Series looks at strategies for non-lethal predator management

BOZEMAN — Montana State University will partner with area organizations to host a free webinar series focused on techniques to mitigate predator-livestock conflicts.

The series, Pathways for Practice Implementation: Non-lethal Predator Management through EQIP – Environmental Quality Incentives Program – will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: Aug. 23, Sept. 20 and Oct. 18. It is targeted to producers and local conservation district practitioners.

In 2020, a team working in lands conservation across the West — including Jared Beaver, MSU Extension wildlife specialist — received a National Conservation Innovation Grant, or CIG, to explore collaborative landowner strategies for non-lethal predator management.

That team, known as Conflict on Workinglands CIG, will share practical information with ranchers and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff for managing the predation and production risks from large carnivores. Ranchers from multiple Western states who utilize these practices, along with other members of the CoW-CIG team, will share ideas for putting strategies to broad, practical use via the NRCS conservation delivery framework.

According to Beaver, there are emerging opportunities for technical and financial assistance through U.S. Farm Bill programs to support producers as they implement range riding, carcass management and various types of electric fencing or fladry. The webinar series will highlight guidelines for conflict risk assessment that can be used for conservation planning through evaluation of habitat and ranch production factors, as well as approaches to site-specific implementation.

Attendees can register for each webinar separately at the following links:

Range Riding – Tuesday, Aug. 23 – noon to 1:30 p.m.

Fencing/Fladry – Tuesday, Sept. 20 – noon to 1:30 p.m.

Carcass Management – Tuesday, Oct. 18 – noon to 1:30 p.m.

Registration can also be completed at https://westernlandowners.org/. For more information, contact Bre Owens at bre@westernlandowners.org or Beaver at jared.beaver@montana.edu.