The ReBeaver Restoration Fund supports communities seeking to implement watershed-scale riverscape restoration projects employing process-based principles. For nearly two centuries, overgrazing, timber high-grading, fire exclusion, and beaver trapping have jointly worked to reduce forest and stream resilience to drought and the accelerating pressures brought by climate change. The scale of these issues is massive, impacting the headwaters of nearly every watershed in the Western United States.
For decades, high project costs and limited funding opportunities have restricted the size of restoration projects to small “postage stamps” that are out of step with the scale of degradation. By providing up-front cash match and low to no-interest loans, BlueCommons helps local partners more effectively leverage federal, state, and other sources of public funding to bring watershed restoration to the scale at which it can become effective.
Potential benefits associated with projects within this fund include:
