Blacktail Deer Clears Fence at Point Reyes National Seashore

This photo shows a deer jumping over a barbed-wire fence.

Blacktail deer clears a fence at Point Reyes.

The most common way barbed-wire fences kill deer and elk is when they get their hind legs caught between the top two wires.   If you were to picture how they might jump, you might think of how a human performs a swan dive with back legs pointed to the rear.  But no, deer need to have their hind legs pointed forward immediately after beginning the jump so their hind legs hit the ground right after the front legs.  The photo above illustrates this.

If the top wire isn’t cleared and there isn’t at least 12 inches between the top wires, then their hooves go under the second wire and the result is that the top wire and the second wire reverse positions as the deer gets caught and falls.  That reversal is called “scissoring.”  A good way to demonstrate this is to take a rubber band and stretch it between your thumb and index finger.  Now take a pen or pencil and insert it between the top and lower band and rotate it 270 degrees.

The deer’s weight causes it to hang from the top two wires and it is impossible for the deer to free itself.  If the wires are far enough apart scissoring won’t happen, although the deer may still get injured in falling, especially if a barb is in contact with one or both legs.

If you want to see an example of scissoring, click here.

This Point Reyes elk somehow got barbed wire tangled in his antlers.  NPS informed me many weeks later that the wire somehow fell off.  I hope so.

This is a photo of a bull tule elk in the rutting season with barbed wire caught in his antlers.

A bull tule elk has caught some barbed wire in his antlers. This can lead to injury or death.

This Point Reyes bull elk wasn’t so lucky.

This is a photo of the skull of a bull elk with barbed wire tangled in the antlers and tightly wound around its lower jaw.

Bull Elk Killed by Barbed Wire

The wire wrapped across the bridge of its nose and its lower jaw.  Its mouth was wired shut and it died slowly from lack of food or water or both.    Note how the wire worked its way half way through its lower jaw.

Fencing is dangerous for wildlife and doesn’t belong in a national park.  Cattle and the business of ranching on national park lands don’t belong in a national park either.

Point Reyes National Seashore Sets World Record for Livestock Fence Height

This is a photo of a barbed wire fence that is 55 inches in height which is much higher than a deer or elk can jump.

Barbed Wire Fence Is 56 Inches High, Not the Preferred 40 Inches

On January 15 I wrote about a new fence along the reconstructed Sir Francis Drake Boulevard that runs from Estero Road to near Schooner Creek Road.  It violates almost every rule for wildlife-friendly fencing even though NPS said in its FEIS that any new fences would be wildlife-friendly.   The top wire is 48 inches high with 12 inches between each of the wires below it, leaving the bottom wire 12 inches above ground for deer fawns and elk calves to have to try to crawl under.  They can’t do that, especially with barbed wire tearing their flesh.

On January 24 I drove out the reconstructed Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Chimney Rock and the lighthouse and found further new fencing along it even worse than the fencing I wrote about on January 15 because it is absurdly high.

I listed the specs for a wildlife-friendly fence in my January 15 blog.  Here they are again:

  1. The top wire should be low enough for adult animals to jump over, preferably no more than 40 inches, and “absolutely no more than 42 inches.”
  2. The distance between the top two wires should be “[a]t least 12 inches,” so elk and deer won’t tangle their back legs with the top wires; (For a photo showing what happens if the top two wires are not far enough apart, click here.)
  3. The bottom wire should be “at least 18 inches,” above the ground.
  4. The top and bottom strands should be “smooth wire” (like regular two strand twisted barbed wire, but without the added barbs) so animals don’t get snagged and injured.
  5. No vertical stays.

Also, the top wire should be made highly visible so mammals and birds see it when running and/or flying by using high visibility wire or sections of white pvc pipe, flagging or a top rail.

The top wire of the newest found fence here is 56 inches high with 12 inches between each of the wires below it, leaving the bottom wire 20 inches above ground.  Put another way, the wires are 56, 44, 32 and 20 inches above ground.  The top and bottom wires are not smooth; there is no flagging or anything else used to make the top wire visible to mammals and birds running and/or flying and there are not supposed to be any vertical stays.

So, what will it take for NPS to make this fence wildlife-friendly?  The top wire needs to be removed because it is barbed and way too high.  The wire below it, which is now 44 inches above ground, needs to be removed because it will be the top wire, but it is barbed so it can’t be used as the top wire, and because it is also too high so it needs to be lowered by 2 inches or, preferably, four inches. to 42 or 40 inches.  That wire, as the new top wire, also needs to be made more visible.  When that new top wire is installed, the wire below it, now at 32 inches above ground, will need to be lowered because, as the new second wire, it must be at least 12 inches below the new top wire.   The bottom wire needs to be replaced because it is barbed, not smooth, and the vertical stays need to be removed.

As I think about the fences in the three articles I’ve written recently, what I’m most struck by is how NPS says new fencing will be wildlife-friendly and it doesn’t keep its word.  Far from it.  How can the public expect that appropriate construction specs and all the mitigation measures will be followed for new projects described in the FEIS?  And, by the way, what about all the damage done in the past from ranching that still remains?  No commitments were made in the FEIS to remediate past (and continuing) damage to water quality; native plants; soils (damaged and/or lost due to compaction, and erosion and resultant gullies); native fish and wildlife species, such as salmon, steelhead, pronghorns, ground squirrels; etc.

