SFNF News:
SANTA FE — The Santa Fe National Forest and the Tierra Y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District have agreed to jointly implement a pilot project to use virtual fencing on four range allotments impacted by the Hermits Peak – Calf Canyon Fire.
What is virtual fencing?
Virtual fencing is a GPS based livestock management system that relays virtual fence locations to livestock within a grazing allotment or pasture. The system uses base stations and electronic collars.
The base stations relay pre-programed virtual fence locations to the electronic collars worn by the cattle and may reduce the need for miles of barbwire fences. Through a series of sounds and shocks, the electronic collars on the cattle notify the cattle and keep them within a given area. Before being released on an allotment cattle are trained and become accustomed to the virtual fences.
Why use a virtual fencing system?
In 2022, the Hermits Peak – Calf Canyon Fire, one of the largest fires in New Mexico history, burned 30 miles of interior fence and a total of 221 miles of fence. The Forest Service plans to test the idea of using virtual fences to replace interior fences as a way to help producers get back on the landscape in a cost-efficient way. “We believe we can use virtual fences and save on the need to rebuild miles and miles of barbwire fences right away,” said Shaun Sanchez, Forest Supervisor for the Santa Fe National Forest. “There are multiple advantages to virtual fences that we are interested in, including cost, reducing ground disturbance, and maintenance needs,” Sanchez said.
To incentivize permittees to try this new technology, the Santa Fe National Forest partnered with the Tierra Y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District. Through this partnership, the Forest Service will provide funds to Tierra Y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District who will facilitate education, distribution and purchase of collars as well as training and use of the equipment with the permittees.
“We are looking forward to this learning opportunity and opportunity to partner with Tierra Y Montes and our permittees as a way to help our communities and those whose lives depend on this land impacted by the fire,” Shaun Sanchez said.
For more information, email SFNF Range Program Manager Christine Bishop at Christine.bishop@usda.gov or call 505.438.5441 or Tierra Y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District Manager Gerald Romero at gromero@tierraymontesswcd.org or 505.425.9088.
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