Fencing for Beavers: Four Days of Hard Work in the Oregon High Desert

I just returned from four days in Eastern Oregon working on a habitat restoration project with the Oregon Natural Desert Association. Fifteen of us backpacked in 3 miles and spent two days building about a half mile of fence across the mouth of 12 Mile Creek canyon. The goal of the project is to keep cattle out of the canyon so that beavers can re-establish there. This will lead to improved water quality and riparian habitat in the canyon and in the greater Crooked River ecosystem.

The trip started with a 4 hour drive to a rendezvous location out in the middle of the Oregon High Desert. We hiked 2.5 miles across sagebrush steppe, then dropped 500 feet into the canyon on a steep half-mile descent to our campsite for the next three nights. The bottom of the canyon was lush with green Bunchgrass, blooming Flag Iris, and Camas. As beautiful as it was, it also bore the signs of overgrazing including the incised stream and springs, collapsed beaver dens, invasive Cheatgrass, and Juniper encroachment. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful place to spend three nights despite the erratic spring weather that resulted in below freezing temperatures and snow overnight on our last night there.

Each day, we worked on the fence from about 8 AM to 4 PM. It was hard work — pounding posts, carrying materials up the steep slopes, running and stretching wire. The views were incredible though, as was the company. It was a diverse group of people, from retirees to tech escapees like myself, from truck drivers using vacation time to a farmer and even two professional historians. The amount of knowledge in the group was astounding. I learned so much. Birders and bee nerds, rock hounds and riparian experts — everyone had something to teach and did so freely and enthusiastically. There was no cell connection in the bottom of the canyon, so we spent our evenings sitting in a circle preparing our food, telling stories, and sharing knowledge.

This experience was exactly how I want to be spending my time in this next chapter. Out in nature with real people, building connection to the land and to each other. I have come to believe that these are the things that bring real joy and fulfillment. Time outside, with real people, doing a bit of hard work, for a purpose larger than ourselves. It’s a simple formula really, but in our sometimes frenetic, perpetually online world, and culture that emphasizes consumption as the path to happiness, a difficult one to implement.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless right now, but there are people doing good work out there. It’s often unglamorous and invisible because it doesn’t create controversy or sell ads. This group of people who showed up to spend their weekend pounding fence posts in the backcountry to help restore this little corner of the high desert are just one example. I know this is repeated over and over in corners all over the world. It was a small act in the grand scheme, but it will matter immensely to the beavers who will one day call this canyon home, to the fish in the stream that will have cold clean water, and to the people downstream who will enjoy the same.

How are you finding ways to take action when the world feels overwhelming?