June 1st - 15th, 2023 Range Rider Update
The Range Rider season is rolling and picking up pace as more cattle show up in the Valley. About half of the cattle that are ridden through have arrived, and the rest will show up in the next couple weeks. There have been no losses or conflict to report thus far. Range Riders have noticed that some of the fences in the hillier pastures seem to have had a rough winter with all the snow. Down fences are the type of observations that are passed along to producers if it’s something the Team can’t fix relatively quickly.
Almost daily rain events continue to hit the Valley and have kept things from drying out, in combination with relatively cool temperatures. A good amount of snow is still in the Centennial Mountains, which is not only a beautiful contrast to the lush green of the valley but will be good for our waterways later into the season.
Small larkspur has been out and blooming for a while now, but the more concerning large larkspur (poisonous to cattle) is starting to shoot up as well, although not quite blooming yet based on the Team’s observations.
There are two low stress stockmanship clinics being hosted in July at the J-L Ranch. The first is an introductory clinic by Whit Hibbard, July 8- 9, and the second is an intermediate clinic by Dawn Hnatow, July 26-29. If this is a topic that interests you, please reach out to Meg with J-L at 313-550-6209.
Most of the CVA game cameras have been deployed and the first round of pictures were collected for this report. The new-to-us game cameras are working out well and we are excited for some great photos this season. The Team has had a good number of reports from community members already, which has been awesome! Thank you to every who has passed along their observations.
There were three grizzly bear sightings in the last two weeks; two by Range Riders and one by a community member. Sightings included two lone individuals and a sow with two yearling cubs. A lone, brown-colored black bear was observed via a game camera.
There were three wolf observations in the last two weeks, as well. Two of the observations were sightings from community members, and the third observation was from one of the CVA game cameras. Observations included two sightings of a pair of wolves (can’t say if they were the same individuals or not) and the third observation was a lone wolf.
Moose, elk, deer, and pronghorn babies have been sighted throughout the Valley, which is always a fun sight. Young calves are a food source for predators, so be extra bear aware this time of year – especially in known calving areas.
The Team and the cameras cannot capture the entire Valley each day, so community reports are extremely valuable to understand how wildlife use the Valley. If you have any wildlife reports to share (big or small!) please contact Erika Nunlist, Wildlife Program Coordinator, at wildlife@centennialvalleyassociation.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
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