Columbines School of Botanical Studies
Support Aplodontia Research
Help Us Protect One of North America’s Most Ancient Mammals
The Aplodontia or Mountain Beaver makes “haystacks” of plants neatly arranged around the opening to its home. Aplodontia is not a true beaver; it's just a common name.
Notice how carefully they arrange the stems facing the same direction in each bundle, like a bouquet.
Columbines School of Botanical Studies has been conducting long-term, field-based research on Aplodontia rufa, commonly known as the mountain beaver, a reclusive and ancient rodent species native to the Pacific Northwest. Despite its name, the mountain beaver is not a beaver, but it is a critical part of our regional ecosystems, living mostly hidden in dense vegetation near water.
Our team has spent years studying Aplodontia habitat, behavior, and ecological impact with detailed botanical, photographic, and GIS data. However, their elusive nature makes them incredibly difficult to observe directly. That’s where trail cameras come in.
