{"id":2235,"date":"2026-05-21T09:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/21\/as-floods-get-worse-britain-tries-a-new-solution-beavers\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:41:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:41:31","slug":"as-floods-get-worse-britain-tries-a-new-solution-beavers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2235","title":{"rendered":"As floods get worse, Britain tries a new solution: beavers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"storytitle\">\n<h1>As floods get worse, Britain tries a new solution: beavers<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORYTITLE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"story-meta\" class=\"story-meta has-byline\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one-inner\">\n<div class=\"dateblock\">\n    <time datetime=\"2026-05-21T05:00:00-04:00\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"date\">May 21, 2026<\/span><span class=\"time\">5:00 AM ET<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/time>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"program-block\">\n                        Heard on             <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/programs\/morning-edition\/2026\/05\/21\/morning-edition-for-may-21-2026\">Morning Edition<\/a>\n         <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"PROGRAM-BLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE-INNER\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-meta__two\">\n<div id=\"storybyline\" class=\"storybyline-wrap linkLocation\">\n<div class=\"bucketwrap byline\">\n<div class=\"byline-container--block\">\n<div class=\"byline byline--block byline--has-link\" aria-label=\"Byline\">\n<div class=\"byline__photo\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/463861805\/lauren-frayer\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1230x1230+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/png\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcd%2F30%2F7e0f6ddb4c87814cdabe042aba01%2Fscreenshot-2024-08-29-at-11-27-03-am.png\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Headshot of Lauren Frayer\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1230x1230+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcd%2F30%2F7e0f6ddb4c87814cdabe042aba01%2Fscreenshot-2024-08-29-at-11-27-03-am.png\" data-format=\"png\"><br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<p class=\"byline__name byline__name--block\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/463861805\/lauren-frayer\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n      Lauren Frayer<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP BYLINE\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__TWO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"STORY-META\" CLASS=\"STORY-META HAS-BYLINE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"headlineaudio\" class=\"storylocation linkLocation\">\n<article id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-1056\" class=\"bucketwrap resaudio unavailable\" aria-label=\"audio-module\">\n<div class=\"audio-module\">\n<h4 class=\"audio-module-title\">As floods get worse, Britain tries a new solution: beavers<\/h4>\n<div class=\"audio-module-controls-wrap\">\n<div class=\"audio-module-controls\">\n            <b class=\"audio-availability-message\">Audio will be available later today.<\/b>\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"storytext\" class=\"storytext storylocation linkLocation\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121649\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 3000;--source-height: 2001\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2001+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F82%2F32%2F0a2907d744768c7d8e350f7e9c96%2Fgettyimages-1729364108.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2001+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F82%2F32%2F0a2907d744768c7d8e350f7e9c96%2Fgettyimages-1729364108.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A long, brown beaver swims in marshy water filled with foliage. The blurry head and hand of a man is in the lower-right part of the frame.\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                This beaver was released on Oct. 11, 2023, in Greenford, England, as part of the Ealing Beaver Project. A family of five beavers, two adults and three kits, was released into the 20-acre Paradise Fields nature reserve in West London, becoming the first beavers in the west of the British capital in 400 years.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about how local communities are\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/1199537689\/climate-week\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>moving forward on climate solutions<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"hr\">\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<p>LONDON \u2014 Until two years ago, West London&#8217;s Greenford Tube station used to flood whenever it rained heavily. The train tracks are aboveground, but the ticket office would often get inundated. Sandbags still line the corridor.<\/p>\n<p>But in October 2023, a new family moved in nearby, determined to halt the water. The family members built their house from scratch with local wood and kept odd hours, sleeping all day and working only at dawn and dusk. They even put their young children to work.<\/p>\n<p>The new neighbors were beavers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121651\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2411;--source-height: 1608\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2411x1608+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4b%2F30%2F7d22514047319d5bfd0c33c571ce%2Fgettyimages-1729356568.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2411x1608+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4b%2F30%2F7d22514047319d5bfd0c33c571ce%2Fgettyimages-1729356568.