What is Superintendent Craig Kenkel’s response to all this?  Ask him:  Craig_Kenkel@nps.gov.

Point Reyes; Fencing in Home Range of Drakes Beach Elk Herd Is NOT Wildlife-Friendly

A friend read my blog about the new fence along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and sent me two photos.  They showed a 7-strand barbed wire fence that looked very tall and there was very little space between the top two wires and between the bottom wire and the ground.  He added that the fence was along Drakes Beach Road where the Drakes Beach elk herd exists.  That was surprising and concerning to me.  I had checked the fences throughout PRNS, including along Drakes Beach Road, for a fencing blog I wrote in 2014 (available here) and I never saw a 7-wire fence in Point Reyes then, let alone in a place so important to the wild free-roaming Drakes Beach elk herd.

So, the next day I went to investigate.  Here’s what I found:

This is a photo of a fence which is difficult for a deer or elk to jump over or for deer fawns or elk calves to crawl under.

Good Example of a Fence on East Side of D Ranch that is Not Wildlife-Friendly

Before discussing the fence in the photo above, I want to point out that in its EIS for a new general management plan for the ranching area, NPS stated that it would follow wildlife-friendly fencing standards in managing the area.  It adopted the specs of USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).  The NRCS specs adopt “A Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences: How to Build Fences with Wildlife in Mind.”  First edition (2008).  To view the NRCS specs/Landowner’s Guide, click here.  It describes a wildlife-friendly fence as generally one that allows animals to jump over or crawl under it without injury.  Page 8.   More specifically:

  1. The top wire should be low enough for adult animals to jump over, preferably 40 inches, and “absolutely no more than 42 inches.”  Id.
  2. The distance between the top two wires should be “[a]t least 12 inches,” so elk and deer won’t tangle their back legs with the top wires; Id.  (For a photo showing what happens if the top two wires are not far enough apart, click here.  It’s called “scissoring.”)
  3. The bottom wire should be “at least 18 inches,” above the groundId.
  4. The top and bottom strands should be “smooth wire” (like regular two strand twisted barbed wire, but without the added barbs) so animals don’t get snagged and injured.   Id.
  5. No vertical staysId.

Finally, the top wire should be made highly visible so mammals and birds see it when running or flying by using high visibility wire or sections of white pvc pipe, flagging or a top rail.  Id.

How does the above fence stack up against the wildlife-friendly fence specs?  Not very well.  The fence is 47 inches high and there is only a clearance of 6 inches between the two top wires.  The top wire should no more than 42 inches high and, preferably, only 40 inches high.  The clearance between the two top wires should be at least 12 inches to prevent scissoring.  The bottom wire is a little over 12 inches above ground and it should be 18 inches.  The top and bottom wires should be smooth and the top wire needs to be made more visible.  Starting from the top, it looks like the second, fourth and sixth wires are new and taut and the first, third, fifth and bottom wires are old, rusted and not taut.  It seems like it was partially replaced recently.

As was evident in my previous article about new fencing along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, NPS doesn’t seem too enamored with wildlife-friendly fencing.  It didn’t follow it there.  Furthermore, in the EIS NPS said wildlife-friendly fencing would only be used when new or replacement fences are built.  Finally, it said only 20% of existing fencing would be replaced in the next 20 years.  That’s 1% (3.4 miles) of 340 miles of existing fencing per year.  Obviously, making fencing wildlife-friendly is not a high priority for the Park Service at Point Reyes.

However, the FEIS Appendix also states as follows:  “While all new Fencing would be required to be wildlife friendly, the EIS does not require that existing fencing be changed until it needs to be replaced because replacing all fencing would be cost prohibitive. NPS would work with ranchers as needed to make adjustments to fences that pose a threat to wildlife.  In areas where elk occur, fences would be repaired and/or replaced with wildlife-friendly fence designs that reduce the extent of damage by elk, and as existing fencing is replaced, it would be replaced with wildlife-friendly Fencing.”  FEIS, Appendix at P-42.  (Emphasis added.)

This fence certainly poses “a threat to wildlife.”  It’s also in an area “where elk occur” so it should be, without doubt, a very high priority for NPS to make wildlife-friendly.  The same should apply to the entire stretch of fencing along both sides of the road to Drakes Beach because the elk cross the road for its entire length and not one part of it is wildlife-friendly.  Furthermore, NPS has a statutory duty to protect and preserve wildlife and the existing fencing along Drakes Beach Road is a threat to that wildlife.  This actually applies to all fencing at Point Reyes (and Golden Gate NRA)  because deer and elk exist all over and none of the fencing is wildlife-friendly.

About 10 years ago, NPS modified two or three sections of the fencing on each side of Drakes Beach Road to provide the elk some spots where they could clear the fence easily.  This was for the benefit of the A and C Ranches who have grazing privileges there and who often complained of the cost of repair for broken fence wires (that were broken because they were kept too high).  It was also of benefit to the elk by reducing injuries to them when they jump the wildlife-unfriendly fences on both sides of the road.

This is a photo of a fence that was made wildlife-friendly and then a rancher undid that.

