Wildlife conservation and rangeland management expert, Dr. Matt Wagner.

Understanding the Impact of Exotic Wildlife,
and Utilizing Land Stewardship Programs
Part Two of an Exclusive Interview with Dr. Matt Wagner

Last week, in part one of this two-part blog post, I featured excerpts from my exclusive RANCHCAST interview with Dr. Matt Wagner, who I regard as the definitive expert on wildlife conservation, rangeland management, and the laws and policies governing them.

Dr. Wagner and I discussed the two biggest issues concerning wildlife conservation in Texas: the loss of connection between people and the rural lifestyle; and the distribution and allocation of water.
We also discussed the role that hunters can play in wildlife conservation; the coming convergence of the environment and the job market; and changing attitudes about open space and conservation.

[To read part one of my interview, click here.]

This week, Dr. Wagner and I will explore the impact of exotic wildlife and efforts to manage the population; statewide land stewardship programs; efforts to privatize white-tailed deer; and Chronic Wasting Disease.
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Whether you are currently a rancher or simply someone who enjoys the ranching lifestyle, I know you’ll find these excerpts from my conversation with Dr. Wagner illuminating.

Understanding the Impact of Exotic Wildlife, 
and Utilizing Land Stewardship Programs
Part Two of an Exclusive Interview with Dr. Matt Wagner

By Lem Lewis
The Ranch Broker

Last week, in part one of this two-part blog post, I featured excerpts from my exclusive RANCHCAST interview with Dr. Matt Wagner, who I regard as the definitive expert on wildlife conservation, rangeland management, and the laws and policies governing them.

Dr. Wagner and I discussed the two biggest issues concerning wildlife conservation in Texas: the loss of connection between people and the rural lifestyle; and the distribution and allocation of water.
We also discussed the role that hunters can play in wildlife conservation; the coming convergence of the environment and the job market; and changing attitudes about open space and conservation.
​
[To read part one of my interview, click here.]

This week, Dr. Wagner and I will explore the impact of exotic wildlife and efforts to manage the population; statewide land stewardship programs; efforts to privatize white-tailed deer; and Chronic Wasting Disease.

Whether you are currently a rancher or simply someone who enjoys the ranching lifestyle, I know you’ll find these excerpts from my conversation with Dr. Wagner illuminating.

Lem Lewis: One issue that I've seen with a lot of landowners is exotic wildlife. I know that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department looks at exotics somewhat as a hindrance to native wildlife. But a lot of people look at exotics like axis deer and sika deer as sometimes even being superior to the native wildlife. I'm wondering what your personal opinion is on exotic species in Texas and what they mean to the future of management and conservation?

Dr. Wagner:  That's a great question, Lem. You know, again, the strong property right interest in the state gives landowners the right to utilize their land as they wish. That is a good thing. Beginning in the '40s and '50s, a lot of these exotic game species were brought in …  and it's expanded I think to something over 60 or 70 different species or more of the hoof stock that have been brought in.

Over the years we've seen a proliferation of exotics. A lot of landowners today are beginning to realize that they need to control those numbers so that the native white-tailed, which are often a more marketable game animal desirable by hunters, don't get pushed out and out-competed.

We see a lot of high fencing in Texas. Again, another property right. The configuration of that fence on that land is a property right. Once you make that commitment to fence in that land, you are committed to population control, whether it's exotics or native deer or what have you. Proper management is critical if you're going to fence that property.

There's other exotics. If you wanted to get into the exotic plant world… there is tremendous pressure on our resources today to combat a lot of those aquatic plants and animals. The zebra mussels. We could go on and on about the impact of exotics. I think you're focused more on the big game, although they're really not technically game species. They're exotics. There are no season bag limits on those and that gives landowners flexibility beyond the hunting season for native deer. That's another good thing about hunting exotics.

I think you have to be very careful to balance the numbers with what that land is able to support. Texas Parks and Wildlife has a tremendous technical guidance program. They've got biologists in all portions of the state to work with landowners one-on-one to help them manage those properties for wildlife, including exotics, and try to balance those numbers by doing annual census counts and knowing what the harvest level should be to maintain proper level.

