❗🐺 Please share ❗🐺 Montana Jan 7th ~ For more information contact Steuber at 406-657-6464. Livestock producers and landowners are invited to attend a one-day non-lethal predator damage management workshop in Dillon, Mont. Were going to start this in Beaverhead County but we want to eventually take it across the state, depending on the response we get here, said John E. Steuber, the state director and wildlife biologist for the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services. The U.S. Department of Agricultures Wildlife Service program and the Montana State University Beaverhead County Extension are hosting the one-day workshop on Jan. 7, 2015, which will be held in the 4-H Building at the Beaverhead County Fairgrounds in Dillon. The objective is to talk about practical applications of non-lethal management strategies to protect livestock from predators, he said. The workshop will provide information producers can use. They will also discuss the science behind non-lethal methods. Some of the topics to be discussed include using guard dogs, carcass management and range rider programs. We have a wide range of presenters coming, Steuber said. There are a number of government and private or non-government speakers. The workshop is free and registration begins at 8 a.m., with a welcome and opening remarks by Steuber at 8:30. Following that will be Dr. Stewart Breck, a research wildlife biologist, who will speak on The Role of Efficacy, Emotions and Economics in Developing Non-Lethal Tools for Predator Management. Michael Marlow, a Resource Management specialist, will speak on Improving Adaptive Deterrent Management Strategies. He is a non-lethal management specialist with expertise in guard dogs, said Steuber. He will be discussing the use of guard dogs and other non-lethal methods. Nathan Lance, a wolf specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, will give an update on the current wolf population and their status and activity, especially in southwest Montana. USDA APHIS Wildlife Service is starting out here but we would like to set up this workshop in different areas across the state, he explained. That way we can tailor it toward the problems they have in their own areas. Beaverhead County is big cow country and there are some sheep here, too, so we are addressing the livestock they need to protect here. After a break, George Edwards with the Montana Livestock Loss Board, will come and discuss their reimbursement program and the use of grants to help producers protect their livestock. We have Kevin Frey coming, too, he noted. He is a grizzly bear expert with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. He will discuss issues dealing with predatory grizzly bears. Weve had some problems with grizzly bears and livestock in this area. Just before lunch, Kris Inman will discuss Carcass Management. This is not new, but it has really taken off in Montana, he said. In different areas of the state they are trying to set up new management strategies so producers dont have a dead pit and theyre not attracting in predators. With dead pits, predators are often lured close to livestock operations. By feeding on the carcasses of dead livestock they easily adopt that into their diet and begin to look for other ways to access that food source. Inman will discuss that information. We are looking at sites in Beaverhead County and along the front range for dealing with carcasses, he said. After a break for lunch, the workshop will resume at 1:30 with Dean Peterson and Chet Robertson. Peterson is on the Big Hole Watershed Committee and Robertson is the range rider for that Committee. They will discuss Preserving a Way of Life Among Wolves and answer questions on the Range Rider program. John Helle, a livestock producer and owner of Helle Livestock, will address the questions Ive Got Livestock Guard Dogs, Now What? Helle has utilized livestock guarding dogs for decades to protect his sheep from predators. After that, Dr. Seth Wilson, the Wildlife and Range Rider coordinator for the Blackfeet Challenge will discuss Reducing and Preventing Conflicts with Grizzlies and Wolves: Working in Partnerships from the Bottom Up. After another break, Hilary Zaranek with the Tom Miner Basin and Centennial Valley Association, will share Tools to Help Minimize Livestock Loss Due to Predation Ð Tom Miner Basin and Centennial Valley. Sheep can be easier to protect because they herd tighter, so you can use guard dogs and shepherds, but cattle tend to spread out over the range, said Steuber. That makes it difficult to keep track of the cows, particularly on summer range. Following that presentation, Steuber said there will be an open panel discussion and time for questions and answers with program speakers. This is going to be a great day full of important information, said Steuber. It is a chance for producers to come and ask the hard questions and get the honest answer. The workshop is free. For more information contact Steuber at 406-657-6464. Image by Wolf Conservation Center
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 16:40:04 +0000
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