Wildlife-Friendly Fence Undone by C Ranch

I mentioned these lowered fences in my 2014 blog about the fencing at Point Reyes being so unfriendly to wildlife with these few exceptions for the elk along Drakes Beach Road. Well, as the photo above shows, the ranchers didn’t like making it easier for the elk to jump the fences even if it reduced their need to repair fence wires because they don’t want any elk eating any grass on the lands they have subsidized permits for.   So, they ignored NPS’s attempt to do a good thing and strung wire at a height that would cause elk problems.  In the photo above, the top of the board is 37.5 inches.  That was how NPS had modified the fence so elk could clear it easily and safely.  The C Ranch added a barbed (not smooth) wire.  That wire is 45.5 inches high.  Due to the distance and lighting, the rest of the wires are difficult to see, but there are two additional wires (not counting the angled tension wires) plus the board.  The lowest wire is at 18 inches.  In summary, this spot is no longer easy for elk to jump and the rancher can continue to complain about the elk damaging the fences on his side of the road because the entire fence run is wildlife-unfriendly.  I noticed the other spots along Drakes Beach Road where NPS had removed the top wire and replaced it by a board lower down were also all changed by the two ranchers.

NPS never did anything about what the ranchers did to undo NPS’s attempt to reduce elk problems with the fences.  NPS should immediately convert the new Sir Francis Drake Boulevard section of fencing that I wrote about recently, and this fencing along both sides of Drakes Beach Road, to be wildlife-friendly.  Then, it should do the same with all other fencing in the two parks and complete the work in no more than twelve months.

New Fencing at Point Reyes National Seashore and It’s Not Wildlife-Friendly

Barbed-Wire Fence

New 48″ High Fence

New Fencing Along the Newly Reconstructed Section of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Is Not Wildlife-Friendly.

The reconstructed section of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard has been opened to the public.  I drove it a week ago.  Along the south side of the road is a new barbed wire fence.  It looked really tall to me so I stopped and measured it.  It is 48 inches high.  That’s way too tall for deer or elk to safely clear!  The space below the bottom wire measured 12 inches.  That’s way too low for fawns or elk calves to crawl under!  There is 12 inches of space between the rest of the wires.

The Final EIS states that all new fencing, as well as replacement fencing, will be wildlife-friendly.  The FEIS adopts the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)  spec for wildlife-friendly fencing.  The NRCS spec adopts “A Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences: How to Build Fences with Wildlife in Mind.”  First edition (2008).

To view the NRCS spec/Landowner’s Guide, click here.  It describes a wildlife-friendly fence as one that allows animals to jump over or crawl under it without injury.  Page 8.   More specifically:

  1. The top wire should be low enough for adult animals to jump over, preferably 40 inches, and “absolutely no more than 42 inches.”  Id.
  2. The distance between the top two wires should be “[a]t least 12 inches,” so elk and deer won’t tangle their back legs with the top wires; Id.  (For a photo showing what happens if the top two wires are not far enough apart, click here.)
  3. The bottom wire should be “at least 18 inches,” above the groundId.
  4. The top and bottom strands should be “smooth wire” (like regular two strand twisted barbed wire, but without the added barbs) so animals don’t get snagged and injured.   Id.
  5. No vertical staysId.

Finally, the top wire should be made highly visible so mammals and birds see it when running or flying by using high visibility wire or sections of white pvc pipe, flagging or a top rail.  Id.

To the best of my knowledge, the fence along Sir Francis Drake Blvd. is the first new fence since the FEIS for a new General Management Plan was released.  Does it pass the fencing standards NPS promised it would follow in the FEIS for new fences?   No.  Far from it.  I know the ROD hasn’t been signed yet, but come on.   It will be signed soon.

It is not highly visible at all.  No attempt has been made to meet that standard.  It is 48 inches high, not the 42 inch (or the preferable 40 inch standard) considered the maximum height to allow adult deer and elk to jump over it.  It does pass the 12 inch spacing between the top two wires.  The bottom wire is only 12 inches from the ground, thereby failing miserably to meet the 18 inch clearance standard!  Fawns and elk calves will not be able to crawl under it.  The top and bottom strands should be smooth wire, but they aren’t.  Finally, there should be no vertical stays, but there is one midway between every two posts.  Another problem is that it doesn’t account for the fact that the fence is built on sloping land for much of its length.  The photo above is an example.  A deer standing on the road side of the fence is standing on land that is roughly one or two feet lower than the land the fence is on.  That means the deer must jump much, much higher than the 48 inches.  That is virtually impossible to do.  If a deer could jump that high, it lands in thick brush.

This new fence violates every wildlife-friendly fencing requirement except the space between the top two wires.  Furthermore, there are never any cattle along this stretch of road because the land behind the fence in covered in dense brush for as far as one can see.  There is no reason for this fence.  If there is some plausible reason why it should remain, then this fence should be modified to be wildlife-friendly and that should be done now.

After I drafted this article I called NPS to ask about the fence.  I was told others had already contacted NPS about it.  I asked why it was 48 inches high with only 12 inches clearance at the bottom in disregard of wildlife-friendly fencing standards promised in the FEIS.  I received a call-back the next day and was told the fence height was a mistake and it would be lowered to 42 inches in height.   As to the 12 inches at the bottom, I was told it was actually 14 inches and would remain at that height (and barbed, not smooth wire) because the fence along this section of road required a diversion from a wildlife-friendly fence design to keep cattle off the road.  So much for the statement in the FEIS that “all new Fencing [sic] would be required to be wildlife-friendly.”  Wildlife-friendly fencing was designed to be adequate for holding cattle whether it was along a road or not.

