8th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium

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The 8th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, Congress for Wildlife and Livelihoods on Private and Communal Lands: Livestock, Tourism, and Spirit, was held on September 7-12, 2014 in Estes Park, Colorado to encourage actions toward issues and opportunities involving private lands, their owners/operators, and cooperating public and private agencies, organizations, and businesses. These digital collections include plenary presentations, topical presentations on the nine symposium themes, Jed's Corner (attendee interviews with puppet Jedediah Johnston), a Blue Valley Ranch field trip video, the congress summary, and the final program and abstracts.

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Open Access
A legacy of ranching and conservation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Davis, Russell, speaker; Morgan, Ken, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Russell Davis, a rancher, has been at the forefront of private lands wildlife conservation for the past 12 years, beginning with his involvement in mountain plover research and continuing with short grass prairie conservation. His family was awarded the Landowner of the Year Award from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Sand County Foundation Leopold Stewardship Award. Russell will be discussing his involvement with Colorado programs and his involvement with Partners for Conservation. Partners for Conservation is a private landowner organization which communicates and collaborates on conservation partnerships for working landscapes to benefit present and future generations. To date, the organization has 90 partners, representing 18 states and has hosted six Annual Private Lands/Partners Day conferences bringing together landowners and agency partners.
Open Access
A national strategy to address feral swine issues in the United States
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Nolte, Dale, speaker; Higginbotham, Billy, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
United States depart of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is serving as the lead federal agency in a cooperative effort with other federal, state, tribal, and local entities that share a common interest in reducing or eliminating problems caused by feral swine. APHIS' goal in conducting the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program is to reduce damage and risks to agriculture, natural resources, property, animal health, and human health and safety in the United States by reducing or eliminating feral swine populations, in cooperation with states, tribes, other federal agencies, organizations, and others. APHIS' strategy is to provide resources and expertise at a national level, while allowing flexibility to manage operational activities from a local or state perspective. APHIS will implement activities to reduce problems associated with feral swine in most states where they are present. In states where feral swine are emerging or populations are low, APHIS is cooperating with local and state agencies to implement strategies to eliminate them. National projects have been implemented to enable comprehensive coverage of disease monitoring, risk analysis, and economic analysis, along with other research activities on feral swine. Wildlife Services has established a baseline capacity through Wildlife Services State Programs in states with feral swine to address damage. Wildlife Services also has funded additional projects identified by Wildlife Services State Directors, along with cooperators, to address specific feral swine issues. APHIS will seek partners in all aspects of feral swine damage management.
Open Access
A new era of harvest on private lands in the USA: when should we manage pheasants like fish?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Powell, Larkin, speaker; van Hoven, Wouter, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Hunters on public and private lands in the USA are regulated by harvest and possession limits. Wildlife managers rarely design spatially-explicit regulations or quotas for individual properties. Two policies on private lands could affect local harvest dynamics: fee hunting and guided hunting on private lands, and payments by states to private landowners to obtain Open Access rights for public use. These could result in higher levels of harvest on specific parcels of privately owned land, suggesting the need for new methods to prevent over-harvest. A third dynamic may have synergistic effects: fragmentation of private forests, wetlands, and grasslands has increased to the point that dispersal of game animals could be affected. I used spatial simulations to show how animals such as northern bobwhite, deer, and ring-necked pheasants can be legally over-harvested when multiple parties hunt the same parcel of land. During scenarios based on observed rates of use on Open Access-type lands in Nebraska, male pheasants were not predicted to survive the hunting season, and over 85% of female pheasants were illegally harvested when error rates were 1% per hunting party. Spatial modeling suggests that the level of fragmentation in eastern Nebraska does not allow the dispersal of pheasants to repopulate depleted areas. Shorter hunting seasons and state-supported monitoring should be implemented on Open Access lands that have high use potential. Also, landowners who engage in fee hunting should have their lands monitored to establish suggested harvest levels or quotas to protect the public resource.
