Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief Dr. Todd Votteler interviews Dr. Emily Fairfax, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Resource Management at California State University Channel Islands. Dr. Fairfax’s current research is focused on the ecohydrology of riparian areas, particularly those that have been impacted by beaver damming. She uses a combination of remote sensing and field work to understand how beaver activity can create drought and fire-resistant patches in the landscape under a changing climate. Her colleagues and students can vouch that when Dr. Fairfax says she can talk about beavers all day, she’s not kidding.
More Information & Resources
- Dr. Emily Fairfax’s website
- Smokey the Beaver: Beaver-dammed Riparian Corridors Stay Green During Wildfire Throughout the Western United States (Ecological Applications Journal)
- Would beavers make good firefighters? (Science Journal for Kids)
- Using Remote Sensing to Assess the Impact of Beaver Damming on Riparian Evapotranspiration in an Arid Landscape (Ecohydrology Journal)
- Beavers and Wildfire: A Stop-motion Story by Emily Fairfax (video)
- Want to Solve Wildfires and Drought? Leave it to BEAVERS! (A short PBS documentary about Dr. Fairfax’s work on beaver-based restoration.)