The fence section I measured a week ago had 12 inches of clearance at the bottom so when I was told it was 14 inches above ground I decided to drive out to the park and measure several random sections of the fence.  First, a word about the measuring device I created.  I took two yardsticks and, with the aid of rubber bands, I extended them so they became 48 inches in length.  I also had a 12-inch ruler which I added to where the yellow yard stick had been slid up 12 inches.  It provided an easy to see contrast at the 12 inch mark.  The bottom wire in the photo is about 11.5 inches above the ground.

The measurements I got varied, but the most common measurement I got was 12 inches, give or take half an inch.  You can tell it’s 12 inches at the bottom just by eye-balling it because each wire is equally spaced compared to the wire above and/or below it.  Starting at the top wire, which is about 48 inches above ground, every wire below it is equidistant from the wire above and/or below it.  Hence, if the top wire is 48 inches above the ground, the bottom wire is going to be 12 inches above ground.

But even if I had gotten mostly the 14 inch measurements NPS claimed, that would still be four inches less than the standard for a wildlife-friendly fence (and barbed)!   I don’t see any reason for this fence to be there at all given the heavy brush that extends as far back as you can see.   Cattle don’t go into areas of heavy brush.  But even if there is a need for a fence there, it should be wildlife-friendly like NPS has committed to in the FEIS.

NPS’s Promise to Convert All New and Replacement Fencing To Wildlife-Friendly Fencing Throughout the Two Parks.

In looking at the FEIS to see what it says about wildlife-friendly fencing, I just realized something that I don’t think I realized about NPS’s statement to convert to wildlife-friendly fencing when I read the DEIS.  The FEIS states as follows:  “Fencing—Approximately 20% of the 340 miles of existing fencing would be replaced, 24 miles of fence would be installed for the Resource Protection subzone, and an additional 35 miles of new fence would be constructed to improve livestock management over the 20-year lease/permit term. NPS anticipates up to 5 Fencing projects annually.”  FEIS at 110.  (Emphasis added.)

So, only 20% of 340 miles of fencing will be replaced during the 20-year lease/permit terms per the preferred alternative in the FEIS.  Twenty percent in 20 years is one percent per year or 3.4 miles per year.  To do 340 miles would take 100 years.  What a joke!  Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area are units of the national park system.  There should be no fencing at all.  If any fencing is to remain, it must be converted to wildlife-friendly fencing now – regardless of which ranching alternative is chosen.   What is NPS’s reason for this lack of any real action?

NPS gives it in the FEIS’s Appendix:  “While all new Fencing would be required to be wildlife friendly, the EIS does not require that existing fencing be changed until it needs to be replaced because replacing all fencing would be cost prohibitive. NPS would work with ranchers as needed to make adjustments to fences that pose a threat to wildlife. In areas where elk occur, fences would be repaired and/or replaced with wildlife-friendly fence designs that reduce the extent of damage by elk, and as existing fencing is replaced, it would be replaced with wildlife-friendly Fencing.”  FEIS, Appendix at P-42.  (Emphasis added.)

Cost?  That is not good enough.  As stated above, fencing doesn’t belong in the national park system and neither do beef and dairy cattle.  If cattle are going to be kept in a unit of the national park system, then the fencing must be made wildlife-friendly now, not 20, 40, 60, 80 or 100 years from now.  Each ranch should be able to complete that work in a year.  Another option would be for NPS to take on this responsibility.  The 1906 NPS Organic Act and the two park statutes require fencing that is friendly to wildlife now, not up to 100 years from now.

If you agree that NPS should fix the new one or two mile stretch of fencing along Sir Francis Drake Blvd. with a proper wildlife-friendly fence immediately and complete the conversion of all the rest of the fencing in the two parks to wildlife-friendly fencing in the next twelve months, send an email to Craig Kenkel, the new Superintendent at Point Reyes National Seashore, at Craig_Kenkel@nps.gov, or send a letter to him at 1 Bear Valley Road, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956.

Point Reyes National Seashore; Fencing Harmful to Wildlife

I hope the bobcat that I wrote about in my last blog is OK.  It may not have looked like it was very injured, but we couldn’t see its underside and a single barb or point of barbed wire that cuts through the animal’s skin as the animal goes through the fence can cause a serious laceration and possibly expose and tear muscle and other tissue below the skin.  A laceration can lead to infection and death.  It can also attract flies which will lay eggs in the wound.  Once that happens it’s just a matter of time.  The animal seeks cover at some point and is never seen again.

I’ve been concerned for some time about the harm barbed wire fencing can do to wildlife.  What got me started was seeing the photo below of a deer caught in a barbed wire fence in late 2011.

Photo of a deer caught in barbed wire.
This mule deer is alive, but its legs are lacerated to the bone.

The photo was taken by my friend, Larry Thorngren.  If you click here you can read about the incident.  The deer was alive, but the legs were lacerated to the bone.  The deer was beyond saving and therefore shot.  A sad event and an unnecessary death.  As you will come to understand below, this deer got caught in the fence because its hind feet did not clear the top wire and there was not enough clearance between the top wire and the wire below it.  The result is sometimes referred to as “scissoring.”

The photo prompted me to search the internet to see what I could find about barbed wire fencing and wildlife.  The first thing I found was a paper published in 2009 by the Colorado Division of Wildlife entitled “Fencing with Wildlife in Mind.”  A little later I found a 2008 document published by the Montana Department of Fish and Wildlife entitled entitled “A Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences.”  It was the basis for much of the Colorado paper.   That Montana document has been followed by a later edition:  “A Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fences,” Second Edition, 2012, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (hereafter “Montana Fencing Guide” or “Guide”).  The document (both editions) was written by Christine Paige, Ravenswood Ecology, Jackson, Wyoming.  To download and/or read the document click here and then click on the second-listed link.   The Guide has been used by several other state wildlife agencies in developing their own guides to fencing.