Lem Lewis:  Right. You touched on several programs that TPWD has in place. I was going to ask you to talk about a few of them. One program that I've heard you discuss in the past is the land stewardship program.

Dr. Wagner: Yeah, that's the Lone Star Land Steward Program. Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Leopold Conservation Foundation are in a partnership to recognize landowners throughout the state that are doing an exemplary job of managing their lands for wildlife but also livestock. It's integrating. Not one or the other. It's how you integrate on your properties and economic productivity of livestock to be farming in some areas with a wildlife habitat.

I think that program has been in place now since about the mid-1990s. That's 20 years. There have been multiple landowners each year recognized. Then there's a statewide winner every year that's really held up as the statewide leader in stewardship. It's quite an honor to recognize these stewards and then promote that. There's a lot of pride that comes with that, and other landowners become interested in learning from those stewards. It really is a network now of all these Lone Star Land Stewards throughout the state. There's probably over 300 of them that serve as these jewels of habitat conservation that prove private landownership is really a strong model for conservation in Texas.

Lem Lewis: Are there any particular programs that you would like to mention?

I don't think you could find a better model anywhere in the world than what we've got here.

Dr. Wagner:  I think what jumps out number one to me is the Technical Guidance Program. I'm so proud of what Texas Parks and Wildlife has done over the years. This program is a free service for landowners that want to manage their land for wildlife. Biologists will set up a time to meet on the property with the landowner and put together a written wildlife management plan based on the landowner’s goals.

It's all voluntary. It's a free service. It really began in the early 1980s. It might have been the late '70s. Today there's over 30 million acres under these wildlife management plans. 8000 landowners. It's growing each year by a half a million to a million acres. That's almost 18% of the entire land area of the state which is a huge footprint. It represents landowners that are interested in wildlife. Think about that. It's such a huge state, privately-owned, but is managed for wildlife in mind. I don't think you could find a better model anywhere in the world than what we've got here.

That public/private partnership I’m so proud of. I have to just say that it's been that way a long time. Yet, we see on the horizon some threats to that partnership. I'm going to just mention the fact that we've got an effort in this state to privatize white-tailed deer. We see it happening with your breeder community that have been at odds with the Department over the years on how we manage, for example, Chronic Wasting Disease, which has been discovered in white-tailed deer in their breeder pens.

You've got to be careful that we don't jeopardize the partnership that has been so successful. We want to maintain that. When you have a private interest in enclosing those animals but then be making them private property there is a threat to that partnership.

Wildlife Department does a good job of setting seasons and bag limits and setting up management units and doing the regulatory approach. Landowners implement that on their properties. Now if you take one of those two partners away you end up with something that's totally economically driven without regard for creating access for folks to hunt or enjoy wildlife. It's a slippery slope. I hope that folks will get educated on this.

There's a brand new presence out there today, the Texas Conservation Coalition. I encourage people to Google that and learn more about what they're trying to do. They just had their first meeting to educate folks about this attempt to privatize white-tailed deer. I just think the model has worked so well that we don't want to see one side or the other dominate that partnership.

Lem Lewis: I know that you're extremely knowledgeable about Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD. Can you give us a brief overview of what CWD is and how it's affecting landowners and wildlife in general?

Dr. Wagner:  Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal disease in deer and other cervus. It's now new. It's been around since the 1960s. It's a neurological disorder where the brain actually becomes a sponge from disease, where it's like Mad Cow Disease or scrapie in sheep, that is going to ultimately be fatal in deer. It was discovered in Colorado in a high-fence research herd in the '60s.

In Texas, it was discovered in mule deer back in 2012, I believe. That was in far west Texas in the Waco mountains just east of El Paso where New Mexico knew that they had it in that mountain range. We began to sample it and sure enough we discovered in these desert mule deer way out in west Texas a very sparsely populated area out there.

 It's a slippery slope. I hope that folks will get educated on this.

