Bureau of Animal Protection Community Education

Front Range Region

Statewide 

Primary Topic:

Food and Agriculture

Other Topics:

Health and Well-Being

Lead Mentor:  

Ragan

Adams

Internship Overview:

Colorado Dept of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Protection (BAP) was first created in 1990 when the Colorado legislature reenacted the Animal Protection Act. The bureau’s mission is to conduct outreach and education and administer and enforce the provisions of the Animal Protection Act to prevent the neglect, mistreatment, or abandonment of domestic and companion animals in Colorado.

Dr. Rebecca Niemiec approached CSU Extension to assist with the outreach and education effort to teach animal owners about best husbandry practices. Four agents have agreed to assist Dr Niemiec with this educational effort by reviewing educational content. Besides Travis Taylor and Katie Alexander, Jonathan Vrabec of El Paso County and Christine Schinzel of Lincoln County have agreed to advise. Others may also be interested.

Goals, Scope and Objectives:

The goal of the internship is create information to assist BAP’s educational outreach effort to animal owners, especially backyard animal owners and owners who are new to the state. The goal of this educational program is to decrease animal welfare issues, lessening the need for enforcement of animal welfare legislation. CSU Extension is well respected for their educational material as well as their understanding of appropriate delivery for various audiences. The 4 county agents will act as an advisory team. Each of the 4 represent different parts of the state and in combination have expertise in all common livestock and poultry. In partnership with Dr Niemiec, the agents will decide on the most important areas of husbandry for each species (poultry, horses, beef cattle, goats, and rabbits) and prioritize the effort. They will then share materials and personal expertise on the best teaching methods with the intern who will create BAP fact sheet type products for the BAP website.

With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?

Youth, small acreage animal owners, Beginner farmers, and anyone owning the species of focus.

What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?

Basic husbandry best practices for each species
Effective educational communication principles
Challenges associated with animal welfare issues
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