Robert
Frost observed that “Good fences make
good neighbors” (Mending Wall).
A LEGACY
of Fences
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We
live with fences. They define property, confine livestock, and keep our
children and pets safe. They delineate public and private, and control
trespass. Thousands upon thousands of miles of fence, mostly comprised of
barbed wire, literally define the western United States, squaring up the
landscape and turning space into place (See Open Range Box below).
For
wildlife, fences are barriers to negotiate at best and lethal hazards at worst.
Elk, deer, and pronghorn face fences on their daily movements to water and
forage, and more fences on their seasonal migrations between summer and winter
ranges. For grouse, swans, and other wildlife, fence lines are often undetected
until they break wings and necks. When wildlife meet the wrong kind of fence,
it results in injured or dead wildlife. It also translates into lost time and
increased costs to the landowner as they are forced to mend broken fences.
Robert Frost’s little known poem with the well-known line above, also contains
the lines: Before I built a wall I’d ask
to know/What I was walling in or walling out/And to whom I was like to give
offense.
Figure
1. Pronghorn entangled in fence.
Photo by Steve Primm (note: animal was alive and released)
Fences,
coupled with human development and loss of habitat, are a major challenge for the
conservation and management of wildlife. Most wildlife are capable of
negotiating properly constructed and maintained fence. A poorly designed and
maintained fence, however, is a problem fence. Problem fences typically share
one or more traits:
ü too high to jump
and/or too low to crawl under;
ü have loose wires
and/or wires spaced too closely together;
ü are difficult for
fleeing animals or birds to see;
ü create a complete
barrier
A
2006 study by Utah State University examined wildlife mortality in northeastern
Utah and northwestern Colorado along more than 600 miles of fences (Harrington
and Conover 2006). They found an average of one ungulate tangled for every 2.5
miles of fence per year. Most animals died by getting caught in the top two
wires while trying to jump a fence, and juveniles are eight times more likely
to die in fences than adults. They also confirmed that woven-wire fence (aka
“sheep fence”) topped with a single strand of barbed-wire was the most lethal
fence type.
Cooperation
& Action
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While
there is a great deal more that can be said on wildlife-fence interactions,
there is good news. State wildlife agencies, ranchers, conservation
organizations, and others have joined forces to design and locate effective
fences with wildlife in mind. Working together, ranchers and wildlife interests
(commonly one and the same) have come up with new fence designs where top wires
are low enough for adult animals to jump, bottom wires are high enough for
wildlife to crawl under, and middle strand placement minimizes the chance of
tangling (Figure 2). In practice these designs have been found to control
cattle in most situations and allow for easier wildlife passage. They also
prove more cost-effective to build and maintain as there is less need to
repair.
Figure
2 (Paige 2012)
A
top wire or rail preferably no more than 40" and a maximum of 42"
above the ground;
At
least 12" between the top two wires;
A
bottom wire or rail at least 16" and preferably 18" above the ground;
Smooth
wire or rail for the top, smooth wire on bottom;
Preferably,
no vertical stays. If used, consider stiff plastic or composite stays, or
regularly maintain wire stays that are easily bent;
Posts
at 16.5-foot intervals;
Gates,
drop-downs, or other passages where wildlife concentrate and cross.
The
location of fences remains an important consideration, both for visibility and other
landscape considerations, such as slope (Figure 3).
Figure
3 (Paige 2012)
At Mountain Sky and West Creek, our policy is that all
new fence construction will incorporate wildlife-friendly designs. We will
minimize the use of barbed wire (the main culprit of wildlife and livestock
injury), and use alternatives, such as smooth high-tensile wire, where practical.
In addition, in areas of high wildlife use we will look to design crossing
structures such as the elk crossing fences in place at West Creek Ranch to
allow easier passage of wildlife along well-travelled corridors (Figure 4). Equally
important, we will work to remove all unwanted fencing. To this end, we will be
working with National Parks and Conservation Association and their volunteers
to remove unneeded fencing. More on that soon.
Open Range
Cole
Porter’s song “Don’t Fence Me In” (1934) could be retitled “Open Range.” Much
of Montana remains “open range,” requiring landowners to “fence out”
neighboring livestock. Additionally, a livestock owner is not liable for
trespass or damage if a neighboring property is not adequately fenced. Montana’s
open range law applies to cattle and horses while sheep, goats, and other
livestock must be fenced in. Incorporated towns and subdivisions may create
“herd districts,” closing their range and placing the responsibility for “fencing
in” on the stock owner. In practice, many livestock operators fence their
property and pastures to better manage their livestock and range resources.
Where their pastures adjoin federal lands, livestock owners are also
responsible for preventing their livestock from illegally trespassing on
those lands (Mont. Code Ann. § 81-4-301).
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Figure
2. Elk crossing fence at West Creek
Ranch.
Resources
Paige,
C. 2012. A Landowner's. Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences. Second
Edition. Private Land. Technical Assistance Program, Montana Fish, Wildlife &
Parks. http://fwp.mt.gov/fwpDoc.html?id=34461
Harrington,
J.L., and M.R. Conover. 2006. Characteristics of ungulate behavior and
mortality associated with wire fences. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(5)
1295–1305.
