Fladry: A new tool in our non-lethal conflict mitigation tool box for producers

On a cold March morning, myself and seven other people gathered in a small parking lot in Walden, Colo. While I knew some of those I’d be working with that day on a fladry installation project, there were a few faces I hadn’t met yet. With coffee in hand in the hopes of feeling a little bit of warmth, I got out of my car and made my way to the larger group. As I walked over, I couldn’t help but think what a beautiful morning it was. While the temperature was only 28 degrees, there was no wind, something I hoped would continue the remainder of the day. After a quick hello and a few introductions, we were welcomed by CPW’s Wolf Conflict Coordinator Adam Baca. He gave us a brief rundown of what the day would entail before heading out to the property just outside of town.

While driving down a long dirt driveway looking across the snow-covered field, I couldn’t help but think back to last year when I traveled down this same driveway. At that time the fladry installed in early spring had been taken down and cattle had been moved to new grazing grounds. I had been welcomed with open arms by livestock producer Phillip Anderson, and given a tour of where the fladry had been just a few weeks before. While standing in the field, Phillip pointed out just how close the North Park wolves had been and talked about the importance of collaboration. 

After adding a few more layers of warmth, we regrouped, ready to get to work. We were greeted by Phillip and his son Brian, along with three very happy ranch dogs. Together, they run several hundred head of cattle and a few dozen sheep on their ranch in Jackson County. After welcoming us to the ranch, Phillip shared their ranch’s history, their experiences with wolves and the work they have done to reduce conflict over the last two years. 

In late fall of 2023, the Anderson ranch lost three sheep to a wolf-livestock depredation. Knowing the importance of collaboration and education, the Anderson family allowed CPW to keep the carcass and use it to help teach District Wildlife Officers what to look for when determining if something was depredated by a wolf. While our officers are well-trained in bear and mountain lion depredation, wolves are still very new. Being able to use the carcass for education gave wildlife officers in other areas an opportunity to learn what to look for when conducting an investigation.

“You being here has really meant a lot to us. We really appreciate the help that we’ve gotten from Adam and CPW. I don’t want to say we are paving the trail by any means, but we’re sure enough trying to make it work for us and everybody else,” Phillip told the group. “Collaboration and communication are key to get through this.” 

While most of us had been on previous fladry projects in 2023, a few in the group were new to fladry altogether. Using a small example already set up by Adam, we learned what the installation process would look like and how the fladry would work once completed. After a brief Q&A and loading up supplies, the group divided up into three teams and got to work. 

While one team worked to lay out t-posts that would be used as anchor points, another lined out the fladry using the help of a side-by-side off-road vehicle, the third team followed behind, securing the fladry to fiberglass posts set about every 25 feet for the 1.7-mile perimeter. For the next four hours, the three teams worked together to complete the fladry project. Once the fladry was placed, Adam and Brian cleared out the previously installed grounding rods in order to electrify the fencing.

Two weeks after the Anderson Fladry project, I headed back to North Park to help build close to 1.5 miles of fladry at the Vanvalkenburg’s Ranch. As I traveled down the long gravel road to our meeting place, I noticed there was no wind, unlike the last time I had visited the ranch to install fladry in 2023. This was the ranch where I learned what fladry was and how it worked. I also learned that with a little bit of trust and willingness to try something new, anything can be accomplished.

Once again we were greeted with open arms and some very happy ranch dogs. Adam Vanvalkenburg, a fourth-generation rancher, gave us a look into their family’s ranching operation. He talked about the conflict mitigation efforts he took last year that he thinks not only prevented wolf depredations, but also bear depredations. Joined by Adam’s wife, his dad Chris, and mom Carla, we laid out the plan for the day and got right into getting our supplies ready to go. Unlike last year when we rolled the fladry out by hand from the box it came in, this year we had the ability to attach a large spool to the back of a four-wheeler to help cover more ground in less time.

To make sure I didn’t miss documenting something during the installation, Carla was kind enough to shuttle me from one spot to another. Riding on the back of the four-wheeler, I had an opportunity to hear firsthand what ranching is like from a woman’s perspective. As we traveled back and forth from spot to spot, she explained how their ranching and calving operation worked. With the occasional stop so Carla could help pound posts into the ground and check on cattle, I was quickly reminded that ranching is not an easy life and the work never stops. As I listened to Carla’s stories, I could tell, while this is her profession, this is also her passion. 

