[Editor's Note: This is part 1 of a multi-part series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. The next article will jump back to the regular session for public input, and then likely a combined article addressing the rest of the agenda.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The first presentation at the Grant County Commission work session on July 17, 2018, featured Gila National Forest Fire Staff Officer Gabe Holguin giving a report on fire season.

"I have two items of good news," Holguin said. "It's raining. And second, we escaped what could potentially have been a very difficult fire season. As it was, 56,126 acres burned. The not-so-good news is that we had 35 fires, which is low for the Gila, as we typically have 100 fires a season. Sixteen of the 35 were lightning-caused. But the other 19 were human-caused. The 50,296 acres burned in the Buzzard Fire were man-caused. We had an increase in human-caused fires this year. For three weeks, we were in Stage 1 fire restrictions, meaning campfires had to be in a forest structure specifically for fires or on cleared, open ground. Stage 2 restrictions prohibited fires of any kind, but we still had fires start."

He said the fire indices had dropped to moderate fire behavior, thanks to the precipitation. "But the fine fuels will dry out quickly over the next 8-10 days of drier and warmer weather than normal. The large fuels, such as downed trees, and the duff, made of the layers of pine needles, take longer to dry out."

As the indices dropped, the Forest Service has released the visiting crews. "We are down to our local resources. Because we have a lower fire danger here, we can send the crews out to where they are needed. We sent an engine to California and another to Oregon. We will maintain three to four engines here. I think we'll get busy again. I expect to see snags, single-tree fires. We will see an uptick in smoke and fire reports from the towers. It's our snag season."

Commissioner Alicia Edwards asked what the primary source of human-caused fires is.

"Primarily untended campfires," Holguin said. "It's always tough to find the person who left a campfire untended and burning."

"Is it a lack of education or carelessness?" Edwards asked.

"I think it's carelessness," Holguin said. "95 percent of the people follow the restrictions, but there are 4 percent to 5 percent who don't care."

The next presentation by Alan May, state director of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services Program, gave an overview.

He commented first on the rainfall of the previous evening. "We got ready to leave the restaurant and the road was closed."

"The co-operative agreement with the county is for $37,500," May said. "Who we are—we help to resolve conflicts with wildlife, including property damage protection, from gophers in gardens to woodpeckers pecking on your house to wildlife at airports, as well as human-health issues such as rabies in foxes, of which you had an outbreak several years ago. We helped out along with the Department of Health. The bulk of our work is depredation of livestock. The cost share with the county supports one position. Brandon Jones is your wildlife biologist here. He was traveling out-of-state today, so Ray Pierce of the Las Cruces office is here with me, along with David Moreno, Colorado wildlife biologist and district supervisor."

He said the service provides confirmation of the predation cause. "If the death is confirmed as done by predators, we plan a course of action. Concerns arise over the tools we use to control predators. It could be traps, M44 cyanide bombs or other methods. We did not kill a single non-target animal last year in Grant County. We did not catch a single pet. We work extremely hard to avoid those kinds of situations. We care deeply about public safety, pets and wildlife. Our methods work. At any given time, we work on a relatively small percentage of public land in New Mexico."

"I'm a wildlife biologist," May said. "I recreate on public lands, just like you do. We work with New Mexico Game and Fish, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to avoid areas of heavy public use. We don't use cyanide injectors during quail season, in order to avoid conflict with hunters. We also do not use M44s on the Gila National Forest in order to avoid the potential take of a Mexican Wolf. M44s are a selective tool. They are baited with rotted meat, not very attractive to most other species."

He explained that the cyanide is a restricted use pesticide and is handled only by licensed users, who must maintain their license annually. The pesticide also is restricted by the EPA.

"We suspended the use of M44s after a dog was killed in Idaho," May said. "We made changes to the program and have implemented safety requirements. We abide by all mitigation measures of Fish and Wildlife for endangered species. I am part of the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Team. We carry out wolf removal when authorized by Fish and Wildlife and New Mexico Game and Fish."

He said the agency did a survey and discovered that more than 83 percent of livestock owners used at least one non-lethal method to protect their livestock. But they also reported that the non-lethal method was not doing much to reduce their predator losses. Most of the non-lethal methods' costs are borne by the livestock owners. Moving livestock is not an appropriate option for most ranchers.

"We hear concerns that we may negatively impact native animals," May said. "We consult with Fish and Wild life and use the NEPA to help analyze our actions. The coyote is the most prevalent species we take. Our take, combined with sport harvest, is less than 10 percent. Researches have shown that the take would have to be more than 50 percent for several consecutive years to negatively impact the coyote population. We protect the environment for food and fiber production, which provides lower costs to producers and less expensive food for consumers. We are also a partial defense against disease, such as rabies."

He cited national statistics showing more than 111 million losses last year to predators. "In Grant County, we protected 132,000 head of cattle last year, with only 14 lost to predation. We kept the calf loss to less than 3 percent. So, we prevented the loss of 1,718 calves at a value of $800,000. We look forward to continuing to serve Grant County."

