It's amazing the impact that the reintroduction has had. On a recent winter trip there I also learned that the reintroduction literally moved rivers [1]:
- Elk quit loitering along streams, so willow and cottonwood shot up, anchoring soil and narrowing channels.
- The new woody growth gave beavers lumber; their colonies jumped from one in 1996 to a dozen within fifteen years, raising water tables and rebuilding wetlands.
- With healthier riparian zones came deeper pools, colder water, and a surge in native trout and song-bird nests.
- Elk quit loitering along streams, so willow and cottonwood shot up, anchoring soil and narrowing channels.
- The new woody growth gave beavers lumber; their colonies jumped from one in 1996 to a dozen within fifteen years, raising water tables and rebuilding wetlands.
- With healthier riparian zones came deeper pools, colder water, and a surge in native trout and song-bird nests.
[1] https://phys.org/news/2025-02-predators-ecosystems-yellowsto...