Building Community and Beaver Dams - Connect & Protect Program
- Deanna del Valle
- Aug 20
- 2 min read
Everyone benefits from spending time outdoors, but access to nature is not always equal. Racialized individuals can experience cultural, economic and physical barriers to accessing natural spaces in Canada. The Connect and Protect program aims to improve these individuals' access to nature and conservation by inviting participants to engage in outdoor conservation and recreation activities while surrounded by their community.
This year, Freshwater Conservation Canada is proud to partner with Colour the Trails for our Connect and Protect events across the country. Colour the Trails is focused on improving access to the outdoors for BIPOC living in Canada. They host introductions, mentorships, and clinics in outdoor activities to introduce BIPOC adults to new activities and then help them advance further. They also provide consultation and support to partner organizations working to improve and diversify their communities.
Our first Connect and Protect event of the season occurred on a tributary to Waiparous Creek at the end of July 2025. Due to the loss of beavers in the area, coupled with heavy grazing from feral horses and cattle, the creek often runs dry in the summer. The persistently dry conditions at the creek have also caused a loss of willows, making it an unattractive habitat for beavers, and leaving the creek trapped in a cycle of degradation. To address this, Freshwater Conservation Canada has been building beaver dam analogues (BDAs)—man-made beaver dams that perform all the same functions as a natural dam, by slowing down the flow of water in the creek, raising the water level, and refilling groundwater aquifers.
The day began with introductions and orientation before diving into restoration activities. Participants then got to work repairing some BDAs built earlier in the year and building new ones. Due to the abnormally rainy July in Alberta, the creek was completely full of water for the first time in years! However, this meant that many of the structures built in early July were now too small and needed to be expanded to accommodate current flow conditions. Some structures had to be quadrupled in size! Thanks to everyone’s hard work and a lunchtime mushroom foray to keep spirits high—we built or expanded four structures during the workday.
After wrapping up restoration work, participants walked to a large natural beaver complex upstream of a previous restoration site. These beavers returned to the creek thanks to previous rehabilitation efforts in the watershed, and ending our day here was the perfect way to show participants the impact of restoration work.
Freshwater Conservation Canada thanks Colour the Trails for collaborating with us to make this workday such a success! This event would not have been possible without their support in program planning, development, and coordination. Freshwater Conservation Canada also thanks Enbridge and the Calgary Foundation for supporting the 2025 Connect and Protect program.