Like the previous install on the Anderson property, the group split into three  teams. From flat grazing grounds, going up and down a steep hillside, and navigating through thick willows while trying not to break through the slushy snow to the water below, each team worked together to complete the project. At one point Chris and Carla had to shift gears from fladry installation, to birthing coach as one of their first-year heifers went into labor. 

“She doesn’t know what to do,” Carla told me. “This is her first time giving birth, and it’s our job to keep an eye on her until she does to make sure everything is ok.” 

After four hours of work, with a jump and “oh, that’s live” from Adam, we knew we were done for the day. As we cleaned up, we all joked how easy this was compared to last year, when it took us close to eight hours to complete. Since the installation of fladry, the Vanvalkenburgs have documented wolves in the area testing the fladry using a series of game cameras set up in areas along the outside of the perimeter. Adam continues to stay in close contact with Adam Vanvalkenburg to ensure they have the necessary tools to prevent wolf-livestock depredation.

Answering the call: Complicity after a depredation

On the morning of April 2, CPW staff in Hot Sulphur Springs received a report of a possible depredation incident after a landowner in Grand County found a dead calf while doing routine checks. CPW wildlife officers quickly responded, conducted a field investigation, and confirmed a wolf-livestock depredation had occurred. This was the first reported depredation since the initial wolf release in December 2023.

Knowing the producer had just begun calving and the risk for additional depredation was present, Wolf Conflict Coordinator Adam Baca and local staff worked to make recommendations for conflict minimization  including foxlights, cracker shells and other tools to help the rancher haze the wolf or wolves if they returned. In addition to tools to help haze the animals away, the producer brought the cattle closer to his residence where they could keep a closer eye on them, especially at night. 

After learning about the April 2 depredation, a neighboring producer reached out to CPW for non-lethal tools to protect his cattle. On April 10 a team of CPW staff, volunteers and the producer worked together to install a fladry fence that will remain in place until early June.  

“While most projects take time to plan and organize, this one came together quickly because the need to act fast was there,” said Baca. “The support of the producer was essential in the quick planning of this project and with installing the fladry in such a short amount of time.” 

Since the first depredation of 2024, CPW has confirmed nine  wolf-livestock depredations, six of which occurred on the same property between April 17 and 18. There was an immediate need to get non-lethal conflict mitigation measures in place, and CPW staff began conducting night time operations with the goal to haze off any wolf or wolves that may return and provide decision time for other methods. With the potential of a den site nearby and knowing it is too late in the season to install fladry, CPW continues to work with the landower to provide any assistance with non-lethal hazing methods to reduce the potential of future depredation. 

When one size doesn’t fit all

Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff continue to work with local producers in areas currently inhabited by wolves. However, the reality is, no one solution will work for every rancher.

Finding the right solution isn’t just showing up and saying, “This is what we are going to do.” It’s going out to the producer’s property, sitting down over a cup of coffee or a slice of pie and understanding how each producer manages their land. This concept is not new to our wildlife officers, who don’t just work in these areas; they are members of the communities they serve. Watching these conversations firsthand, it’s striking to realize these challenging conversations aren’t being had with a “reporting party” – in many cases, officers are talking to a friend or a neighbor, sometimes from the very same communities where they were born and raised.

We couldn’t do what we do without the help of our ranching and agriculture community. It’s a statement that has been said a lot over the past few months. The fact is, it’s true. Ranchers are some of the best conservationists, not just in Colorado but across the West. If not for the help of our ranching community, CPW’s work to restore and protect threatened and endangered species like the Black Footed Ferret, Gunnison Sage Grouse, and many others couldn’t be done. As we navigate a new species on the landscape, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will continue to partner with the agricultural community to find the solutions that work to help them to minimize and prevent depredation from occurring. 

When I first met Phillip Anderson, I remember him telling me how important it is for all of us, ranchers, CPW and wolf advocate groups to work together. Each one of us is passionate about what we do and we all have something to contribute. We may not always agree with each other, but if we aren’t willing to take the time to listen and learn from each other, we won’t get anywhere. While it will take some time, with a little bit of patience and a whole lot of collaboration, we will succeed.

Written by Rachael Gonzales, Northwest Region public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.