Commissioner Harry Browne asked questions about the budget, which he saw listed at $25,000. Webb said the program was fully funded at $37,500, but the county pays in $25,000. "We get full service at a cut rate. Our grazing fees raise about $28,000 from the Taylor Grazing Act program."

May explained that Jones also spends time in Hidalgo County.

Browne asked about the Idaho incident where the dog was killed and a child injured.

"We have restricted distances from homes, and more signs of warning about M44s have been installed," May said. "We use the M44s mostly on BLM land and they are very restricted."

May said they are used on BLM and private lands in Grant County. They account for about the one-third of the coyote take. In the state, untargeted-animal take stands at about 3 percent to 4 percent. "In Grant County last year, zero untargeted animals were taken."

To a question from Browne on how they manage traps and snares, May said they put up signs on gates, place them where untargeted animals are less likely to go, bait that does not appeal and pan tension to target only certain species.

"We don't do a cost analysis by individual method," May said. "Just the overall savings of livestock."

Ty Bays, representing the Grant County Cattlegrowers, spoke in support of the program. "We have about 100 family members in the organization. We are in support of this program."

"In 2012, we sold almost $30 million of livestock in Grant County," Bays said. "By 2016, the price had dropped, so we sold under $18 million. The number of cattle sold also fluctuates from a low of 18,000 mother cows several years ago to a high of 29,000 head."

He pointed out that the funding was not tax money but comes from grazing fees paid by ranchers on BLM land. "The money can pay for this program, for the Soil and Water Conservation Districts and for some roads."

"I have worked with Brandon Jones, AEC, and he is a professional," Bays said. "When a lion kills a calf, he can differentiate that lion's track from another lion. Same with a bear. Not only does he get only the animal causing the problem, but he serves the agricultural industry. When Game and Fish has problems, they call him to catch lions. Remember the man that was killed and consumed by lions near Pinos Altos? Jones is the one who got those lions. He works at the airport to keep animals off the runway."

To a comment about guard animals, Bays said they are fine with sheep and to some degree with goats, because they stay in flocks. "They aren't as good with cattle because in this arid climate we run 12 -15 head per section—640 acres. We like them scattered out, so they are not having an impact on a single area."

He said he had never seen Jones take a non-target animal. "I told him I had some coyotes on my land. He asked me: 'Are they killing?' When I said they weren't, he said: 'Then leave them alone, so others don't come in that may kill.' I don't know a rancher who wants to kill a lion, bear or coyote, but it's no different from your putting a mousetrap in a corner of your kitchen or rat poison under your house. Predators have to be managed."

Browne said he was glad to see the grazing fees invested in the county, but it seemed to him that other uses could be more beneficial to the ranchers. "Has the county looked at soil conservation or roads for the funding?"

"We would love to see the roads bladed," Bays said, "but $25,000 wouldn't go very far for roads or soil conservation. $5,000 does go to the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District, but conservation projects are expensive. It is better spent in this service, which aids us in keeping our livestock and aids the county in gathering taxes on our livestock. In 2016, we paid $184,000 on livestock property taxes alone."

Next was a presentation by Michelle Lute and Alysha Shaw of WildEarth Guardians, presenting "Modern Wildlife Management and Effective Livestock Protection."

Lute said she was addressing the concerns of Grant County residents. "We have a substantial membership in Grant County. I am representing the best available science as I understand it."

She noted that the $24,000 from Grant County is matched by federal money of $57,000, which is more than $81,000 going to prevent verified losses of $1,608. "This amount is going to aerial gunning, foot snares, leg-hold traps and cyanide bombs."

Lute said the Taylor Grazing Act funding might be better used to address fires to help more Grant County residents.

She has a master's degree in wildlife ecology and management and a Ph.D. in wildlife management. "I've been working my whole career in carnivore interaction. The Wildlife Services program uses indiscriminate tools. From 2010-2017, 43 dogs were killed or injured by M44 bombs. Seven hundred thirty-eight other animals were killed unintentionally by these cyanide bombs. I find killing 43 dogs unacceptable. I was in Idaho to report on the dog killed and the boy injured. It happened a few yards outside his home on BLM land. Idaho had said years before that it would not put such items on public land. This was intended or purposefully forgotten. The response was that they would put more rules in place, but they weren't following the rules they already had. No one knew what the device was. Their rules said they had to notify law enforcement and hospitals about it. The boy's father, who was a doctor, didn't know what it was."

Lute said aerial gunning is dangerous, with a crash having happened in Wyoming in 2016. "Wildlife Services fails to take common sense precautions. They fail to be accountable to residents. It receives a huge federal match. That's taxpayer dollars. They should be accountable to the public on those dollars. They also fail to be transparent. They fail to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as Congressional requests. They haven't answered where they keep the cyanide, of which tons have disappeared."

"Lethal management fails to protect the ecosystem function," Lute alleged. "Lethal management fails wildlife. It's expensive and ineffective."

