May 1st - May 31st Range Rider Update
The 2023 Range Riding Season is underway, and we are happy to welcome Taylor Jackson (Range Rider) and Erika Nunlist (Wildlife Coordinator) back, as well as welcome Cody Albrecht to the Team! Cody is joining as a Range Rider from Cody, Wyoming. He grew up ranching and has spent the last three summers cowboying on an allotment near Cooke City. We are excited to have him on the Team!
The last few weeks have been busy with deploying game cameras, vehicle maintenance, orientation, trainings, and general season prep. There are several groups of cattle in the Valley, although most of the herds that the Team rides through will be arriving in the next couple weeks. Range Riders should be out riding regularly by mid-June.
May was a big month for snow melt, and more recently, sporadic afternoon thunder/rainstorms. Many were doubtful at the beginning of the month that the snow from this winter would ever melt, but alas it did and rapidly at that! The oxbows of Red Rock River were filled and the channel was indistinguishable for the first half of the month. Currently, the Lima Reservoir is full with a high outflow. There is still plenty of snow in the mountains and the Centennial Valley will likely continue seeing high water for a bit longer.
Thankfully, the combination of water and sunshine has set the country to greening up well. The grass is green and growing rapidly, and wildflowers are starting to show up in full force. The Team has started seeing some larkspur and death camas, poisonous plants, among the growth, which will be monitored as the summer progresses to help keep folks informed about forage conditions, and to help reduce the chances of cattle losses due to poison.
CVA has about 40 game cameras to help monitor wildlife activity this summer. Twenty to thirty of these cameras will be deployed evenly across the Valley in semi-permanent locations and the remaining cameras will be used at more temporary locations of interest including carcasses, high-use wildlife areas, or pastures being grazed.
There were two grizzly bear observations in May, both reported by community members. Sightings included a sow with two yearling cubs near the Lower Lake Campground and the other was a lone bear around Lakeview. There were no black bear observations that we recorded this month. While recreating in the Centennial Valley, please remember that grizzly bears can occupy not only the forest, but the sagebrush, grassland, and wetland complexes too! Be bear aware: carry bear spray, stow attractants away in proper containers, and maintain your distance if you ever see a bear.
Range Riders found a fresh elk carcass that was likely a wolf kill based on hemorrhaging patterns and how the carcass had been fed on. No other wolf observations were documented.
Moose, deer, elk, and pronghorn have been sighted consistently throughout the Valley 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 Erika Nunlist, Wildlife Program Coordinator, at wildlife@centennialvalleyassociation.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
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