Bonser, Chelsea, authorAbrams, Katie, advisorChamp, Joseph, committee memberEnns, Kellie, committee member2019-09-102019-09-102019https://hdl.handle.net/10217/197356Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that that causes abortions in domestic and wild ungulates including cattle, bison and elk. The disease has been almost completely eradicated in the U.S., besides the last remaining reservoir in the greater Yellowstone area (GYA). Brucellosis has spread rapidly through the region by migrating elk herds, making efforts to control and track the disease increasingly difficult. Brucellosis can also be transmitted to humans, making the GYA an area of increased public health concern. The need to increase communication and understand relationships between cattle ranchers and the federal government is important in mitigating the spread of brucellosis between animals and humans. The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) regulates brucellosis management on a federal level, while the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) enforces federal regulations on a state level through a brucellosis management program including a Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) program and brucellosis testing, vaccination and identification regulations. DSA boundaries represent areas of the GYA with potential brucellosis-infected animals. Described as a "wicked problem", brucellosis is an issue that demands an increased understanding of rancher perceptions that will gain insight on views of federal and state government involvement in brucellosis monitoring as well as the brucellosis problem itself. This study explored Montana cattle rancher perceptions through ten qualitative, in-depth interviews using a phenomenological approach. This study employed the Situational Theory of Publics (STP) as a dominant theoretical framework, as it allows for a detailed classification of publics which helps explain how and why they seek information to overcome a problem. Complimentary to STP is the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS), which was used as a secondary framework to further analyze how publics scan and select information that fits within a problem-solving situation. The findings from this study suggest that rancher perceptions surrounding government agencies and brucellosis are shaped by rancher experiences with predators and economic burdens of brucellosis regulations. Data also uncovered that ranchers had varied levels of knowledge in the epidemiology of brucellosis, but all agreed that the disease was a threat to public health. While most of the ranchers found the DSA program and brucellosis management regulations to be of value, perceptions of government agencies were mixed. Ranchers felt they played a role in solving the brucellosis problem, but to different extents. Ranchers also recognized the need for increased communication surrounding brucellosis management in the GYA. Recommendations that developed from this study can help to find common ground between government agencies and Montana ranchers in the GYA, as well as help guide communication and discussion surrounding the control of the disease.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.Text