Community members enjoyed the sunshine on Saturday in Mission Plaza, where eager beavers of all ages were invited to the 3rd annual San Luis Obispo County Beaver Festival.

Attendees enjoyed vendors, live music, a beaver trivia contest, and talks from several speakers about the importance of beavers to the Central Coast environment.

Organizers say the furry creatures are “climate change superheroes,” building dams on local creeks and rivers and turning them into lush wetlands.

Saturday’s celebration acknowledged the contributions that beavers make in preventing droughts and wildfires on the Central Coast.

“[We’re] educating folks and helping garner respect and change perspectives about beavers,” Molly Alves, the Beaver Restoration Program Supervisor for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told KSBY. “We wanted to come and tell people more about what our program is doing— it’s a relatively new program— and tell people how they can get involved in better beaver management in California.”

Saturday’s festival was hosted by the San Luis Obispo Beaver Brigade, which has been putting on the event for the past three years.

Organizers say supporting the beaver population in San Luis Obispo County is one of the ways that community members can promote climate regeneration.