Oregon lawmakers have approved a limited ban on trapping beavers, despite opposition from state wildlife managers. (Courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Despite warnings against meddling with wildlife management, the Oregon Legislature has voted to prohibit beaver trapping in impaired waterways on public lands.

Democratic lawmakers who supported House Bill 3932 primarily characterized it as a cost-effective way to improve water quality while protecting investments in riparian restoration.

Beavers help filter out contaminants, increase soil absorption of water and enhance fish and wildlife habitat — all without a dime of taxpayer money — which is why Oregon is encouraging their reintroduction to impaired streams, said Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland.

“It is counterproductive, to use a mild word, to trap them out once they’ve begun to anchor in these places,” he said.

The proposal was recently approved by the Senate, 17-11, after previously passing the House, 35-18, and now awaits the signature of Gov. Tina Kotek.

Proponents argued the beaver trapping ban in HB 3932 does not encompass private lands or unimpaired waterways on public property, leaving 96% of lands in Oregon open to the practice.

Even in areas where the ban applies, government employees would still be allowed to trap beavers if they damage crops or structures on adjacent private lands, supporters said.

“It doesn’t touch private property rights,” said Sen. Courtney Neron Misslin, D-Wilsonville.

With the narrow scope of the bill, the prohibition amounts to a “pilot measure” that offers an “off-ramp” for trapping to resume in waterways, provided they considered unimpaired for six consecutive years, according to proponents.

These assurances didn’t mollify the Republican opponents of HB 3932, who accused the bill of forcing through changes to beaver management policy that state wildlife regulators repeatedly considered and rejected.

The Senate confirmed the commission members who oversee the Oregon Department Fish and Wildlife, so lawmakers should defer to those experts when they decided not to ban beaver trapping in impaired waterways, according to critics.

“If we are going to trust the scientists within our own Department of Fish and Wildlife, why do we circumvent this?” asked Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise.

Modern trapping is “humane and well-regulated” but HB 3932 imposes what amounts to a permanent ban, since it’s rare for streams and rivers to be taken off the list of impaired waterways, said Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo.

“If there are concerns about how and where it occurs, let’s work with ODFW,” she said.

Opponents claimed that cougars pose a far greater threat to beavers than do trappers, yet lawmakers have been reluctant to pass legislation that would ease cougar hunting with dogs in counties that support the practice.

In some cases, segments of streams have already been closed to trapping for decades to encourage beaver reintroduction, yet the rodents have not occupied those areas due to the prevalence of predators, Nash said.

“This bill doesn’t get to where beavers will restore themselves again,” he said.