​ "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

​The WC working model is centered on the use of range stewards to actively manage livestock grazing and regularly observe herd behavior/health, wildlife, and pasture/ranch condition in order to support adaptive resource management. 

The use of traditional range riders has proven successful in wolf-livestock 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 on-going support as needed to reduce vulnerability in livestock to predation and also to implement practices that increase ranch resiliency and 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 Opportunities  include:

1. Stockmanship
   - Low Stress Livestock Handling
   - Rekindling of the herd instinct
   - Adaptive herd management 
2. Wolf ecology
   - Seasonal behavior
   - Hunting behavior
   - Wolf-ungulate interactions
   - Myths and realities
 3. Landscape monitoring and surveying
 
As part of our comprehensive model, WCI also supports the implementation of regenerative agriculture practices:
   - Prescribed grazing practices that increase ranch resiliency/sustainability, land, water, and biodiversity health.  
   

WCI 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
Wolf Behavior and Ecology
Wolves and Livestock Interaction 
​Working Dogs
Ranch Resiliency 
Wildlife tracking
​Landscape monitoring

These clinics are also recommended for wildlife agency personnel engaged in the wolf conservation arena.

“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

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