Open Access
An ecological conundrum: just what makes good Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Olson, Steven, speaker; Riley, Terry, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is native to the prairie shrubland ecosystems of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Dramatic population declines, combined with existing and perceived future threats, were the impetus for listing the chicken as 'Threatened' under the Endangered Species Act. On the Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands the decline has been evident since the mid-1990s, but has been particularly severe over the past decade. Between 2012 and 2013, prairie-chicken numbers fell 50 percent across the species range. These concerns led to the development of the Cimarron-Comanche National Grasslands Lesser Prairie-Chicken Management Plan. As we developed our plan, it became evident that defining ‘quality' prairie-chicken habitat was not a simple task. The prairie-chicken evolved in an area of sand prairie with tall grasses accounting for up to 90 percent of the vegetation, thus providing ample lekking, nesting, and brood rearing habitat for the birds. That habitat was forever altered by European settlement and disturbance of native prairie. Despite broad changes in the vegetation, the sand prairie still appears to be capable of producing more tall grasses and fewer shrubs. Our strategy includes a thorough inventory of existing conditions, an intense monitoring plan, and an experimental approach to answer the question: 'Just what makes good Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat?' The answer to that question on the national grasslands will be the same for private lands in the vicinity, leading to cooperative management of Lesser Prairie-Chicken among land owners across the species range.
Open Access
An innovative chili dispenser to establish memory fence dynamics at crop-wildlife interfaces for effective long term human-elephant conflict mitigation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) La Grange, Mike, speaker; Le Bel, Sébastien, speaker; Breck, Stewart, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
With elephant populations in southern Africa increasing at 5% per annum, local communities living in marginal land adjacent to protected areas are faced with increasing occurrences of human-elephant conflict. If this situation is not addressed, elephant populations will have to be reduced and condemned to survive in fenced protected areas while the negative attitudes of humans towards wildlife impact becomes engrained in the minds of many people. Recent mitigation strategies were developed aiming at enhancing existing traditional approaches and improving upon their effectiveness. An innovative chili pepper dispenser was developed to apply pepper directly at the offending elephant, teaching them to respect passive repellents. This concept mimics interactions between animal species to form an effective form of a virtual fence. The advanced chili applicator, developed in a hand held version, is the 'Mhiripiribomba' and the ambush version is the 'Ambushchillibomba'. They fire ping pong balls, filled with a concentrated chili liquid, at speeds of 250ft/sec that burst on contact on or near the elephant, atomizing the concentrate into a fine spray, and creating a deterrent. After hundreds of tests in southern Africa, the industrial version of the 'Mhiripiribomber' offers an opportunity to disseminate this tool at low cost. Combined with sustainable revenues from wildlife, the improvement of mitigation measures with this chili dispenser will increase the wildlife acceptance capacity that the human community is willing to tolerate. Through the creation of memory fences, it will facilitate elephants respecting human activities and aid the acceptance of wildlife corridor in crop land.
Open Access
An overview of private lands programs, past and present
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Morgan, Ken, speaker; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, publisher
Since the inception of the Colorado Division of Wildlife over 100 years ago (now Colorado Parks and Wildlife), wildlife managers have depended on developing and maintaining working relationships with private landowners to assist with the management of the state's wildlife resources. Over the past 50 years, there has been an exponential increase in population in the state, which has created more demand on the resources, Additionally, Congress has created more regulations through various legislative initiatives i.e. the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, etc. These factors have hampered the ability of state wildlife managers to work cooperatively with private landowners. In many cases these issues became very contentious. It was evident that programmatic approaches to working with private landowners needed to be addressed and changed. This session will give a brief overview of some of the more successful initiatives as well as serving as a basis of the presentations which will follow.
Open Access
Balancing energy development with fish and wildlife
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Belinda, Steve, speaker; Belinda, Steve, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Increased energy development such as oil, gas, solar, wind and geothermal are threatening public-lands hunting and fishing opportunities across the country. In the past 15 years, more than 40 million acres of the West have been leased for development. Recently, demands for renewable energy production have drastically compounded the issue by creating a "land rush" on areas available for development. Unfortunately, many locations pressured for energy development also hold some of the nation's best hunting for mule deer, elk, pronghorn and sage grouse, in addition to blue-ribbon fishing for trout. Hastily developed energy projects can dramatically affect fish and game populations, as seen in the Atlantic Rim region of Wyoming. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) supports responsible energy development and has worked to ensure development proceeds in a way that sustains and conserves fish and wildlife populations and sustainable opportunities for hunting and fishing for future generations. The TRCP and our conservation partners are actively engaged in policy debates, seeking solutions for domestic energy development by participating in all levels of policy development. Here, we present policy and management solutions to balance energy development with fish and wildlife. Notably, we highlight the need for better pre-development planning and landscape-scale approaches to mitigation. By working both the local and national levels, sportsmen are able to ensure fish and wildlife are adequately managed during energy development.
