBS), to address this. These large, engineered structures were crucial for quickly raising water levels, creating essential deep pools, and significantly helping the channel reconnect with its floodplain, allowing water to spread out across the landscape again. We also faced a greater challenge with non-native plant species here, requiring extensive management efforts. This is one of the reasons we started our work at Beaver Creek.

Pictured Left: Beaver Creek in July 2022. Notice the incised stream and shallow water.

Pictured Right: Beaver Creek in May 2025, after instream structures have been installed.

Onahu Creek’s channel is less incised (the stream hasn't cut down as deeply), and more of the existing, older willow stands have healthy root systems. This allows for a "softer touch." Instead of the larger SBS, we'll primarily use Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs)—essentially patching old beaver dam locations to raise water by one to three feet—and Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS). These simpler, yet highly effective, structures will help slow water flow, promote sediment accumulation across the project reach, encourage beneficial sediment build-up, and gently promote a healthier, more complex stream environment. We also anticipate that restoring Onahu will require less sustained effort to remove non-native plants and replant willows and alders compared to Beaver Creek.

Onahu Creek, 2025

Common Goals, Custom Methods

Despite their differences in required intervention, both sites face a shared challenge: elk and moose love to browse on young willows. Willows are vital because they provide food and building material for beavers, and their roots help stabilize stream banks. That's why both Beaver and Onahu Creeks will receive protective exclosure fences to give native vegetation the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Our goal at every site is the same: to restore the natural processes of the larger ecological system. By increasing the abundance of diverse wetland and aquatic habitats, improving the stream channel, and fostering natural interactions among native species, we’re building a more resilient ecosystem. This means that a healthier stream will dissipate flood energy, retain more water during droughts, improve water quality, and provide richer wildlife habitats—all contributing to a vibrant Kawuneeche Valley.

Stay tuned for more updates as we begin our work at Onahu Creek, moving us closer to a balanced Kawuneeche Valley!