Wisconsin farmer uses `mock beaver dams` to restore wetlands

By Bennet Goldstein for Wisconsin Watch.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for Wisconsin Watch-Public News Service Collaboration

Jay Dee Nichols stamped and packed stiff willow branches between maple wood posts, with muffled crunches.

At 63, the semi-retired handyman from the Wisconsin city of Black River Falls has trapped beavers before. But he`s never heard of a mock beaver dam - much less constructed one.

"It gives you an appreciation for what beavers do," Nichols said over the shrill beeping of a skid loader. A scratch on his forearm oozed blood, drying into a scarlet smudge.

   ...more