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"This close-up photo shows the head of a beaver skimming the surface of the water as it swims in a pond after being released on October 11, 2023, in Greenford, England, as part of the Ealing Beaver Project.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A beaver swims in a pond after being released on Oct. 11, 2023, in Greenford, England, as part of the Ealing Beaver Project. The beavers that were released are part of an unlikely effort to bring back a vanished species and help Britain adapt to a very modern problem: climate change.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121904\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2500;--source-height: 1667\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2500x1667+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9d%2Ffa%2F63ffb7a9415fa5c9d1871a94c13f%2Fdsc2662.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2500x1667+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9d%2Ffa%2F63ffb7a9415fa5c9d1871a94c13f%2Fdsc2662.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A red double-decker bus passes underneath a train bridge arch at Greenford Tube station.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                West London&#8217;s Greenford Tube station used to flood whenever it rained heavily. The train tracks are aboveground, but the ticket office would often get inundated. Now, a nearby pond and wetland created by reintroduced beavers has helped mitigate flooding in the area.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The beavers are part of an unlikely effort to bring back a vanished species and help Britain adapt to a very modern problem: climate change.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5734477\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/20\/nx-s1-5734477\/denver-geothermal-network-sewage\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/20\/nx-s1-5734477\/denver-geothermal-network-sewage\"}'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x2000+412+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc8%2F20%2F6f9b990f4571baaea5869b2c7a5f%2Fgettyimages-2274055779.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x2000+412+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc8%2F20%2F6f9b990f4571baaea5869b2c7a5f%2Fgettyimages-2274055779.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x2000+412+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc8%2F20%2F6f9b990f4571baaea5869b2c7a5f%2Fgettyimages-2274055779.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"This photo shows the skyline of Denver, with many tall and modern buildings.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/1199537689\/climate-week\">NPR&#8217;s Climate Solutions Week <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/20\/nx-s1-5734477\/denver-geothermal-network-sewage\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/20\/nx-s1-5734477\/denver-geothermal-network-sewage\"}'>Denver has a plan to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels. It involves \u2026 sewage?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Britain is famous for drizzle, but climate change is making rainfall <a href=\"https:\/\/weather.metoffice.gov.uk\/climate-change\/effects-of-climate-change\" target=\"_blank\">heavier and more erratic<\/a>. Places that didn&#8217;t used to flood are now waterlogged. So scientists have enlisted some of the animal kingdom&#8217;s best flood engineers \u2014 beavers \u2014 to help.<\/p>\n<p>In West London, conservationists got a government license to resettle a family of five beavers in a 20-acre urban park near the Greenford Tube station. It used to be a golf course, with a creek running through it. Within weeks, the beavers dammed up the creek, creating a pond that holds water and stops it from spilling into the city. They also diverted the creek&#8217;s flow into smaller tributaries, creating a wetland that better absorbs heavy rainfall \u2014 mitigating the risk of flooding downstream.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-101\" class=\"bucketwrap statichtml\">\n<p data-pym-loader data-child-src=\"https:\/\/apps.npr.org\/dailygraphics\/graphics\/beavers-20260512\/paradise.html\" id=\"responsive-embed-beavers-20260512-paradise\"> Loading&#8230; <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They effectively turned this site into a giant sponge that can take heavy rainfall and slowly release water back into the landscape, creating a lot more resilience for flooding,&#8221; explains Sean McCormack, a local veterinarian who started the <a href=\"https:\/\/theealingbeaverproject.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ealing Beaver Project<\/a>, named for the London borough of Ealing, where it&#8217;s located.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121657\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 3000;--source-height: 2236\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2236+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fec%2F4b%2Fc0432d294c04b4656e3f734003e0%2Fbeaversdip.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2236+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fec%2F4b%2Fc0432d294c04b4656e3f734003e0%2Fbeaversdip.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt='The photo on the left shows a yellow, diamond-shaped \"Beaver Crossing\" sign attached to a wooden post in a tree-filled area. The photo on the right shows a tree with a thick tree trunk that has been heavily gnawed by beavers, creating a precarious-looking narrowing of the trunk near the bottom of it.' loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Scenes from the Paradise Fields nature reserve in Greenford, West London, where a family of five beavers has transformed what used to be a golf course into an urban wetland that helps absorb heavy rainfall and prevent  local flooding.