The Guide starts off acknowledging that fences are needed to control livestock, but that they can also be hazards to wildlife, including birds.  It describes fences that are harmful and how to build fences that are not harmful.  There are several pictures showing animals killed by fencing, primarily barbed wire fencing.  Note also that the title says it is a landowner’s guide.  It was prepared for ranchers who want to use fencing methods on their lands that are considerate of wildlife.  Most ranchers in Montana and the other western states have a relatively small private land holding, obtained originally under the Homestead Act or some other federal land disposal law, and a larger area of Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”)  land that they use for livestock grazing under federal grazing permits.  The Guide’s purpose is to show ranchers how to construct or modify fences on their land that restrain livestock, but not wildlife.  Wild animals, unlike domesticated cattle, need to travel daily in search of food, water and cover; and, at appropriate times, to mate and give birth.   Fences impede that necessary travel.

One of the things the Guide reports on is a two-year study of wildlife deaths caused by 600 miles of fencing in an area of northeast Utah and northwest Colorado.  The study found that, on average, one ungulate (deer, elk or pronghorn) per year was found tangled (and dead) for every 2.5 miles of fence (at 600 miles that’s 240 animals per year).   Most ungulates (69% juveniles and 77% adults) died by getting caught in the two top wires while trying to jump the fence.  See photo of the deer above.  70% of all deaths were on fences higher than 40 inches.

We don’t know how many animals die each year at Point Reyes due to barbed wire because no one is inspecting all the miles of fencing every day.  Some animals do die and still others are injured.

An example of what barbed wire can do to animals at Point Reyes is the skull of this large bull elk below.  It died a horrible death.  This should not happen anywhere, but especially not in a national park.  This animal’s skeleton was found on Mt. Vision above Home Ranch.  Note how the left antler split into two antlers.

Photo of a dead tule elk.
Large Bull Tule Elk Killed by Barbed Wire

I don’t know how the barbed wire became so tangled on this poor creature, but I’ve seen several pictures on the internet of elk with barbed wire in their antlers.  In this case the wire wrapped around the bull’s lower jaw and cut half way through the jawbone over time as it tried to eat and drink.  See next photo.

Photo of bull elk with barbed wire holding its jaw shut.
The barbed wire cut its way through the elk’s jawbone.

The wire was either (1) attached to a fence in the normal manner, (2) detached in part, or (3) completely separated from a fence and laying on the ground, possibly in coils.  During the rut, bulls (and buck deer) will spar with bushes or anything on the ground and that may be what happened here.  The wire could have been on the ground and/or tangled in some brush.  Anyway, before long the wire wrapped around his antlers.

If you look closely you can see the barbed wire crossed the bridge of its nose which prevented the lower jaw from opening much.  Note how the elk’s attempts to open its lower jaw to eat and drink caused the barbed wire to cut into the bridge of its nose.  We don’t know how long this poor elk suffered.

Photo of elk wearing a headdress of barbed wire.
Wire Cut Into Bridge of Nose

Note the sharpened barbs in the photo and the photo below.  What is barbed wire?  It’s twisted steel wire (two strands of wire that are twisted (see photos)) with sharp points at intervals of three, four or five inches.  Barbs come in two versions, two-point or four-point.  It’s been used in wars (e.g., the beaches at Normandy), around prisons (and concentration camps in WWII) and any other time someone wants to restrict movement of people or animals.  It’s the cheapest way to restrain cattle.  It’s sold in reels of 1/4 mile in length and it only costs about $60-$70 per reel.   It’s also very light at 40 to 80 pounds per reel depending on the gauge of the wire.  It lasts from about three to ten years.  It’s galvanized, but still rusts and eventually fails.  The sharpened barbs are quite capable of puncturing and tearing flesh.  The barbs are over 1/2 inch long.

Here’s a photo showing more closely what the barbs look like.

Photo showing barbs on barbed wire.
Barbed Wire Barbs

Given the harmful nature of barbed wire, it should be used at Point Reyes only under the most stringent and safe conditions, if at all.  The wildlife there deserve no less.

Getting back to the Montana Fencing Guide, it describes a wildlife-friendly fence as follows:   It should allow animals to jump over or crawl under it without injury.  Page 10.  It should be highly visible (white pvc pipe around the top wire or flagging at regular intervals) so animals don’t run or fly into it.  Id.  The top wire should be low enough for adult animals to jump over, preferably 40 inches, but no more than 42 inches; the distance between the top two wires should be 12 inches, preferably 14 inches, so elk and deer won’t tangle their back legs with the top wires (like the deer in the first photo above).  Id.   The bottom wire should be at least 16 inches, preferably 18 inches, from the ground.  Id.  The top and bottom strands should be “smooth wire” (like regular two strand twisted barbed wire, but without the added barbs) so animals don’t get snagged and injured.   Id.  Posts should be at 16.5 foot intervals.  Id.  In areas where fences must be built on slopes, the degree of slope must be taken into account.  A 42 inch fence on a 30 degree slope is equal to a 62 inch fence if the animal is standing on the lower side of the fence.   Id. at 9.  Fences should be three wire, preferably, or four at most.  Id., at 32.

