San Onofre State Park officials last week found a North American beaver at the river mouth of the San Mateo Creek near Trestles.

According to State Parks officials, the animal was once a native species to the San Mateo Creek area, but were thought to be nearly extinct in the area.

Officials speculate that the animal may be related to a small population of beaver, which was re-introduced to the Santa Margarita watershed by the Department of Fish and Game in the 1940s to help with erosion control.

Since then, the beavers have migrated to nearby creeks and watersheds in the area, including those in the Cleveland National Forest and San Mateo Creek.

State Parks officials are unclear where this specific beaver originally came from, but they are sure it resided in the one of the streams that flows into the San Mateo Creek.

San Mateo Creek has been the site of a battle between the Surfrider Foundation and other environmental groups, and the Transportation Cooridor Agencies, which sought to build a toll road through the area.

“This discovery supports our assertion that the San Mateo Creek has a thriving watershed ecosystem that deserves the highest level of protection from its source in the mountains to the ocean,” says Mark Rauscher, Surfrider Foundation’s Assistant Environmental Director.

According to State Parks scientists, the beaver had suffered some sort of trauma before being found and died after being captured.