AR East Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Project
The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program responds to the threat feral swine pose to American agriculture, landscapes and human and livestock health.
Project Area
Land use types affected vary across the project area. North central and northwest Arkansas is part of the Ozark ecoregion. Agricultural uses in the Ozarks are predominately poultry and livestock production. Feral swine are ubiquitous in this region and are generally associated with drainages where dense forests are common. The Arkansas River Valley, found in central and west-central Arkansas, is comprised of a mix of Arkansas River Alluvial Plain, Ozark Highlands, and Ouachita Mountain geomorphology. Row crop agriculture is common in the alluvial areas close to the Arkansas River and other major tributaries, with forests and pasture dominating the landscape in the uplands. Land ownership is predominantly private, but there is significant public land, most notably the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in northern Arkansas.
Map(s)
St. Francis, Van Buren, White ,and Woodruff.
Anticipated Partner Activities
The partners included in this project will have technicians to service the area identified in the map. Damage assessments will be used to quantify and describe the extent and type of damage. The technicians will coordinate with landowners and APHIS technicians to remove feral swine from landowners’ properties. APHIS technicians will be responsible for the capture and removal of feral swine. NRCS partner and APHIS technicians will bait and monitor to confirm no presence on property after removal events.
Funding to repair damage will be provided to landowners by the partner. NRCS Arkansas staff anticipate repairs to consist of disking or dragging, land smoothing, planting pasture, fence repair, water control or water conveyance structure repair, or reseeding levees. The extent of damage is widespread and varies throughout the project area. It is anticipated that repairs to pasture, cropland, and levees for most projects will be one to three acres with a goal of repairing 1,000 acres each year of the project.
Partners will work with the NRCS and APHIS to promote the FSCP Pilot Project through education events and landowner training. Partners that show a reasonable need to directly assist landowners to repair damage caused by feral swine will have the opportunity to purchase equipment through cost-share with grant funds.
APHIS will be considered the subject matter experts for implementing feral swine removal and damage reduction activities. Partners will need to collaborate with APHIS personnel when removal activities are requested by participating landowners. All projects will be a collaborative and coordinated effort between the selected partner, NRCS, and APHIS. It is required that APHIS maintains operational control of feral swine management activities.
Monitoring/Evaluation Requirements of Partner
Partners will provide assessment analysis in the agriculture and forestry communities to establish a benchmark condition and evaluation of the feral swine damage within the project area. The assessment will document the severity of damage and the effect it has had on the local ecosystem and individual properties.
The first metric used to measure project outcomes will be a map that describes presence/absence of feral swine per USGS 12-digit hydrologic unit (i.e., watersheds). This will demonstrate feral swine distribution and measure success of removal efforts. Evidence of project effects will be determined by analyzing differences in the total number of watersheds occupied by feral swine after the initiation of direct control operations within the project area. Feral swine watershed occupancy will be monitored and evaluated every 6 months.
Metrics in the damage assessments will include the geographic range of damage within watersheds, the extent and type of damage, and recommended repairs within watersheds. The partner will provide quarterly damage assessment and repair reports, annual damage assessment and repair reports, and one final report comparing presence and absence of feral swine within watersheds to damage reduction over the lifespan of the project.
Partners are required to collect standardized information for trapping operations in accordance with APHIS procedures. Examples of data collected include trap location, number of pigs trapped, location of nearby resources, etc.
Training Expectations
Education will be essential aspects of the project to ensure landowners are educated on the need for removing feral swine, approved techniques, and methods for controlling feral swine populations. Partners are expected to assist with training and educational activities.