In the face of a multiyear drought, and with an eye toward preserving as much snowpack runoff for as long as possible each spring, biologists and conservation groups are increasingly looking to beavers as a key part of the solution.

Montana officials are considering approving a program to transplant beavers across the state as part of an effort to fight drought and restore wetland habitats, once prevalent across the West, closer to their natural states that existed hundreds of years ago.

“We have these little engineers out doing the work for us 24/7; we’ve just got to get them in the right spots,” said Torrey Ritter, a nongame wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

A period for the public to comment on a new draft environmental assessment for the Montana Beaver Transplan

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