Idaho's 1948 Aerial Beaver Relocation: Parachuting 76 Rodents to Chamberlain Basin

In 1948, a crisis emerged for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as postwar expansion near Payette Lake in McCall led to conflicts between humans and beavers. The beavers' dam-building activities harmed orchards, irrigation systems, farms, and water infrastructure. Seeking a humane resolution, officials aimed to relocate the beavers to a remote area. However, the selected location was too rugged for trucks, and previous attempts using mules and horses had resulted in heat exhaustion and fatalities among the beavers. Elmo Heter, a department staff member, suggested airlifting the animals. He and his colleagues created a wooden box with rubber fasteners that opened upon impact, utilizing surplus WWII parachutes. After successful tests with a dummy and an elderly beaver named Geronimo, they relocated 76 beavers, with 75 thriving in the Chamberlain Basin. Within two weeks, dam-building activity was observed. The relocation was labeled 'wildly successful,' and current populations are stable enough that counts are no longer necessary. It remains unclear if today's beavers are descendants of the 1948 group.