Just a little over a year ago, Chronic Wasting Disease was discovered in a deer breeding operation in Medina County. Since then, over the next year or so it was discovered in a half a dozen other facilities that were deer breeder operations or associated pastures. It has yet to be found in the wild in white-tailed deer. Texas Parks and Wildlife has more than tripled their effort to get hunter-harvested deer and road kill samples that can be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease. The only way to be 100% certain is to have a lethal test where the animal has actually been killed and we can take a brain sample.

Hopefully, it's not found in the wild. A lot of people feel it's just a matter of time. We've got to be diligent that this disease does not unnecessarily spread either through the transport of wildlife or lax regulations out there. We've got to keep diligent. If we can keep that confined, we'll assure healthy herds in the future.

Lem Lewis: Is this disease something that seems like it's going to get worse or perhaps maybe even something that you think we can decrease in the population? Is there enough information out there at this point?

Dr. Wagner:  I think we're still learning a lot about this disease in many states. Missouri, Wisconsin, even Arkansas recently has discovered it. Several other states. Each has handled it in a bit different way.

Some places like Wisconsin went overboard and tried to eliminate all the white-tailed deer within a known area. That was a failure. That's not the approach that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is taking. It's more of a strategic approach where you make sure you take enough samples to understand where this disease is.

Once the disease is in a herd, in a location, it is difficult if not impossible to eradicate. Only time will tell what the fate will be. If you've got a sparsely populated area in west Texas, that disease may run its course over time and essentially play out.

It's difficult if not impossible to completely eliminate that disease if it's endemic in a certain area. We want to make sure it doesn't become widespread and pervasive in an area. That we catch these infected deer early enough so that we can manage it properly and try to reduce the population significantly.

We've got to be diligent that this disease does not unnecessarily spread either through the transport of wildlife or lax regulations out there.

Lem Lewis: I know you recently retired and you're onto new endeavors. Perhaps you could let us know what you have planned.

Dr. Wagner:  Sure. Again, I just want to thank you for your interest.

Programs like this [RANCHCAST] can reach those newer landowners about what they have just purchased ... It's like you can buy an appliance and they give you a user manual. You don't necessarily get that with a piece of land, and I've always wondered why not. Well, there are people that provide that service and I've provided that service over my years both with Texas Parks and Wildlife and to some degree on my own, too.

Today, I'm teaching it at Texas State University. I really enjoy reaching that next generation of wildlife managers out there. I teach wildlife law and policy. I make it real for them. I get them exposed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meetings and getting involved on social media, being aware of the issues that we face in this state and at the national level.

I'm also working part-time for the Wildlife Management Institute which is a conservation organization that has been around since 1911. They're a national group. Pretty small in terms of the employees. I'm working part-time on a contract basis. I'm doing a little consulting out there.

[Note: Dr. Matt Wagner spent 28 years with the Wildlife Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, most recently as Deputy Director. He has extensive experience working with, and advising, private landowners in east-central Texas.

My conversation with Dr. Wagner was conducted as part of my new RANCHCAST with LEM LEWIS podcast, which will debut in January 2017. I designed RANCHCAST to showcase the vital contribution that America’s ranchers make to our nation’s economy, and to provide ranchers insights and practical advice available nowhere else.

You can hear a full preview episode of RANCHCAST now at http://tinyurl.com/RANCHCAST-01. My guest is Dr. Charles E. Gilliland, a noted economist with Texas A&M University’s Real Estate Center. Dr. Gilliland and I discuss what’s likely to happen to ranch land prices in 2017.]

If you have questions about buying or selling a ranch, please don’t hesitate to contact me. The more you know, the greater your chance of acquiring the right property and maximizing both your investment and enjoyment.

I’ve designed a series of short videos, “Ask Lem,” that address common questions I hear from both ranch buyers and sellers. You’ll find them here [http://www.theranchbroker.com/ask-lem-faq.html]
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For more detailed answers, I’m always just a phone call away – 210-275-3551. It would be my pleasure to speak with you and share my experiences in buying and selling great Texas properties. Live water ranches and large acreage transactions are my specialties.