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USING GPS COLLARS TO MONITOR WILD HORSE AND LIVESTOCK INTERACTION

Natural Resources/Aquaculture

Kalen Taylor
Extension assistant Professor - Agriculture
Utah State University Extension
Delta

Abstract

The management of wild horses and burros (WHB) is a highly contentious issue in the West. 26,770 WHBs has been set as the appropriate management level (AML) nationally; however, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) states the current 95,000 head could exceed 160,000 by 2025 (BLM, 2017). Livestock producers are commonly involved in WHB management conversations as they frequently share rangeland with horses. Studies have shown that animals do not use space evenly, generally due to variable resources in the area (King et. Al. 2021, Owen-Smith & Martin 2015). It is also known that WHBs share some dietary overlap with other ungulates, both livestock and wildlife (Scasta, Beck & Angwin (2016). It is much less understood what spatial overlap of these animals looks like and how/if it creates competition for optimum habitat. Recent studies have shown promise for the use of global positioning systems (GPS) to be used in spatial overlap studies. Hennig, Beck & Scasta (2018) show that horses sometimes reside outside their Herd Management Area (HMA) and share critical habitat with livestock and wildlife. Other studies (Perry et al. 2015, Gooch et al. 2017) utilize GPS to highlight horse interactions with elk and pronghorn. There is a need for more GPS studies among horses, livestock and wildlife. United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Colorado State University researchers currently have 10 GPS collars on horses in the Sulphur Springs HMA in central Utah. These collars have been on since November of 2020. To better understand spatial overlap and interaction of horses and livestock we have placed 20 GPS collars on two different bands of sheep that winter on allotments within the Sulphur Springs HMA. The collars went on in January of 2022. GPS data will be collected from the sheep in April of 2022 when they leave their winter allotments. The process will be repeated next winter. It is anticipated that the GPS data will help clarify the spatial overlap of horses and sheep by showing how they interact on shared rangeland. This type of understanding provides key insights that will help shape future management practices.

Authors: Kalen Taylor, Sarah King, Randall Violette, Mark Nelson, Eric Thacker, Kathryn Shoenecker
  1. Kalen Taylor Extension Assistant Professor - Ag/NR, USU Extension, Utah, 84624
  2. Sarah King Research Scientist and Joint Faculty, Colorado State University, Colorado, 80523-1499
  3. Randall Violette Extension Assistant Professor, USU Extension, Utah, 84721
  4. Mark Nelson Extension Professor, USU Extension, Utah, 84713
  5. Eric Thacker Range Management Specialist, USU Extension, Utah, 84321
  6. Kathryn Shoenecker Research Wildlife Biologist, United States Geological Survey, Colorado, 80526