Beavers are having a moment. In October in Boulder, I joined hundreds of people from around the globe at BeaverCON 2024. It was one of the hottest tickets in town and it did not disappoint. I got to hear firsthand from top beaver experts (yes, that’s a thing) about how one small mammal can have a huge positive impact on waterways and ecosystems.

Beavers are one of the best ways to maintain and restore ecosystems — and they do it in addition to the good work by landowners and scientists. As diligent architects of the ecosystem, beavers reshape stream and river corridors by dispersing water across the floodplain, saturating the terrain before it descends through valleys. 

Healthier riverscapes help support wetland vegetation, sustain fish species that thrive in calm water and ponds, and encourage more water to seep into the groundwater. Numerous fish and wildlife species favored by hunters and anglers rely on thriving wetlands and streams, and beavers play a vital role in creating and maintaining these essential habitats. Without beavers and the winding streams they construct, water rushes down the channel unrestrained, transporting sediment and causing erosion along its course.

Beavers could once be found across North America and numbered from 60 million to 400 million, but their populations suffered significant declines in the 1800s due to widespread historic trapping and removal across the West, including Colorado. Their disappearance from much of their natural range has negatively affected the health of riparian and wetland areas, leading to the deterioration of water and land habitats.

Rivers and river systems are integral to the health of Colorado’s natural habitat, and as a headwaters state, our state is the home to the origins of four of our nation’s major rivers. In the Colorado River Basin, we’ve seen climate change fuel extended drought, invasive species and intense wildfires. Increasing demand on water resources from municipal and agricultural users has placed the entire system under greater stress.

While beavers are known to be effective hard workers, their widespread removal over the past 150 years means they need a little help to carry out this function effectively. This is where a tool called low-tech, process-based restoration comes in. This tool focuses on restoring degraded river ecosystems by working to mimic natural processes (hint: beaver dams) and creating improved habitat that could better support beaver populations.

The Cameron Peak and East Troublesome mega fires of 2020 provided a look at how beavers have contributed mightily to resiliency of our landscape: The areas with beaver stuck out like green oasis in the middle of the burn scars. Watershed groups and some landowners have taken notice and are adopting this low-tech restoration tool in other communities in Colorado.

Some agricultural and other private landowners, as well as the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, are working together to restore river ecosystems. This is a positive step forward. 

And, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is beginning its work to develop a statewide beaver management plan. They are laying the foundation for a well-rounded approach to bring beaver populations back to some upper elevation watersheds. The goal is to improve drought resilience, boost water quality, and increase biodiversity — all while keeping human-beaver conflicts in check.

State support behind beaver management will help Colorado become more climate-resilient while addressing social and economic needs. Successful beaver recovery in Colorado will depend upon engaging more agricultural and private landowners from the start and addressing their concerns.

Surrounded by experts from around the world, BeaverCON truly reinforced the idea that beavers aren’t some comic book superheroes — they are actual superheroes with the potential to play a meaningful role in restoration and recovery efforts for Colorado’s river and stream ecosystems.

Madison Martin, of Lakewood, is a biologist, an avid outdoorswoman and the deputy director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation.

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Former Alabama defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis, the No. 1 defensive player in ESPN’s transfer rankings, has committed to Colorado, he told ESPN on Monday.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pound junior was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal and the No. 5 overall player in ESPN’s transfer rankings. He has two more seasons of eligibility.

Oatis, the No. 38 overall recruit in the 2022 ESPN 300, started 13 games over his first two seasons at Alabama and appeared in four games in 2024.

Oatis is the latest big-name transfer to join coach Deion Sanders at Colorado. The Buffaloes’ portal-heavy approach to rebuilding their roster paid off in 2024 with a 9-3 record and a No. 23 finish in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

Oatis told ESPN that he’s headed to Colorado to “make the team great again.”

He made the pick because of Sanders, defensive line coach Damione Lewis and analyst Warren Sapp. There’s a feeling that the combination of those three coaches can help Oatis maximize his vast potential.

“I feel like it’s beneficial for me, and I feel like I can give a lot of help to this season,” he said. “And I will have a coach I can depend on and a position coach leading me the right way.”

Offseason surgeries forced Oatis to sit out spring practice and limited him at the start of preseason camp. After playing a rotational role under new Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, Oatis made the decision around midseason to sit out the rest of 2024 and redshirt.

During his time in Tuscaloosa, Oatis recorded 52 tackles, 5 pass breakups and 1.5 sacks.

Colorado had one of the most improved defenses in the country under first-year defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, vaulting from No. 124 in FBS in scoring defense last season to 38th in 2024.

“Great, great coaches,” Oatis said. “Lot of help. They know what they’re talking about and they lead the right way. They want you to go get it, go after it.”

Sanders must replace Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Shedeur Sanders and nine starters on defense. Colorado is expected to sign another large class of transfer recruits for 2025.

Oatis is a Mississippi native who has tracked Sanders since he turned Jackson State into a nationally relevant team.

“Just seeing Coach Prime go first to Jackson State, where I’m from, and just to see him coach at Jackson State and see what he did for them,” Oatis told ESPN. “Then coming over to Colorado and make this team great again. It was a really great thing to do.”