SYMPOSIUM PRESENTER TITLE: Following the process: Updating Wisconsin’s Beaver Management Plan ABSTRACT: Beavers can be a polarizing species with differing opinions about how the species should be managed. Considered a keystone species by many, beavers can modify habitat to the benefit or detriment of other species. Beaver activity can negatively impact infrastructure, agriculture, and property due to flooding caused by dam building and felling of trees. Alternatively, beaver and beaver activity can increase biodiversity and provide other ecosystem services via the creation of dams, ponds, and wetland complexes. Managing beavers requires finding a healthy balance between the positive ecological and habitat benefits of beaver and public tolerance for beaver and beaver activity. To seek that balance, the Wisconsin DNR has initiated a public engagement process to update the state’s beaver management plan. The existing Wisconsin Beaver Management Plan was finalized in 2015 and targeted a 10-year period through 2025. The department’s goal is to implement an updated plan as soon as practicable following the time period of the existing plan. I will present an overview of the process to engage the public, stakeholders, and partners in developing an updated beaver management plan.