I’ve been wondering for a while whether BLM had any standards for fencing regarding wildlife.  I thought that if any federal agency would have such standards it would be BLM because it manages millions of acres of public lands used for grazing by ranchers in the western states.  As I was writing this post I finally did a search and found that BLM does in fact cover fencing in its manual.  The fencing portion of the manual can be found here.

It’s 57 pages in length and a considerable amount of it is focused on wildlife.  It generally follows what the Montana Fencing Guide says with slight variations.  It’s important to understand that it wasn’t written as a suggested guideline for ranchers for their private property, but to be the standard for fencing on the federal land managed by BLM.  It should also be kept in mind that BLM is a “multiple use” agency (i.e., with many responsibilities, including grazing, mining, timber, recreation, wildlife, etc. which are often in conflict and of equal weight, generally), in contrast to the Park Service whose job it is, above all, to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects, and the wild life [sic] therein.”  16 U.S.C. § 1.

Before addressing the specifics of fencing in the BLM Manual, here is some prefatory language to more fully understand the standards:

2.  Deer, Elk, or Moose Habitat.

     a.  Limitations.

(1)  Woven wire, 5- or 6-strand barbed wire fences and fences exceeding 42 inches in height all pose serious problems for deer … When the lower strands of wire are both close to the ground and to each other, they impede movement of fawns and yearlings which tend to go under or through a fence.

(2)  Normally, deer jump with their hind legs forward.  If the top two wires are too close together or loose, deer often tangle their hind legs, resulting in broken legs, entangled animals dying of starvation or shock, and broken fences.  Elk jump the same way, but usually move on after breaking the fence or injuring themselves.  Within elk herd movement areas, fence damage can be extensive.

b.  Standards.  Illustrations 1 and 2 depict fencing standards to be used in deer, elk, or moose habitat.

BLM Manual, IV-5 and IV-6.  (Emphasis added.)

Illustration 1 is a table which shows combinations of livestock and wildlife species using the same land.  It shows that when you have deer and elk in an area where cattle and sheep graze you should use three-wire fencing.  It should be 38 inches high and there should be 16 inches clearance on the bottom and 12 inches clearance between the top wire and the middle wire.  It also states that the bottom wire must be smooth.  Illustration II uses drawings instead of words to show how each fencing situation looks in terms of height and spacing of wires for the various combinations of wildlife and livestock.

So, how do the fences at Point Reyes stack up to the BLM Manual and the Montana Fencing Guide?  I developed a sense over the past 2.5 years that the fencing was not good.  I did some measuring at various times and knew heights and clearances between wires were bad, but I didn’t keep records of those measurements.  Based on three recent trips to measure a number of fences I can say that all the pastoral fences I measured failed the BLM standards and the Montana Fencing Guide on almost all counts.

The discussion below is based on 20 fence measurements on what I believe was 12 ranches (not always clear where one ranch ends and the next one begins).  For simplicity’s sake, I decided to use one of the two sets of standards/guidelines.  I decided to use the BLM standards  because BLM is a federal agency (a sister agency, no less) and because, like the Park Service, it owns the lands being fenced.  As you’ll recall, the BLM standards are no more than three strands; 38 inches in height; 16 inches clearance at bottom; 12 inches clearance between the top wire and the next wire and the bottom wire must be smooth.  (The fences wouldn’t have fared any better under the Montana Fencing Guide as you’ll see if you keep those guidelines in mind when reading below.)

Of the 20 fences, none met the 38 inch height limit; only four met the 16 inch clearance requirement at the bottom; and none had smooth wire at the bottom.  Eight of the 20 were five-strand fences that are not allowed under BLM’s manual (or the Montana Guide), one was a six-strand fence and the rest were four strand fences.  Thus, none met BLM’s three strand requirement.  Finally, all failed the 12 inch clearance requirement between the top two wires.  The deer in the photo at the top got tangled in the fence because the top two wires were too close together.  The Utah-Colorado study found almost 75% of the animals died because the top two wires were too close together.

The six-strand fence I found was especially egregious.  It’s 48 inches high with only 9 inches between the two top wires and, instead of 16 inches of clearance at the bottom, there was one wire at 6 inches and another at 11.5 inches.  How does a deer fawn get through that?  There is a little more space between the second and third wires.  The third wire is 21 inches from the ground.  That leaves a space of 9.5 inches between the second-lowest wire and the third-lowest wire.  How big is that?  I got out the metal ruler I used in the park and laid my little finger on the zero and stretched my thumb and got to 9.5 inches.  Same as the space in the fence.  Looking at my outstretched palm, a deer fawn couldn’t get through that with those long gangly legs.  Furthermore, it is much easier for a fawn to crawl under one wire than to pick its way between wires.  If a fawn can’t get past a fence it just lays down and waits for its mother to come back (and sometimes they don’t as reported in the Montana Fencing Guide).  A coyote couldn’t get through there either.  It would even be iffy for a bobcat.  Maybe this is where the bobcat that I wrote about in my last blog ran into trouble.  As for the 48 inch height, as BLM says, five-strand or six-strand fences and fences over 42 inches “pose serious problems for deer.”