Open Access
Balancing the act: dilemmas associated with the eradication of Acacia mearnsii from the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Mukwada, Geofrey, speaker; Breck, Stewart, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Despite the huge investment that has been made in the control and eradication of Acacia mearnsii there is little evidence to show that the spread of this species will be reversed within the foreseeable future. In South Africa, Acacia mearnsii is considered to be one of the most problematic invasive species in wildlife conservation areas, where it is displacing native species and altering habitats and threatening the balance of ecosystems. This paper assesses the major challenges associated with different approaches of managing Acacia mearnsii invasion around the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa. The study used remote sensing data to investigate the state of vegetation cover in the northern flanks of the park and adjacent communal grazing areas to determine if invasion by Acacia mearnsii leads to deleterious environmental change, as well as a questionnaire survey to check if the control of the species causes livelihood disruptions within local communities. The study also employed discriminate analysis to assess the differences between the survey responses that were given by park officials and local communities, regarding their perceptions about the environmental impacts of Acacia mearnsii invasion, how the species spreads and how the invasion can be controlled. The paper argues and concludes that though the complete eradication of Acacia mearnsii is not always socially and environmentally desirable, due to the unintended environmental disturbances and livelihood disruptions it leads to, it is crucial for the park's environmental integrity and for the sustained flow of ecosystem services and benefits.
Open Access
Biodiversity conservation on private and communal lands
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Sueltenfuss, Jeremy, speaker; Anderson, David, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
How are we doing in conserving Colorado's Biodiversity? How much of it is left? Are there landscapes in Colorado where we still have the basic fabric intact to conserve entire systems? Are there hotspots where actions are more urgent than others? Are there species and places that we've successfully conserved through our actions? What role might private lands play in the big picture for conserving Colorado's biodiversity, now and in the future? What strategies are most likely to be effective given what remains? These are some of the many big questions that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) have worked to answer collaboratively. Our efforts, which culminated in the publication of the State of Colorado's Biodiversity, began as a way to support TNC's Measures of Success Program, but we soon realized that answering these questions would benefit leaders, managers, decision makers, as well as the general public and the private landowners in whose hands so much of our sustainable future rests. With an emphasis on private lands, we will share the results of this work, examine how it is being implemented broadly to support conservation statewide, and how it is serving as a model for other such efforts.
Open Access
Bison conservation ranching on Blue Valley Ranch
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Kossler, John, speaker; Handyside, Perry, speaker; Richert, Josh, speaker; Schafer, Shawn, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
For 20 years, Blue Valley Ranch has been practicing conservation ranching in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado with a focus on wildlife and agricultural production. An integrated resource management approach to land stewardship guides its planning process, and an adaptive management philosophy helps to make management decisions based on science and monitoring feedback. The ranch's vision of conserving wildlife habitat, building ecosystem resiliency, and producing quality livestock and forage crops is exemplified in the inclusion of the American bison (Bison bison) in its operation. As a native grazer, bison are a natural choice for raising a healthy food product on native ranges while practicing good land stewardship. Though hunted to near extinction in the late 19th century, bison have made a comeback in recent decades, due in large part to conservation-minded ranchers and private landowners. A clear understanding of their behavior and grazing ecology takes advantage of the bison's evolutionary history with the grasslands and shrublands of the western United States, and makes them a perfect fit for private lands conservation interested in supporting agriculture and healthy ecosystems.
Open Access
Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Program
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Hughes, John, speaker; Morgan, Ken, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Despite a successful captive propagation and reintroduction program, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) remains one the most endangered mammals in North America due to widespread lethal control of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), diseases such as sylvatic plague and canine distemper, and conversion of rangeland to row crop agriculture. Black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced at 22 separate sites throughout the Great Plains and Intermountain West, primarily on public lands. Private rangelands throughout the Great Plains, the historic core of black-footed ferret range, represent a unique opportunity to recover the species, provided that regulatory concerns, financial incentives, disease management, and prairie dog management issues can be addressed to the satisfaction of private landowners, agricultural producer groups, and local governments. We provide an update on the implementation of the Black-footed Ferret Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement in the Great Plains, its potential future use, and an update on ongoing challenges to black-footed ferret recovery rangewide.
