More than 40 years after the eruption of Mount St. Helens buried the Washington River Valley under volcanic sediment, the relocation of 58 beavers has helped restore the damaged landscape. (representative AP image)
More than four decades after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, one family in the US state of Washington has watched the damaged landscape slowly come back to life. The change did not occur due to heavy machinery or large restoration projects.
It happened with the help of beavers.For many years, the land behind Mark Smith Eco Park Resort seemed almost devoid of life. Thick volcanic sediments covered the North Fork Tuttle River after the eruption, making it difficult for plants, fish and wildlife to return. Smith and his family even called this part of their property Barren Land.But over the past five years, the return of nearly 60 beavers has transformed the area.
Their dams, canals, and lodges created wetlands, deeper pools, and new habitats that allowed native plants and animals to return. According to Mongabay, the recovery process could be reversed through a planned government project that could bury the restored habitat under more sediment.
Buried with volcanic ash
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens sent massive amounts of volcanic ash, rock and clay into the North Fork Toutle River. Years later, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a sediment retention structure (SRS) downstream to prevent sediment from reaching the Columbia River and neighboring communities.
The structure was built in 1989 and was later raised in 2013. While it helped reduce the risk of flooding downstream, it also caused volcanic sediment to accumulate downstream, including along the Smith family’s lands. After the structure was raised, the area changed dramatically.Smith manages the approximately 80-acre Eco Park Resort, located along Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. Because it is one of the closest places to stay near Mount St.
St. Helens, the resort often hosts scientists, restoration experts and researchers studying the area.Ultimately, those visits introduced Smith to experts working on beaver restoration projects across Cowlitz County.
Bare trees lie like matchsticks in the changing landscape around Mount St. Helens, Washington, shown two days after the eruption, May 1980. (AP Photo)
Beavers
When conservation groups asked him if he would allow beavers to be released on his property, Smith agreed.In 2021, the property hosted a training program organized in collaboration with River Restoration Northwest.
Scientists and restoration workers discussed how beavers act as ecosystem engineers, how to identify suitable habitats for them and how to build structures that encourage beavers to settle.After receiving approval from the state, natural resource experts from the Cascade Tribe, Cascade Forest Conservancy, Columbia Fish Restoration Group and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe began moving beavers onto the property.
This dam was built on the North Fork Toutle River by beavers released on Smith’s property. (Photo: Mark Smith, Mongbay.com)
Transformation
Over the past five years, Mark and Don Smith, along with their daughters Cheyenne and Christine and Christine’s children, have helped transport 58 beavers to Echo Park Resort.Some remained on the property, while others spread across the connecting waterways and settled on adjacent lands.The effect was quickly evident. Beavers built dams that slowed the flow of water. They dug canals that spread across the landscape, creating what Smith described as “honeycombs” of connected waterways. Existing ponds became deeper, while new wetlands formed where there had been dry volcanic deposits.Native plants are also starting to come back. Willow and alder trees are starting to grow again in places that had been buried under sediment for years, Smith said.As the wetlands expanded, more wildlife followed. Ducks, geese, deer and elk gradually returned to the property. The ponds created by beavers have also become nursery areas for fish, including rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, and coho salmon.
Restoration is in danger
Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to raise the drainage crest of the sediment retention structure by another 10 feet.In a statement to Mongabay, the agency said this work is essential to reduce flood risks in downstream communities.“If left unmanaged, these sediments could raise riverbeds, reduce river capacity, and increase the potential for flooding of homes, farms, roads, businesses and public infrastructure,” the statement said.Smith believes the project could undo years of restoration work. He said more sediment would bury wetlands created by beavers and harm habitat used by native fish, and he argues the structure prevents fish movement along the river.Smith said he plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, arguing that nature-based solutions, such as beaver restoration, should play a greater role in sediment management while protecting communities from flooding.