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121840\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 3000;--source-height: 2121\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2121+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1c%2F9d%2F70542d904019810bb72a345b5971%2Fdsc2829-recrop.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2121+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1c%2F9d%2F70542d904019810bb72a345b5971%2Fdsc2829-recrop.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"In this photo, Sean McCormack sits on a log in a marshy area near a tree whose trunk has been gnawed by beavers. He is wearing binoculars around his neck and overall-style waders.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Sean McCormack, a local veterinarian, started the Ealing Beaver Project with Elliot Newton, a rewilding expert with the conservation group Citizen Zoo.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Not only has the local Tube station stopped flooding, but the beavers have also coaxed back other species.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-102\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5734484\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/18\/nx-s1-5734484\/trump-montana-climate-change-indigenous-tribes-wildfires\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/18\/nx-s1-5734484\/trump-montana-climate-change-indigenous-tribes-wildfires\"}'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1667x1667+454+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2F8d%2F511c3c8449849ff6f0b37ba64488%2F359a8400-2.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1667x1667+454+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2F8d%2F511c3c8449849ff6f0b37ba64488%2F359a8400-2.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1667x1667+454+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2F8d%2F511c3c8449849ff6f0b37ba64488%2F359a8400-2.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Mike Durglo Jr.  stands on a hillside above a river looking towards a mountain range. Durglo has devoted his life to preparing his home and his people for climate change. As the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes climate change coordinator he wrote one of the first tribal climate action plans in the country over 15 years ago.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/1199537689\/climate-week\">NPR&#8217;s Climate Solutions Week <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/18\/nx-s1-5734484\/trump-montana-climate-change-indigenous-tribes-wildfires\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/18\/nx-s1-5734484\/trump-montana-climate-change-indigenous-tribes-wildfires\"}'>Montana tribes combine traditional knowledge and Western science in climate plan<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-102\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;By felling trees, they&#8217;ve also opened up the canopy, and we&#8217;ve seen an abundance of biodiversity,&#8221; McCormack says.<\/p>\n<p>Freshwater shrimp have appeared in the creek, he says, plus eight new species of birds, two types of bats and rare <a href=\"https:\/\/ealingwildlifegroup.com\/2025\/11\/14\/rare-butterfly-egg-count\" target=\"_blank\">brown hairstreak<\/a> butterflies, which lay their eggs on blackthorn branches nibbled by beavers.<\/p>\n<p>The beavers have also allowed the city to scrap expensive plans to dig a reservoir and levee.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We said the beavers can do it for a fraction of the cost, certainly more sustainably,&#8221; McCormack says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121660\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2997;--source-height: 2000\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2997x2000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2Fe3%2Ffc783d314016bbb00e5da296e738%2Fdsc2394.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2997x2000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F97%2Fe3%2Ffc783d314016bbb00e5da296e738%2Fdsc2394.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"This photo shows a close-up of the screen of a smartphone that's being held by a pair of hands. The person holding the phone is photographing the tiny white eggs of the brown hairstreak butterfly, which are on the branches of a blackthorn.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A tour participant photographs the tiny white eggs of the rare brown hairstreak butterfly. Research indicates that the hairstreak may benefit from beavers nibbling on blackthorn, which encourages the new growth on which the butterflies prefer to lay their eggs.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121664\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2000;--source-height: 1335\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x1335+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa9%2F3b%2F763b8dba491f9bbb067d7c48d850%2Fdsc2598.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x1335+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa9%2F3b%2F763b8dba491f9bbb067d7c48d850%2Fdsc2598.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A cyclist rides a bicycle along a path at the Ealing Beaver Project in Greenford, London, on March 28, 2026. Both sides of the path are lined by trees with white and pink blossoms. In the distance, a pedestrian is ahead of the cyclist on the path.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Commuters, tourists and recreationists enjoy hiking paths \u2014 and sometimes stop to watch the beavers in action \u2014 inside the Paradise Fields nature reserve.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Now, joggers and teenagers stop to gawk at the beavers in action. There are guided walks and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/cc\/ealing-beaver-project-guided-walks-and-safaris-2831239\" target=\"_blank\">beaver safaris<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On a recent spring evening, a reddish-brown adult scampered in and out of the water, chomping on a felled willow tree. Eurasian beavers can weigh up to 65 pounds; this one was the size of a fat golden retriever.