Students learn about livestock protection

Students learn about livestock protection
Posted on 04/03/2019
IVA students attend a livestock protection event.On March 28, six Indian Valley Academy students attended the University of California Cooperative Extension Livestock Protection Tools Field Day, held at the Rock Club in Taylorsville.

The field day, which was funded by a Renewable Resources Extension Act grant, covered “on-the-ground solutions for predator losses in commercial ranch settings,” according to organizers. IVA teacher Veronica Tilton said the ninth- and 10th-graders attended because of “personal interest and connection to livestock production in Indian Valley.”

The students, some of whom come from longtime area ranch families, learned about nonlethal livestock protection tools, such as livestock protection dogs, electric fencing, game cameras, and GPS collars.

They also heard presentations on preserving kill sites and wildlife services compensation programs.

The field day’s keynote speaker, Cat Urbigkit, operates a sheep and cattle ranch with her family in western Wyoming. She shared her experiences using livestock guardian dogs and other tools to protect livestock from wolves and other predators in extensive rangeland environments.

Urbigkit is also an author and photographer. Learn more at paradisesheep.com.

Indian Valley Academy is one of Plumas Charter School’s four learning centers. Learn more at plumascharterschool.org or by calling (530) 284-7050.

By Ingrid Burke, I. Burke Writing & Editing
[email protected]


In the photo: Local high school students from Indian Valley Academy attend and participate in a Cooperative Extension event focusing on livestock protection. From left: Addie Tilton, Madi Goss, Kaidyn Holland, Jack Joseph, Ryan Hammerich, and Ben Cassol. Photo by Veronica Tilton