Open Access
Blue Valley Ranch field trip
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Benson, Delwin E., director; Peterson, Kesley Arline, producer; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Blue Valley Ranch is the foundation sponsor of our Congress. This all day excursion included stops highlighting its habitat improvement and agricultural programs with discussion of management methods and monitoring results. Blue Valley Ranch is a 25,000 acre (10,100 hectare) conservation property located in Grand and Summit Counties in north-central Colorado. The ranch supports a diversity of mountain vegetation communities, beginning in the Blue River corridor at 7,400 ft (2,250 m), and rising in elevation through mountain meadows and shrublands, aspen, lodgepole and other mixed conifer ecosystems to over 9,000 ft (2,740 m). As a working ranch, Blue Valley also produces hay, cattle and bison and supports a diversity of wildlife species. Blue Valley Ranch's broad-scale conservation goals for land stewardship include agricultural production, building resilient ecosystems for wildlife habitat and local communities, and providing non-commercial recreational opportunities. Integrating these diverse goals is the ranch's largest single challenge, but a collaborative planning process helps to use information and expertise from a similarly diverse team of ranch staff, university resources, outside consultants and local agencies in making management decisions. The ranch has intensively created stream improvements building new water structures, wetlands, streams, and improved riparian corridors for fish, waterfowl, song birds, and mammals. The ranch has intensively harvested lodgepine forests that were killed by bark beetle infestations, encouraged aspen regeneration, and they manage elk to produce trophy class animals while also balancing animal numbers on the ranch, through controlled public access, to prevent over consumption of new aspen regeneration and other habitats. Pronghorn, turkeys and sharptail grouse have been successfully introduced onto the ranch and surrounding properties. A highway overpass for ungulate and other animal movements will be installed through the leadership and financial support of the ranch. The ranch owner and employees have added value to the rural community and the ranch serves as an example of intensive management. Thank you to Blue Valley Ranch for their sponsorship of the event and also for their generosity of this field trip.
Open Access
Building connections to wild places with remote viewing technologies
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Ramsey, Alan, speaker; Stone, Kate, speaker; Ramsey, Phil, speaker; Larkin, Beau, speaker; Morgan, Ken, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Remote viewing technologies allow new ways to maintain connections between people and wild places. In this presentation we will discuss a suite of technologies that enable viewers to learn about conservation efforts and research underway at MPG Ranch, near Florence, Montana. MPG Ranch is a conservation philanthropy devoted to improving restoration practice and developing ecological knowledge. Web interfaces, live view cameras, and motion sensing cameras are used to share the information we learn and gain insights into the habits of wildlife.
Open Access
Cervid field medicine & surgery
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Wagner, Douglas, speaker; Schafer, Shawn, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Cervid field medicine & surgery: Farmed Cervids present a challenge to manage and treat when disease is present. While these animals are in a farmed situation they are not domesticated and the stress placed upon them to handle and treat them when disease is present, is a factor that must be taken into consideration at all times. Cervids can show signs of Capture Myopathy and be clinically affected in as little as two minutes of a hard chase. The most common diseases that affect farmed Cervids are: Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), Pneumonia, Enteric, Necrobacillosis and Parasitism. The common pathogens causing these diseases will be discussed and treatment options that have been used successfully for these pathogens. Surgery will discuss and focus on issues where surgical intervention is need, the most common reasons for surgical intervention are: Orthopedic (fractured long bones), Antler infection/removal, Soft tissue (traumatic injury repair, neonatal hernia, Ophthalmic (enucleation). Both Medicine and Surgery topics will focusing on practical approaches to identify problems early and treating them while minimizing stress. There are many different Chemical Immobilization protocols that have been used in the Cervid industry, none of these protocols have been standardized and there are no established labeled drugs for Chemical immobilization at this time. Advantages and disadvantages to each protocol will be discussed focusing on which protocols has been most effective dealing with compromised cervids.
Open Access
Climate change vulnerability and adpatation strategies for natural communities: pioloting methods in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Comer, Patrick, speaker; Morisette, Jeffrey, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Land managers need a better understanding of factors that contribute to climate change (CC) vulnerability of the natural resources they manage in order to formulate adaptation strategies. They also need more opportunities to collaborate with neighboring managers and stakeholders to develop common adaptation strategies. Analysis of natural communities shared across land ownerships provides one mechanism for this collaboration. NatureServe worked with public and private partners in the U.S. and Mexico to conduct CC vulnerability assessments of major upland and aquatic community types in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. This project piloted a new Habitat Climate Change Vulnerability Index (HCCVI), drawing on data from other research efforts. The HCCVI aims to implement a series of measures addressing climate change exposure and ecological resilience for each community type for its distribution within a given ecoregion. The combined relative scores for exposure and resilience determine the categorical estimate of climate change vulnerability by the year 2060 (i.e., 50 years into the future) for a community type. While the overall index score should be useful for regional and national priority-setting and reporting, the results of these individual analyses also provide insight for local managers for climate change adaptation. In this pilot effort, field specialists were gathered in a workshop setting to refine the assessments, clarify their thinking on CC scenarios and stressors, and document potential strategies along a continuum from immediate 'no regrets' actions to 'anticipated' or 'wait and watch' actions to monitor. By focusing on major natural community types, pragmatic strategies were identified.