<\/p>\n<p>The Ealing Beaver Project is one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rewildingbritain.org.uk\/why-rewild\/reintroductions-key-species\/key-species\/eurasian-beaver\" target=\"_blank\">dozens of sites<\/a> across Britain where land managers are using beavers to restore wetlands and tame flooding.<\/p>\n<p>But first, they had to bring them back from extinction.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-103\" class=\"bucketwrap statichtml\">\n<p data-pym-loader data-child-src=\"https:\/\/apps.npr.org\/dailygraphics\/graphics\/beavers-20260512\/dam.html\" id=\"responsive-embed-beavers-20260512-dam\"> Loading&#8230; <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-103\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Reintroducing beavers to Britain for the first time in centuries<\/h3>\n<p>In Britain, humans <a href=\"https:\/\/beavertrust.org\/beaver-basics\/beaver-history\/\" target=\"_blank\">hunted beavers to extinction<\/a> more than 400 years ago. By the early 20th century, only about 1,200 native beavers were left in Europe and northern Asia, surviving in parts of Norway, France, Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Mongolia and China. Sweden <a href=\"https:\/\/beavertrust.org\/from-bjuralven-to-britain-103-years-of-beaver-comebacks-and-why-were-still-catching-up\/\" target=\"_blank\">reintroduced them<\/a> in the 1920s, and other countries followed \u2014 part of a broader effort to restore native species.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-104\" class=\"bucketwrap statichtml\">\n<p data-pym-loader data-child-src=\"https:\/\/apps.npr.org\/dailygraphics\/graphics\/beavers-20260512\/crate.html\" id=\"responsive-embed-beavers-20260512-crate\"> Loading&#8230; <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-104\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p>By studying fossils, scientists determined that today&#8217;s Norwegian beavers are genetically most similar to the beavers that lived in Britain centuries ago. So in 2009, wildlife officials relocated two Norwegian beavers to <a href=\"https:\/\/scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk\/our-work\/our-projects\/scottish-beavers\/beavers-in-knapdale-report\/\" target=\"_blank\">Knapdale Forest<\/a>, a temperate rainforest in western Scotland. That pair, named Millie and Bjornar, became the Adam and Eve of the modern-day British beaver population. The Scottish forestry department <a href=\"https:\/\/forestryandland.gov.scot\/blog\/meet-the-beavers-of-knapdale\" target=\"_blank\">calls them<\/a> the &#8220;original beaver power couple.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We became kind of attached to Millie and Bjornar,&#8221; says Pete Creech, a forest ranger who remembers when they arrived, scrambling out of crates and splashing into a loch. He recalls their enthusiasm: &#8220;Lots of squeaking!&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121699\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2997;--source-height: 2000\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2997x2000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc2%2Fd6%2F653d1b854d65a2751ee2e7d5d242%2Fdsc2401.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2997x2000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc2%2Fd6%2F653d1b854d65a2751ee2e7d5d242%2Fdsc2401.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Participants of a guided tour peer over the edge of a stream that beavers have dammed by clustering sticks together.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Participants of a guided tour look at a dam built by beavers in a nature reserve in Greenford. Beavers build dams in part to raise water levels and hide underwater from predators.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121652\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2500;--source-height: 1667\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2500x1667+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2Fe8%2F8f33346c4e41b2b889101c1b6111%2Fdsc9622.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2500x1667+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff9%2Fe8%2F8f33346c4e41b2b889101c1b6111%2Fdsc9622.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A boy, Oliver Hughes, and his father, Michael Hughes, look through binoculars while scanning the surrounding marshland for beavers.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Oliver Hughes and his father, Michael Hughes, who traveled from North Wales to celebrate Oliver&#8217;s birthday, keep their binoculars trained on the marshland, hoping to spot the resident beavers living at the Ealing Beaver Project.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Creech set up hidden cameras to capture their crepuscular (dawn and dusk) movements. Within weeks, the beavers dammed up a tiny river, creating an enormous lagoon where swans now nest.<\/p>\n<p>While the United Kingdom overall is getting wetter, some areas \u2014 including parts of Scotland \u2014 are getting drier, even seeing a <a href=\"https:\/\/committees.parliament.uk\/committee\/52\/environment-food-and-rural-affairs-committee\/news\/213243\/the-growing-threat-of-wildfires-efra-committee-investigates\/#:~:text=The%20Climate%20Change%20Committee%20has,from%20winter%20and%20visitor%20pressures.\" target=\"_blank\">growing threat of wildfires<\/a>. Beavers ensure this rainforest stays wet and, thus, abundant. That&#8217;s especially important at a time when wetlands are disappearing, with many drained for development.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Wetlands are one of the most biodiverse habitats in the world,&#8221; Creech notes. &#8220;The U.K. has lost over 95% of its wetlands, and now we&#8217;re frantically trying to put them back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone thinks rodents are the best way to do that, though.