Castor Camp 2026
September 10-13, 2026 | Prairie City, Oregon
Castor Camp 2026 is a small-format field gathering for people working to prepare riverscapes and watersheds for the long-term return of beavers.
Castor Camp brings together contributors to learn from the land, from the beavers, and from each other through a loose, lightly guided agenda shaped by the questions, experiences, and perspectives of the group. Rather than a formal conference or fixed presentation series, it is built around community-guided topics, shared field learning, and peer-to-peer exchange.
We are interested in bringing different lenses into the same conversation: vegetation ecology, beaver biology, LTPBR practice, watershed restoration, tribal and agency perspectives, policy, coexistence, monitoring, paleontology, trust-building, and long-term riverscape recovery.
Together, we will step outside the usual boxes of our work and ask better questions about what it takes to support natural beaver recolonization at riverscape and watershed scales.
Camp themes may include:
- Beaver recolonization and metapopulation dynamics
- Vegetation, forage establishment, and habitat needs at scale
- LTPBR, process-based restoration, and field-based implementation
- Beaver activity datasets, monitoring approaches, and survey methods
- Coexistence, landowner trust, and public attitudes
- Watershed-scale restoration efforts in the John Day basin
- Tribal, agency, scientific, and practitioner perspectives
- The historical debeavering of western landscapes
- Where the beaver conversation goes next
Participation is intentionally limited to approximately 22 camp contributors to create space for meaningful conversation, field learning, and peer-to-peer exchange.
Camp Cost: $75 per contributor to help cover transportation, campgrounds, supplies, and materials. Limited sponsorship support is available if needed.
Camp contributors are asked to register by June 30, 2026.
Important:
Because space is limited, registration represents a commitment to attend and participate throughout the weekend.
Questions? Contact info@westernbeavers.org