Photo of fence at Point Reyes National Seashore that is too high for wildlife to jump over and too low for them to crawl under.
Point Reyes National Seashore; Fencing Harmful to Wildlife

Because there has been so much coverage in the news about elk breaking fences on the C Ranch’s side of Drakes Beach Road I took several measurements there.  I found three spots along the road that had broken wires.  The first broken fence section was just after turning onto Drakes Beach Road.  The top two stands were broken. The ground was covered in what I think was poison oak so I didn’t measure there.

The next break was of a top strand.  It was 44.5 inches high (on the portion still attached to the post) and the clearance between the top wire and the next wire was only 9.75.  The last broken wire was a second wire just a short distance toward the beach from the previous  break.  It measured 42.25 inches at the top and the clearance between the top two wires measured 10.75 inches, but it would have been slightly less if the second wire hadn’t sagged some because of the break that began on the other side of the post.

Fortunately, the wires on these two areas of the fence line broke.  If they hadn’t, the animal’s feet would have been caught in a “scissors” hold by the wires and the animal would have been helpless as was the case of the deer at the beginning of this blog.

I want to point out first that we don’t know how those strands broke.  In the case of the fence panels in the poison oak and the second break of the two breaks I did measure, the wires that broke were rusted (and are now laying on the ground, which is not good).  They could have failed on their own and, in any case, probably weren’t as strong as when they weren’t rusted.  Finally, a cow could have broken one or more of them.

But let’s assume for the sake of discussion that elk broke the wires.  As for the two I measured, no wonder the top two strands broke.  We know from the BLM Manual and the Montana Guide that the fence is too high along the road and there isn’t enough clearance between the top two wires.  This is a recipe for broken fences and injured or dead elk (and deer).

If an elk or deer doesn’t clear the top wire, and if the wire below the top wire is high enough to catch the animals lower rear legs/hooves as they rotate back under the top wire, then the animal becomes trapped or “scissored” by the two wires.  In that case the animal hangs from the fence with the weight of its upper body making it a prisoner of the wires until it dies or is rescued by a human.  See first photo above.  Even if a human comes along (with the necessary heavy wire cutter or bolt cutter), there is no guarantee the animal will live.  The deer in the first photo had to be shot.  The best case is that the elk or deer breaks one or both top strands and therefore doesn’t get “scissored.”  However, even in that case, the animal can suffer lacerations or other injuries, such as broken legs, that can lead to death.  If elk (or deer) broke these fences, they may have been injured and their injuries may have resulted in their deaths.

This is absurd.  More important, it’s inhumane.  Given the fact that elk inhabit this area and they are breaking these too-tall fences, with top wires too close together, this should be treated as an emergency and the fences on the west side of Drakes Beach Road ( and perhaps the east side) should be modified per the provisions of BLM’s Manual and/or the Montana Fencing Guide.  This should be done before any more fence wires are broken and elk (or deer) are injured or killed.

I should mention that the Park Service has installed wildlife crossing fence panels at one spot on each side of the road.  The top wire(s) were removed and replaced with 4×4 posts installed parallel to the ground.  The tops of these 4x4s are 34 inches from the ground.  The elk seem to prefer crossing at these spots and I don’t think any cattle have crossed them.  A couple more of them along each side of the road would seem likely to prevent more broken fences and injuries or deaths to elk (or deer) there.

Photo of an elk crossing fence.
Elk Crossing Fence

I need to say some more about broken fences at Point Reyes.  There are broken fences everywhere in the pastoral zone.  The three fences along Drakes Beach Road are not unusual at all.  Here’s one of the photos I took of broken fences.  This one is on the Tomales Peninsula.  Note the condition of the old, rusty wire.  If a deer crosses here it could get its legs tangled in the wire.

Photo of a broken fence.
Broken Fence

Here is another broken fence on the Tomales Peninsula.  Let’s take a closer look.  There are two wires coming off the top of the post.  They appear to be relatively new in that they show no rust.  The top wire is intact, so why is either of them attached to the top of the post?  Below them there is a third wire that is broken (for unknown reasons) and hanging down from the post.  I assume it ran from this post to the post to the left of it.  It doesn’t appear rusty either.  All three wires seem to be quite long and all are laying on the ground.  Some have loops in them.  They are all hazards for wildlife, especially any buck deer that would be looking for things to joust with during the rut.

Photo of loose wires hanging off a fence post.
Loose Wires Hanging Off Fence Post

Leaving fencing like this along fence lines is just asking for some animal to get caught in it.  The Park Service needs to patrol for this kind of thing and require the rancher to fix it immediately.

In summary, the Park Service needs to establish a fencing policy for all fencing at Point Reyes.  It should adopt the most stringent standards in the BLM Manual and/or the Montana Fencing Guide.  After all, unlike ranchers in Montana, and BLM with its multiple use mission, the Park Service has a legal mandate for every park to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life [sic] therein ….”  16 U.S.C. Section 1.   (Emphasis added.)  The Point Reyes statute goes on to say the Secretary shall administer the property “without impairment of its natural values.”  16 U.S.C. § 459c-6.  Wildlife is clearly one of its natural values.

On the other hand, ranching is only allowable to the extent it doesn’t interfere with the Park Service’s statutory mission to conserve wildlife and doesn’t impair the park’s natural values (including wildlife).  It is discretionary under the statute and, if allowed, “shall be subject to such restrictive covenants as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of” the Point Reyes statute.  16 U.S.C. § 459-6.  Again, “purposes” includes wildlife.  Ranching is not a purpose of the park.  If it were, the statute wouldn’t be worded the way it is.