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121713\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 3000;--source-height: 2000\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa7%2F7c%2Fb54afbfd491196eea91e02f8c2ac%2Fdsc2919.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa7%2F7c%2Fb54afbfd491196eea91e02f8c2ac%2Fdsc2919.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A black coot with a white forehead paddles through the marshland at the Ealing Beaver Project. The water bird has a ducklike shape, and reedlike foliage rises up from the waters of the marsh.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A coot paddles through the marshland at the Ealing Beaver Project.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Conflict with farmers<\/h3>\n<p>Unlike in London, where they&#8217;re enclosed in urban parks, beavers in Scotland went forth and multiplied, spreading onto private land. Their numbers have been boosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/article\/2024\/aug\/28\/conservationists-warn-unauthorised-releases-beavers-english-rivers\" target=\"_blank\">beaver bombers<\/a> \u2014 renegade wildlife enthusiasts who&#8217;ve released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/clygl4dv4rno\" target=\"_blank\">unlicensed beavers<\/a> into areas where they might not be welcome.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As the beaver population has expanded, we&#8217;ve seen more [farmers] getting concerned,&#8221; says Kate Maitland, a regional representative for Scotland&#8217;s National Farmers Union.<\/p>\n<p>Beavers can dam up irrigation channels, flooding crops.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s quite devastating to see acres and acres of your land sitting underwater,&#8221; Maitland says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121725\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 3000;--source-height: 2000\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F53%2Fa4%2F66eec4f64402b2c49f6d5428e7c4%2Fgettyimages-2157647583-1.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x2000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F53%2Fa4%2F66eec4f64402b2c49f6d5428e7c4%2Fgettyimages-2157647583-1.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"In this 2024 photo, Tom Bowser looks through binoculars as he stands at the edge of a pond in Scotland. Two other people sit on a bench near the edge of the pond.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Tom Bowser (left, with binoculars) is a fifth-generation Scottish farmer who runs beaver-watching tours, like this one in June 2024, on his farm near Doune, Perthshire, Scotland. Beavers were reintroduced in Scotland in 2009, after having been hunted to extinction.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Andy Buchanan\/AFP via Getty Images<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Andy Buchanan\/AFP via Getty Images<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>They can also fell centuries-old trees and collapse riverbanks, exacerbating erosion. Maitland, a farmer&#8217;s daughter, says she once got the full length of her leg stuck in a beaver burrow while walking along the banks of a stream on her family&#8217;s land.<\/p>\n<p>The Scottish government has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.scot\/doc\/beaver-mitigation-support-through-government-grant-schemes\" target=\"_blank\">set up a fund<\/a> to rebuild riverbanks and other beaver damage, if repairs are in the public interest. That doesn&#8217;t typically cover damage to private land.<\/p>\n<p>Some farmers shoot beavers, though they need a license to do so, since <a href=\"https:\/\/cieem.net\/resource\/beavers-protection-and-management-guidance\/\" target=\"_blank\">beavers<\/a> are a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.scot\/professional-advice\/protected-areas-and-species\/protected-species\/protected-species-z-guide\/beaver\/protected-species-beavers\" target=\"_blank\">protected species<\/a>. It&#8217;s also illegal to disassemble beaver dams or lodges that are more than two weeks old. Instead, farmers are encouraged to call wildlife officials, who trap and relocate beavers. That&#8217;s where London&#8217;s beavers came from.<\/p>\n<p>Other farmers have learned to like the new neighbors \u2014 and even celebrate them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121726\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 3000;--source-height: 1999\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F9a%2F991b2cb9466ca5bbc12537b40991%2Fgettyimages-2157647268.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1999+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F9a%2F991b2cb9466ca5bbc12537b40991%2Fgettyimages-2157647268.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"In this June 2024 photo, the head of a beaver breaks through the surface of the water as the animal swims in a pond created by a beaver dam on Tom Bowser\u2019s farm near Doune, Perthshire, Scotland.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A beaver swims in a pond created by a beaver dam on Bowser&#8217;s farm on June 16, 2024. Beavers were hunted to extinction across Britain more than 400 years ago and were reintroduced in 2009. Some farmers oppose the reintroduction: Beavers can dam irrigation channels, collapse riverbanks and flood crops.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Andy Buchanan\/AFP via Getty Images<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Andy Buchanan\/AFP via Getty Images<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Learning to live with beavers<\/h3>\n<p>Tom Bowser is a fifth-generation farmer in central Scotland. He has empathy for his fellow farmers: &#8220;When you&#8217;re trying to grow food, the presence of a fat semiaquatic rodent who wants to raise water levels is understandably going to be unpopular!