Parks Under Pressure
How Bandelier brought back beavers
After a devastating fire, the National Park Service used an unusual approach to return these ecosystem engineers
Isabel Gil • November 12, 2026
Beavers are "ecosystem engineers." Their activity and the structures they build reshapes their surrounding habitat by controlling water flow. [Image Credit: Howard Walsh via Unsplash | Unsplash License]
In the wake of the Las Conchas fire, the National Park Service (NPS) thought to turn to beavers, nature’s engineers, to restore areas of the ecosystem within Bandelier National Monument. But how exactly do NPS employees transport beavers along hiking trails? Carefully. And in backpacks. Read on to learn more about the ongoing beaver relocation effort in New Mexico, and how beavers restore ecosystems.
Filed To
Share
About the Author
Isabel Gil
Isabel Gil is Brooklyn-based science and health journalist. She is interested in covering creative solutions that emerge at the intersection of science and the public. She previously reported for NPR affiliates WGVU and Michigan Public, where she covered Great Lakes research, invasive species, health policy, and more.