She explained in detail how lethal taking of coyotes causes compensatory breeding, as well as animals coming into the area from the outside. The compensatory breeding causes unstable family units, with more hungry pups that go after larger prey. "It creates chaos across the landscape, driving more conflict."

Lute said lethal management fails to prevent depredation and it fails ranchers unless it is able to track the activities and measure them. She said the agency has a long history of criticisms against it by other federal agencies. "There have been calls for reform since 1964 because they are not following the best science."

"But I'm not arguing to take the tools away without offering alternatives," Lute continued. She listed them: 1) erecting barriers and putting fladry on them; 2) portable fencing; and 3) reducing attractants. As calves seem to be the predominant vulnerable livestock, removing afterbirth and burning or burying carcasses keep predators from being attracted; and 4) guarding the livestock with dogs, llamas, donkeys and range riders, maybe only during calving season. It would be job creation and the riders could remove carcasses and deal with sick animals.

Another possibility is scaring techniques, such as automated lights, air horns, pistols with blanks and alarm systems.

"I emphasize that this works," Lute said. "Marin County canceled their Wildlife Services contract in 2010, when it refused to stop using poison. It has been a collaborative effort with a cost share program. Ranches with 25 or more head promise to implement two non-lethal methods and get reimbursed for any losses There are fewer depredations and fewer carnivores killed. The losses fell, and the costs fell within four years. The costs fell by $50,000. I'm asking you to reform the contract or cancel it outright and replace it with more effective tools. I emphasize I'm not trying to put anyone out of business. I've spent my career developing methods that work for those who work together."

Commissioner Gabriel Ramos asked the cost of portable fencing per acre. She tried to tell the cost of fladry and Ramos asked for the cost of the fencing. Lute didn't know the price of the portable fencing but said fladry could be done for $50 an acre or cheaper.

Ramos asked the cost of a range rider, and Lute said the going rate was $20 an hour. Ramos asked her where the funding would come from and asked if her organization provide any funding. She said many organizations do offer funding, but not WildEarth Guardians.

"I feel like $24,000 is not a huge amount to pay to help people and to protect people," Ramos said.

Lute said she is trying to argue the most effective ways to protect livestock from predation and save the predators. She said the statistics come from Wildlife Services, but there is no way to break them down by county.

"I do not doubt your sincerity," Commission Chairman Billy Billings said. "But the fladry cost alone would be astronomical and a coyote would run right by it."

Lute said fladry works for a few weeks, not forever, but aerial gunning is very expensive.

"Your experience with Wildlife Services is not the same as ours," Billings said. "We had a sick animal on our property. I called Game and Fish and they called Wildlife Services. I took no joy in seeing an animal destroyed, but it was sick and needed to be put down. It posed a risk to our grandchildren. I'm glad we had Wildlife Services to remove it. And I just heard that in the Cliff-Gila area, they had a cougar doing damage and Wildlife Services took care of it. I take no joy in eliminating healthy animals. I agree that not all coyotes kill. We don’t allow a lot of traps at our place. I think it destroys the balance of nature. I think only twice in a dozen years have we used Wildlife Services to do what we couldn't do."

Browne asked if there were any way to compare the cost of the program to the cost of verified losses. "I find it hard to believe that $800,000 was saved and that there is that much depredation."

Lute said it would require comparing perceived risk versus assessments of real risk. It would require a control group with lethal take and another group with non-lethal methods. "It would be difficult to do in a field study."

Browne noted that he had proposed amendments to the contract, and "I ask other commissioners for their input."

Cissy McAndrew, Realtor and member of the Southwest New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce, presented a letter from Grant County businesses regarding the impacts of Holloman's proposed F-16 flyovers above Grant County. "The petition received 152 signatures."

She read from it and alleged 10,000 sorties a year, 10 percent of them at night, 10 percent of them over Silver City and some as low as 500 feet.

"I support military preparedness," McAndrew said. "I think the Gila Wilderness is an inappropriate place for the flights. We have $54 million in tourism in Grant County and $15 million in Catron County. I'm extremely concerned about an average of 30 flights a day. It would greatly diminish tourism and our incomes. Your voice will make an impact. More than 2,400 citizens have commented on the EIS (environmental impact statement). I ask for a letter from you condemning the proposal."

The last presentation of the work session was the County Assessor Raul Turrieta giving his report.

"I have had comments from the majority of the commissioners," Turrieta said. "I had a conversation with Charlene (Webb, county manager) and we came up with agreements."

He said copper production for 2018 is $20.3 million, down from 2017. "We got nothing from the property tax division. We have had a $240,000 hit to our budget. There have been substantial losses due to cattle. In 2016, we received $8.7 million; 2017, $6.7 million; and in 2018, $5.1 million. We are 3 percent up in residential."

Browne commented on the 36 field visits on grazing and agriculture. "I share your interest in making sure the claims are legitimate for special valuation."

"We denied quite a few," Turrieta said. "A couple appealed and will go to protest. I will send a revised version of our yield analyses.

The next article will address public input at the regular meeting.

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