&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-105\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5734480\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/19\/nx-s1-5734480\/renewable-energy-utah\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/19\/nx-s1-5734480\/renewable-energy-utah\"}'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2016x2016+493+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F67%2F93%2Fc0cdfe6344e29e2ae9f3d71e3819%2Frenewable0935.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2016x2016+493+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F67%2F93%2Fc0cdfe6344e29e2ae9f3d71e3819%2Frenewable0935.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2016x2016+493+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F67%2F93%2Fc0cdfe6344e29e2ae9f3d71e3819%2Frenewable0935.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt='A man crosses a street in a town with a billboard that says \"Welcome to Coalville\" on the hillside at the end of the street. ' loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/1199537689\/climate-week\">NPR&#8217;s Climate Solutions Week <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/19\/nx-s1-5734480\/renewable-energy-utah\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/19\/nx-s1-5734480\/renewable-energy-utah\"}'>In conservative Utah, some communities are ditching fossil fuel power for clean energy<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-105\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/argatyredkites.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bowser&#8217;s farm<\/a> is strewn with trees felled by beavers. Many of the tree trunks have been whittled into hourglass shapes by beavers&#8217; sharp teeth. Some of them teeter, about to fall.<\/p>\n<p>He finds it fascinating.<\/p>\n<p>Bowser wraps young trees in chicken wire if he wants to protect them. (In London, officials painted trunks with sand, which gets stuck in beavers&#8217; teeth.) But he has found that the benefits outweigh the costs.<\/p>\n<p>A beaver dam has diverted floodwaters from his driveway, creating a pond lined with benches that&#8217;s frequented by tourists. He runs spring and summer beaver-watching tours that are especially popular with children, who previously knew beavers only from fairy tales.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We get people from all around the world coming here now!&#8221; Bowser says. &#8220;Growing up here, you didn&#8217;t see any car you didn&#8217;t recognize.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121742\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2000;--source-height: 1335\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x1335+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5f%2F90%2F911bbb014308aef03cf79ba65fef%2Fdsc9387.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x1335+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5f%2F90%2F911bbb014308aef03cf79ba65fef%2Fdsc9387.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Hunter Cannon, 10, stands among foliage, including branches bearing white blossoms, at the Ealing Beaver Project in Greenford, London.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Hunter Cannon, 10, from Harefield, London, takes a guided tour of the Ealing Beaver Project. Tourists and residents alike enjoy wildlife in the Paradise Fields nature reserve. As part of the Ealing Beaver Project, a family of five beavers was introduced into the park in 2023, damming up a creek, reducing flooding and boosting biodiversity.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Beaver fever is spreading<\/h3>\n<p>The beaver buzz is catching. The animals have made comebacks in Italy, Portugal and the Ukrainian part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/rewildingeurope.com\/landscapes\/danube-delta\/\" target=\"_blank\">Danube River delta<\/a>. In the United States, the <a href=\"https:\/\/methowbeaverproject.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Methow Beaver Project<\/a> releases them into fire-damaged areas of Washington state. In Idaho, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/landsat\/researchers-become-beaver-believers-after-measuring-the-impacts-of-rewilding\/\" target=\"_blank\">NASA is helping<\/a> track beavers&#8217; work.<\/p>\n<p>In Britain, beavers are especially popular with land managers who are short-staffed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"hr\">\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Want more stories like this? Sign up for NPR&#8217;s\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/newsletter\/news\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Up First Newsletter<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"hr\">\n<hr>\n<\/div>\n<p>South Norwood Country Park is a 125-acre nature reserve with only one employee. Volunteers do some of the ground maintenance. They even don waders to dredge streams once a year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s exactly the sort of work the beavers would do naturally,&#8221; says countryside warden Ian Glover. He has applied for a license and hopes to welcome beavers in 2028 or 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Like Ealing, South Norwood is on London&#8217;s urban periphery. It&#8217;s famous for birds, with boxes for kestrels to nest in perched atop poplars. The park&#8217;s peak bird count \u2014 177 species \u2014 goes back to 1935. But birds have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/en\/analysis\/indicators\/common-bird-index-in-europe\" target=\"_blank\">in decline<\/a> across Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Glover hopes beavers might help reverse that locally, by damming up streams and creating wetlands that attract more birds.<\/p>\n<p>Beavers build dams and raise water levels in part to hide from predators, Glover notes. But most of their predators \u2014 including wolves and bears \u2014 have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/britains-extinct-beasts\" target=\"_blank\">extinct in Britain<\/a> for centuries.