May 1 - 31st Range Rider Update
The 2022 Range Riding Season is here and we are excited to introduce two new riders, Taylor and David. Taylor is from New Mexico, where she grew up on a ranch and is currently working on a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Ecology. David joined us from the Elkhorn Ranch in Arizona, and has done some ranch work in Montana in the past. Both arrived late May and have been busy getting to know the Valley and the community with Erika.
Cattle have been in the Valley since May but most of the herds that the Range Riders monitor will be arriving in the next couple weeks. Range Riders have been getting oriented with the Valley and its people, attending trainings, deploying game cameras, and doing other necessary season preparations and maintenance.
We are happy to report that from our time out so far, the grass is looking pretty good – definitely better than last year! We received more than 2” of rain in the last big storm cycle, and have been getting small shots of rain here and there throughout May. Now all we need is more sunshine to accompany the moisture. Range Riders have also been paying attention to the poisonous plants since we have had some bad death losses in the last two years from larkspur and maybe death camas. So far, we have not seen much for new larkspur plants. However, death camas is growing but not quite blooming yet.
Similar to last year, CVA will have a total of 32 motion activated game cameras out on the landscape to help us monitor wildlife activity this summer. Twenty of these cameras will be deployed evenly across the Valley in semi-permanent locations. The remaining 12 will be used at more temporary locations of interest including carcasses, high-use wildlife areas, or pastures being grazed.
There were 3 grizzly bear observations in May, all reported by community members. Sightings included a sow and yearling cub and two medium sized bears. Both observations were in the north-central portions of the Valley. The third observation was a large set of tracks, also in the north-central portion of the Valley. There was one observation of black bear tracks in the south-central portion of the Valley.
Throughout the winter, a pack of wolvers were observed several times in the eastern half of the Valley. In May, we had 3 wolf observations that included one sighting, and observation of tracks and scat. The sighting was of two gray wolves and all the observations were in the north-central portion of the Valley.
Moose, deer, elk, and pronghorn have been sighted consistently in the last month. Moose and elk are calving this time of year and will soon be followed by deer and pronghorn. Cow moose can be particularly protective of their newborns and potentially dangerous. Also, newborn ungulate calves are known to be an important food source for grizzly bears and other predators, so be bear aware and extra diligent in areas with ungulate activity throughout June.
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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