Rancher perspectives on livestock predation deterrents in Colorado
Warner College of Natural Resources
Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Statewide
- Natural Resources
- Equal time spent on-campus and in the field
Primary Topic:
Natural Resources
Other Topics:
Community & Economic Development, Agriculture, Health & Wellbeing
Internship Overview:
Over 70% of the Western U.S. is grazed by livestock, and managing grazing activities is the primary tool for managing those lands. In much of these same lands, carnivore populations have been recovering and reclaiming recently unoccupied habitat, with a corresponding increase in the intensity and frequency of livestock predation and other negative impacts. While there are many potential tools and strategies available to livestock producers and land managers, there is little information on what practices Colorado ranchers are currently employing, how they see those tools changing in the next several years as wolves return, how much they know about other current livestock protection tools, how they feel about their options, and how they learn about new tools and practices. As predation risk grows, so will the pressure for ranchers to use protective tools. The goal of this project is to understand the current state of livestock protection practices so we can evaluate the tools we have, focusing on the tools in which ranchers are interested in using, understand the costs of those tools (both in terms of the time and money it takes to acquire and deploy them, and in terms of indirect impacts on livestock production systems).
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
This intern will conduct semi-structured interviews with key informants with the goal of understanding the current state of livestock protection practices and tools. Topics will include identifying the most common predation prevention practices currently being employed, quantifying tool costs (in equipment and labor), assessing how producers feel about the efficacy of those tools and strategies, elucidating barriers to implementing these and alternative tools and methods, and identifying trusted sources of information about new potential tools and strategies. Potential interview respondents will be identified through CSU Extension and National Wildlife Research Center networks, as well as through industry groups (e.g., Colorado Cattlemen’s Association).
This project has already been initiated; the interview guide has been developed and vetted by livestock producers, CSU Extension, researchers, and has IRB approval. By this summer, my colleagues and I will have collected some interview data and will have contacts firmly established for interviewees.
This project has already been initiated; the interview guide has been developed and vetted by livestock producers, CSU Extension, researchers, and has IRB approval. By this summer, my colleagues and I will have collected some interview data and will have contacts firmly established for interviewees.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
Cattle and sheep ranchers across Colorado
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
There are a number of different skillsets the student will develop in this internship. One group of skillsets will be related to social science research design and application. The intern will learn about conducting interviews, coding and analyzing interview data, and summarizing research findings. The intern will also gain subject area expertise in open range ranching operations related to livestock protection tools (predation deterrents) and ranching practices in Colorado. The student will get to travel around the state and meet with numerous livestock producers, CSU Extension agents, and other stakeholders related to livestock production and livestock-carnivore conflict in Colorado.
