Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Livestock-predator interactions are common-place on the millions of acres of public and private ranches throughout California. The toolbox to mitigate these interactions has ebbed and flowed over the years with changes in political climate and public interest in predators. The first California gray wolf in recent history crossed the California/Oregon state line border on December 28, 2011, thus making gray wolves the most recent predator to be added to the livestock-predator equation. With them came a whole new set of challenges as well as new rules for producers to follow as wolves are provided protection under the Federal and California Endangered Species Act. The California wolf population has currently grown to over seven known established packs that have established throughout the state. With this increase in wolves also came impacts to the state’s $3.63 billion range livestock industry including direct losses through depredation of cattle and sheep. University of California Livestock and Natural Resources advisors in northern California have been working on communicating with and educating the public and ranchers alike about livestock-predator interactions, conducting and supporting research, and engaging in efforts to inform policy in this field for 10 years. By utilizing a diverse set of outreach techniques, hands-on-workshops, surveys and conversations, advisors have built capacity to address livestock-wolf interactions and made lasting impacts with producers. A discussion about successes and failures, and future work will be included.