June 16th - 30th Range Rider Update
Range Riders have been out riding regularly in addition to setting and checking game cameras. Overall, things have been going smoothly. Most of the cattle are in the Valley at this point, with a few more herds set to arrive in the first half of July. The Team helped producers receive and move cattle several times this season and have really appreciated the opportunity to catch-up. Range Riders have also helped with weed spraying and attended a valley tour last week which was another great opportunity to catch up with folks in the community.
There has been a handful of cattle deaths due to larkspur poisoning in one pasture, but otherwise everything has been healthy. Range Riders put a camera on one of the carcasses and got pictures of at least 3 different grizzly bears scavenging on the carcass. The Team also got a handful of wolf pictures on CVA wildlife cameras, but no conflict has been documented so far this season.
This spring brought some great moisture and cool weather. Recent warm days have started to dry things out again, and unfortunately, ‘fire/smoke season’ could start any time now (knock on wood!), especially with some of the lightning seen in the valley recently. Please be safe with fireworks this Fourth of July and be sure to be responsible with any campfires or other vectors that can start fires.
Wildlife was active in the last week, especially deer and elk in the foothills. The Team identified 4 wolves on game cameras and at least 3 different grizzly bears on a carcass camera.
There was an uptick in grizzly bear activity in the last couple weeks. There were 13 observations, including 3 sightings, 1 set of tracks, and 9 game camera events. One of the sightings included a community member who was bluff charged by a grizzly near a smaller willow patch. Luckily it was just a bluff charge, and no one was injured, but it serves as a good reminder to be extra bear aware and diligent while working and recreating. The majority of observations were in the north-central portion of the Valley, with one observation in the south-central portion of the Valley.
Game cameras provided 4 wolf observations in the last two weeks. Based on coat coloration and location, it’s believed that four different wolves were captured on the cameras. The observations were collected across the western half of the Valley.
There were a lot of deer and elk observations in the last half of June. Many of the observations were of females with babies in tow. There were also had a handful of bucks and bulls showing some new and fuzzy antler growth!
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 one of the Range Riders. We look forward to hearing from you!
Erika Nunlist, Wildlife Program Coordinator: wildlife@centennialvalleyassociation.org
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