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Obviously they haven&#8217;t gotten the memo,&#8221; Glover laughs.<\/p>\n<p>And these beavers have been so useful, nobody&#8217;s telling them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-121745\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2996;--source-height: 2000\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2996x2000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0c%2F15%2F8be82ecd4266bad6756d6dd6a406%2Fdsc9744.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2996x2000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0c%2F15%2F8be82ecd4266bad6756d6dd6a406%2Fdsc9744.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Participants on a guided tour of a new beaver habitat walk in a line through tall grass in the Paradise Fields nature reserve.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Participants join a guided tour of a new beaver habitat in the Paradise Fields nature reserve. The new reserve acts like a 20-acre sponge in the center of the British capital, helping to absorb heavy rainfall. Climate change is making rainfall more intense and erratic across Britain.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Sarah Tilotta for NPR<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5738979-106\" class=\"bucketwrap statichtml\">\n<p data-pym-loader data-child-src=\"https:\/\/apps.npr.org\/dailygraphics\/graphics\/climateweek-footer-20260513\/\" id=\"responsive-embed-climateweek-footer-20260513\"> Loading&#8230; <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5738979-106\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p><em>Edited by <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/1175305306\/rachel-waldholz\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Rachel Waldholz<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/450967219\/beavers\">beavers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/125938077\/climate-change\">climate change<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/126515086\/britain\">Britain<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/127771233\/flooding\">flooding<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"TAGS\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"share-tools share-tools--secondary\" aria-label=\"Share tools\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook\"><button class=\"fbStorynx-s1-5738979\" data-share-facebook='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5738979\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"facebook\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Facebook<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard\"><button class=\"storynx-s1-5738979\" data-share-flipboard='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5738979\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"flipboard\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Flipboard<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--email\"><button class=\"share-tools__email-link\" data-story-id=\"nx-s1-5738979\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"email\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Email<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"SHARE-TOOLS SHARE-TOOLS-SECONDARY\" ARIA-LABEL=\"SHARE TOOLS\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"NEWSLETTER-ACQUISITION-CALLOUT-DATA\" DATA-NEWSLETTER=\"{&amp;QUOT;NEWSLETTERID&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;NEWS&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;TITLE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;UP FIRST&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;MARKETINGHEADER&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;FREQUENCY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;EVERY DAY&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;SHORTDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;THE STORIES YOU NEED TO START YOUR DAY, HAND-PICKED FOR YOU EVERY WEEKDAY. PLUS, THE BEST OF NPR EVERY SUNDAY.&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;STICKYDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR THE NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST HEADLINES AND UNIQUE STORIES FROM THE NPR NETWORK.&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;CONTENTIMAGE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;HTTPS:\/\/NPR.BRIGHTSPOTCDN.COM\/E1\/16\/E7434747460F8691603795B6FF1C\/SCREEN-SHOT-2025-08-20-AT-1-47-26-PM.PNG&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;STATICMARKUPDIR&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;\/BUCKETS\/TOPICS\/HEADER1001.HTML&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;BRANDINGDIR&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;\/BRANDING\/SECTIONS\/NEWS\/&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;BRANDINGLINK&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;HTTPS:\/\/WWW.NPR.ORG\/SECTIONS\/NEWS\/&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;RECAPTCHASITEKEY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;6LCDN9IZAAAAAOHT985BJJBZJKBJKSXDXK3GEKST&amp;QUOT;}\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap\" class=\"callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap\">\n<!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO-WRAP\" CLASS=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO-WRAP\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"END-OF-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"RECOMMENDED-STORIES RECOMMENDED-STORIES-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"END-OF-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT\" CLASS=\"RECOMMENDED-STORIES\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As floods get worse, Britain tries a new solution: beavers May 21, 20265:00 AM ET Heard on Morning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}