Wildlife biologist Jakob Shockey is giving a January talk about the roles beaver play in our environment.

ASTORIA — Beaver play a critical role in riparian and wetland systems, often creating better habitat in a site than humans can construct with big money and machinery. Beaver also can cause issues when in close proximity to the built environment. Wildlife biologist Jakob Shockey will touch upon these topics in a free presentation about beaver biology and management at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the Astoria Library.

This event is part of “Natural Selections,” the Astoria Library’s monthly science and nature speaker series. The library is at 450 10th St. For information about library programs and services, contact 503-325-7323 or visit astorialibrary.org.

Shockey will talk about what beaver do and why they do it, their keystone role in our ecosystem and the historical context of beaver and humans in the Pacific Northwest. He will discuss tools for addressing common conflicts through natural science and design, and why predictive management of beaver at a site is worthwhile. Finally, Shockey will look at emergent trends in beaver management and strategies for partnering with beaver for habitat restoration and water resiliency.

Shockey has worked professionally in Oregon’s streams, rivers and wetlands for over seven years. He manages the restoration program for the Applegate Partnership and owns Beaver State Wildlife Solutions, a company that specializes in responding to frustrating conflicts with wildlife in a new way. He co-founded The Beaver Coalition, an organization working to address the factors that limit the return of beaver to the drying watersheds of the northern hemisphere.