Maryland Beaver Working Group
The Maryland Beaver Working Group champions the North American beaver’s essential role as a keystone species shaping the Maryland landscape for wildlife and clean water.
Building a Beaver Movement
The Maryland Beaver Working Group is a coalition of conservation professionals and advocates who have joined an international movement to advance policy-driven solutions that support increased beaver-occupied habitat to restore streams and floodplain wetlands. Supported by the national Beaver Institute, Working Groups have formed around the country and are collaborating on a shared mission to restore North American beaver (Castor canadensis) populations that suffered near extinction from the European fur trade. We bring creativity and expertise to everything we do.
Working Group Action Plan
The Working Group met for the first time in October 2025 to develop a 2025-2027 Action Plan. The Action Plan outlines priority goals and strategies that support beaver management policies, education and outreach and beaver co-existence best practices. The Working Group meets on a quarterly basis and as needed to advance the Action Plan strategies.
State Wildlife Action Plan Update
The Beaver Working Group submitted comments to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in November 2025 regarding the 10-year update of the 2015-2025 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The SWAP is a planning document that establishes state agency funding priorities, policy recommendations, research goals and conservation actions to conserve and restore Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). The Working Group comments presented research-supported evidence of beavers as a keystone species that create habitat of vital importance to more than 120 wildlife species in Maryland that rely on floodplain wetlands, tidal forests, vernal pools and freshwater streams. The SWAP public comment period is open until April 2026.
