“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
- Harrington Emerson
- Harrington Emerson
The WC working model is centered on the use of Range Stewards to actively manage cattle grazing and regularly observe herd behavior/health, wildlife, and pasture/ranch condition in order to support adaptive resource management.
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The use of traditional range riders has proven successful in wolf-cattle conflict reduction in other parts of the western United States and Canada that have dense populations of wolves and other large carnivores. WC takes the concept of range riders to a higher more comprehensive level in what we call the Range Steward program.
The Range Stewards are provided with in-depth training opportunities and on-going support as needed to reduce vulnerability in cattle to predation and also to implement practices that increase ranch resiliency and economic sustainability that supports land and wildlife habitat health. We believe that Range Stewards should come from within each ranching community or individual ranch operation. It is our desire for ranching families to manage their own operation including wolf-livestock conflict and risk-reduction strategies independent of long-term outside reliance. Range Steward Support and Training Stockmanship - Low Stress Livestock Handling - Rekindling of the herd instinct - Adaptive herd management Low stress dog work Wolf ecology - Seasonal behavior - Hunting behavior - Wolf-ungulate interactions - Myths and realities Landscape monitoring and surveying As part of our comprehensive model, WC also supports the implementation of regenerative agriculture practices: - Prescribed grazing practices that increase ranch resiliency/sustainability, land, water, and biodiversity health. |
Multi-Day Clinics for Livestock Producers WC offers sponsorships to individual landowners to participate in diverse multi-day clinics: Stockmanship for Sustainable Ranching Low Stress Livestock Handling Rekindling the Herd Behavior Horsemanship Working Dogs ~ Wolf Behavior and Ecology Wolves and Livestock Interaction ~ Supplemental Non-Lethal Tools ~ Ranch Resiliency ~ Wildlife tracking Landscape monitoring These clinics are also recommended for wildlife agency personnel engaged in the wolf conservation arena. See Resources page for upcoming opportunities. |
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"We are grateful you came along; this is an issue we have struggled to deal with and honestly have been unsure of how to proceed. The Working Circle model provides the most sense moving forward.”
~ Oregon Senior Wildlife Biologist, US Fish & Wildlife Service |