How WS Does Its Job 



Most of WS' efforts are conducted 

 on private land, but work is done 

 on some public lands as well (less 

 than 1 percent of federally owned 

 land). 



Cost sharing is an integral 

 component of the WS program. 

 Supervised primarily by WS 

 personnel, most field activities are 

 funded in part by Federal, State, or 

 local agencies; industry groups; or 

 individuals requesting wildlife 

 damage-management assistance. 

 When requested, WS provides 

 help through technical assistance 

 and direct control. 



Technical Assistance 



Technical assistance involves 

 providing advice, recommenda- 

 tions, information, or materials for 

 use in managing wildlife damage 

 problems and helping threatened 

 and endangered species to thrive. 

 WS employees also help identify 

 the responsible wildlife species 

 and determine the extent of the 

 damage. WS may provide 

 recommendations concerning 

 habitat modification, cultural 

 practices to reduce the likelihood 

 of wildlife damage, behavior 

 modification of the troublesome 

 wildlife species, or ways to reduce 

 specific wildlife populations to 

 control the amount of damage they 

 cause. WS personnel may suggest 



lethal or nonlethal techniques to 

 resolve wildlife damage problems. 

 Such assistance always takes into 

 account environmental factors and 

 relevant laws and regulations. WS 

 sometimes recommends that 

 regulatory agencies issue permits 

 to allow resource owners to deal 

 with wildlife problems. 



Direct Assistance 



Some problems caused by wildlife 

 species are too complex or difficult 

 for any one individual, group, or 

 agency to solve. For example, 

 dealing with thousands of birds 

 roosting in an urban neighborhood 

 is beyond the capabilities of most 

 individuals. Likewise, capturing 

 coyotes, bears, mountain lions, or 

 other large animals that are preying 

 on livestock usually requires 

 specialized equipment and skills. In 

 these instances, WS provides field 

 personnel to help whoever is 

 experiencing the problem. Direct 

 assistance is usually provided 

 when the resource owner's efforts, 

 such as habitat modification or 

 husbandry practices, have proven 

 ineffective and technical assistance 

 alone is inadequate. WS staff 

 consider practical methods for 

 resolving wildlife damage problems 

 and take action by implementing 

 the most strategically appropriate 

 measures. 