If the fencing standards above are followed at Point Reyes, wildlife is much less likely to get injured or killed and much less likely to damage fencing.

Addendum:  I thought this post was going to end with the previous sentence.  However, as I was reviewing the draft, I decided to call the park to see if there was any fencing policy or guideline used by the park.  I hadn’t found any national fencing policy for the Park Service so I wasn’t expecting anything.  However, I learned the park has developed a set of specifications that it uses whenever the park hires a contractor to build a fence for its own reasons, like excluding cattle from creeks or other sensitive areas.  I was told it is also the spec that is referenced in some or all leases/permits for any fencing done by ranchers.  It is as follows:  Five strand; 48 inch high; bottom clearance 12 inches; clearance between all other wires, including the top two wires, 9 inches.  The top and bottom wires are to be smooth.

Every part of these specs is contrary to both the BLM Manual and the Montana Fencing Guide, with the exception of smooth wires.  The park should  modify its fencing specs and its fences immediately to meet the specs of the BLM Manual and/or the Montana Fence Guide.  Furthermore, why isn’t excluding cattle from creeks and other sensitive areas a rancher obligation and cost?  Why should the Park Service use park funds to subsidize the ranchers?  Finally, because this fencing also excludes deer and elk from creeks, where are they supposed to get their water?

The pastoral zone is essential habitat for all sorts of wildlife, yet it seems no one is taking wildlife into account there.

Second Addendum:  I erred in including the special fence the park installed along Drakes Beach Road as one of the 21 fences measured.  It isn’t a regular barbed wire fence with its 4×4 wood post at the top and angled wires beneath.  I’ve gone back and changed the number “21” to “20” where “21” appeared.  No other changes are necessary because I didn’t use that fence for any of the measurements discussed.

A Day At Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a bobcat.
A Bobcat Daydreams.

I went to Point Reyes a couple of days ago.  It had been a while.  When I arrived I quickly spotted a bobcat.  It was too far to photograph so I waited a bit to see if it would move my way.  It didn’t so I drove on.  I quickly spotted another a short distance past the first one.  See photo above.  He looked like a bobcat I used to see and photograph frequently on another ranch in 2011.  I decided to try to get closer to him.  Just as that thought came to mind a coyote moved into view behind the bobcat.  I focused on the coyote and it was quickly joined by another.  And then another.  That’s right, a pack of coyotes.  I’ve seen three coyotes together several times before at Point Reyes and assume these guys are the ones I’ve seen previously.  Usually, I only see a single coyote.

I wondered whether the bobcat saw them and so pulled my eye away from the camera back to look at him.   He certainly had.   He was doing a fast crawl toward me and my car and his belly was almost touching the ground. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to photograph him as he was already very close to the rear of my car.   I re-focused on the coyotes.

Photo of three coyotes feeding.
Hunting for Food

They were feeding on something in the soil.  I’ve seen this behavior before.  They’re definitely not feeding on rodents.  I think they’re after insects, or maybe worms, and it might be that they’re finding them under cow pies.  I’ll have to start kicking over cow pies and checking them and also checking the soil under them.  Really.  I’m curious.

After photographing these coyotes, mostly as individuals, I headed for Drake’s Bay.  One thing I look for on that trek is elk along the road to Drakes Bay.  Sure enough, a herd of bulls was hanging out not far from the intersection of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the road down to Drakes Beach.  Two of the dozen or so bulls were in the pasture closest to Sir Francis Drake Blvd.  I wondered how they had gotten into that fenced pasture.  My first thought was they got through a break in the fence.  Then one of them started walking along the fence that separated the two pastures.  I figured the fence may be damaged somewhere along there.  I also wondered if it could jump the fence.  It looked pretty high to me.  See photo below.  It’s looks like it’s a few inches below the bull’s jaw.  I was a little worried because many wild mammals have died trying to cross fences.

Photo of bull elk abut to jump a fence.
Will He Jump?

After a moment or two I decided it wasn’t going to jump soon so I started photographing the others.   As often happens with my luck, it jumped right after I took my eyes off it.  So, I decided to stick with it and watch the other bull to see if it would jump.

A bull elk jumps over a fence.
Up and Over

By sticking with it I was rewarded.  He cleared it no problem.  Like I said though, sometimes they don’t.  I don’t think a deer could clear that. Whenever I see them cross fences they go between the strands of wire.   I’ve noticed at Point Reyes that the fencing seems to vary all over the place in terms of how high the top wire is and how low the bottom wire is.  A good wildlife fence shouldn’t be too high on the top strand or too low on the bottom strand so wildlife can go over or under them.   There are several articles on the internet about constructing livestock fences that are wildlife friendly.  For one such article click here.  As the article points out, top wires should never exceed 42 inches in height and bottom wires should never be lower than 16 inches.  Preferably, the top and bottom wires should be smooth, not barbed.

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California

Photo of a bobcat running.
Bobcat on the Run

I went out to Point Reyes for a while today.  I saw two bobcats and a coyote, not to mention the more common things like elk, deer, various hawks, a burrowing owl,  and other birds.  When I first saw this bobcat it was lying down in the grass.  I wasn’t sure if it was a bobcat or a tabby cat.  One of our two tabby cats has a face that looks just like a bobcat’s face and there are plenty of farm cats in the Seashore.  Anyway, as you can see from the photo, it was definitely a bobcat.  Point Reyes is a good place to spot bobcats, but they exist in suitable habitat throughout Marin County.