Agricultural News
Beat the Rush- Get Your Permit Ahead of Calving Season to Protect Your Herd Against Black Vultures
Sat, 14 Dec 2019 08:57:03 CST
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has forwarded a letter from Scott Carlton, the USDA Chief for Migratory Birds- The letter encouraging folks to apply for depredation permits now, as opposed to waiting for calving season when the USDA office is overwhelmed with requests. Current regulations state that they only have to show that there is a history of loss due to black vultures depredating livestock.
Carlton states if producers wait until newborn livestock are hitting the ground, they risk not receiving their depredation permit authorizations when they are experiencing issues with black vultures. If they are interested in getting a head start, they can contact the Oklahoma Wildlife Services office to start putting together the necessary forms to apply early for a take permit. That phone number is (405) 521-4039.
The complete letter from Scott Carlton follows:
Greetings,
As Chief of the Migratory Bird Program for the US Fish and Wildlife Service here in the Albuquerque Regional Office, I am deeply motivated to find a balance between the regulatory mandate of the Service with the needs of our many stakeholders. We know that issues with Black Vultures continue to increase every year. My hope is that by working together we can get ahead of these issues before the upcoming calving/lambing season. I am reaching out to ask if you might help me spread the word amongst the producers you work with regarding permits for depredation take of black vultures and the timing for applying.
Every year we see an increased number of depredation permit requests to take black vultures that are depredating livestock. These requests also coincide with a large number of requests we get for other species at the same time of year. Often, we see many folks applying for these permits as newborn livestock are hitting the ground and vultures are causing issues. When we get a flood of permit applications, we are limited by our staffing capacity to process the permit requests as quick as the permittees need them. Despite our strong desire to get these permits out right away, we simply cannot turn them around in a few days or less. As a result, producers may not receive their depredation permit authorizations when they are experiencing issues with depredating black vultures.
To help alleviate this issue and get producers the take permits they need for relief from depredating black vultures, we would like producers to know that, in cooperation with Wildlife Services, they do not need to wait until calving/lambing season to apply for take permits. They can apply now for the upcoming season. Current regulations state that they only have to show that there is a history of loss due to black vultures depredating livestock.
I am requesting your assistance in getting the word out to producers. We would like to encourage them to get in touch with their local Wildlife Services office to start putting together the necessary forms to apply early for a take permit. In this way, we will be better able to provide the permits needed to help them manage black vultures at their cattle operations before calving/lambing season is upon them.
I will be reaching out again after the first of the year to set up a meeting where we can meet and discuss the growing black vulture concerns, share what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing to provide better support to producers in the future, and hear from you how we can best work together to provide needed relief from losses producers suffer due to depredation by black vultures.
Thank you in advance for any support you can provide in getting the word out to producers for the upcoming calving/lambing season. I am sure I have left some names off of the list for Oklahoma and Texas and would appreciate you sending this along to those that can assist us in helping our producers in both states. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
Thank you,
Scott A. Carleton
Chief, Division of Migratory Birds
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 2
500 Gold Avenue, SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Office: 505-248-6639
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