Please join us at our monthly chapter meeting on Monday, November 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM to hear our speaker, Torrey Ritter, present his talk: The Beaver-modified Landscape.

Beavers are considered ecosystem engineers. The dams they build direct waterways, replenish groundwater, and create wetlands that are vital to a range of wildlife. They are one of the most influential wildlife species in North America due to their ability to reshape habitats to suit their needs. In doing so, beavers bring about changes that can make stream systems more resilient to drought, wildfires, and flooding while providing some of the most biologically rich habitats in the nation.

In his talk, Torrey will recount the history of beavers in North America and highlight the immense impacts beavers have on the water and sediment that moves across the landscape. He will also talk about ways in which their activities are essential components of stream and wetland ecosystems.

Torrey Ritter is a nongame wildlife biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. He has worked on a wide range of species and habitats over his career, but beavers really captured his interest when he observed how many different species benefit from their activities on the landscape. Torrey studied beaver dispersal and settlement site selection for his Master’s work, and has since gone on to work with a variety of partners on efforts to restore beavers to areas of their former range and help people deal with beaver conflicts. Torrey spoke to Five Valleys Audubon several years ago, and we are excited to have him back!

The meeting will be held in Room 110 in the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB) on the University of Montana campus. The building lies on the south end of campus on Beckwith Avenue between Maurice and Mansfield avenues.

You also have the option of watching the meeting over Zoom at the following link: