Beavers: Ecosystem Engineers on Campus

Did you know there are beavers on campus? Why do beavers build dams and ponds, and how do those structures create habitat and increase biodiversity? Learn about urban beavers and the ecological benefits they provide in this immersive exhibit.

Beavers are considered one of the most important “ecosystem engineer” species of the world. In altering habitats they create a variety of opportunities for other species to live in places where they could not survive without beavers – for this reason they are an important “keystone species.” 

The photo at the top of the page shows a beaver lodge at Lake Raleigh, with a beaver swimming in the foreground. Rocky Branch Creek is another location on campus where you can find beavers. Visit that site to contribute to ongoing observations of beaver engineering in action.

This exhibit features the work of Chris Norcross, a Ph.D. student in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences who studies how North American beavers affect the form and function of river systems.