Open Access
Closing ceremonies and celebration of outcomes with Delwin Benson
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Benson, Delwin E., director and speaker; Peterson, Kesley Arline, producer; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
Remarks cover: What we accomplished here -- Visual overviews -- What we can accomplish next -- Next venue -- International home -- Use of LandHelp for conservation communications and home for congress proceedings -- Video production and uses.
Open Access
Colorado habitat exchange
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Fankhauser, Terry, speaker; Morgan, Ken, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The Colorado Habitat Exchange gives ranchers a new return on investment for stewarding wildlife and land resources. To address the issue of moving toward energy security without doing irreparable damage to wildlife and the landscapes on which they depend, the Colorado Habitat Exchange will create the incentives needed for all parties to act now and avoid the need to list wildlife species. The program enables those who impact habitat to create financial opportunities for those who can provide or improve habitat. The Colorado Habitat Exchange establishes a structured, transparent infrastructure for those types of habitat exchanges to work. The objectives are to provide a standardized set of tools and protocols to quantify habitat and species benefits from restoration activities provide a registry that tracks benefits and reports on progress towards achieving permit requirements and conservation goals, establish a trading platform for credits and to provide regulatory assurances for participating private landowners and development interests.
Open Access
Colorado's prairie future: oil and gas forecasts, wildlife impacts, and solutions
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Kram, Megan, speaker; Pague, Chris, speaker; Belinda, Steve, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
This project is designed to inspire conversations among oil and gas companies and government agencies about how best to achieve goals for wildlife conservation and oil and gas development across eastern Colorado's vast prairie grasslands. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) developed this project based on its "Development by Design" methodology (http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/smart-development/) and with input from a variety of external partners. The project spans all of eastern Colorado (30 million acres) and includes three components: A forecast of oil and gas development, potential risk to wildlife, and an assessment of "Available Practices for Wildlife." Project results may be used to avoid, minimize, and mitigate potential impacts to wildlife through site-specific oil and gas drilling plans, the use of best management practices, etc. Those interested in this project may include oil and gas companies; landowners; and local, state, and federal government agencies within and outside of Colorado.
Open Access
Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse reintroduction to Middle Park
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Richert, Josh, speaker; Kossler, John, speaker; Riley, Terry, moderator; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, producer
The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus; CSTG) is the rarest of six sub-species of grouse that are endemic to sagebrush, shrubsteppe and mountain shrub communities of western North America. It currently occupies less than 10% of its historic range, including 3 counties in northwestern Colorado, due to habitat loss, energy development, changes in land management and urban expansion. CSTG populations had been documented in the Lower Blue River Basin of Middle Park in North-Central Colorado as recently as the mid-1950s, so a cooperative effort between Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and private landowner Blue Valley Ranch (BVR) sought to re-introduce the bird to this area. Trapping occurred from the Fall 2006 - Spring 2008 seasons in the Hayden and Craig areas of Northwestern Colorado. A total of 91 females and 58 males were released on Blue Valley Ranch from 2006 - 2008. Approximately 15 males and 27 females were deployed with VHF radio transmitters for monitoring. Habitat and nesting data were also collected for comparison with the trapping area. Since the release, two permanent leks have been established with high counts of 21 and 26 males in 2014, with two additional lek sites needing confirmation in 2015. The project has been successful in establishing a new population of CSTG on a private, 25,000 acre conservation ranch within their historical range, and CPW plans to augment the population with additional CSTG releases over the next 2-3 years in the Williams Fork Drainage, about 8 miles east of BVR.
Open Access
Congress for wildlife and livelihoods on private and communal lands: livestock, tourism, and spirit - final program and abstracts
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014-09) Wildlife Ranching Symposium, author; International Wildlife Ranching Symposium, publisher

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