Sierra Nevada Foothills Mountain Lion Study

Investigating the Efficacy of Non-lethal Deterrents for Reducing Livestock Depredations

Study Summary
• January 2025: Utah State University (USU) will begin an ecological study to evaluate the efficacy
of non-lethal deterrents for reducing livestock depredations by mountain lions, in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), USDA Wildlife Services – California, and USDA National Wildlife Research Center.
• Location: We would like to work with livestock owners who have experienced, or are concerned, about mountain lion depredation in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, and Yuba counties.
• Method: We will provide all materials and labor involved in deploying and maintaining each deterrent tool or method during the study period (~12 months). Mountain lion capture-collar efforts will be conducted by the CDFW Mountain Lion Conservation Program.
Non-Lethal Deterrents to be Tested

• Turbo Fladry
  
• Pursuit with Hounds (Hazing) • Visual Barriers
  

• Radio/Motion-Activated Scare Device
*Images are examples and may not depict actual model of tool or method used.
Our Team:

• April Wood is a graduate student (master's) at USU and the primary contact for the study. She grew up on a horse ranch in Southern Idaho and has worked with large carnivores in small communities across the Western U.S. She will be in the Sierra Nevada foothill area full-time beginning in January 2025. [email protected]; (208) 320-6570
  
• Dr. Julie K. Young is an associate professor at USU and the Principal Investigator for the study. Her research focuses on animal behavior and human-wildlife conflicts. She has 20+ years of experience working with landowners and producers. [email protected]; (406) 274-2290
  
• Dr. Dustin Ranglack is the Predator Project Leader for the USDA-WS-NWRC. His research focuses on human-wildlife conflicts with predators. He leads coordination with Wildlife Services. [email protected]; (435) 938-8643
  
• Dr. Jason Lombardi is the statewide mountain lion conservation program lead scientist for CDFW. He is the primary agency contact and leads statewide coordination of mountain lion capture-collar efforts for this study. [email protected]; (916) 838-2068
  If you are interested in participating in the study, learning more, o r receiving monthly email updates, please contact April Wood, Dr. Julie Young, or your local Ag Commission. 
  

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