Fannin Lamar Red River 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
Fannin, Lamar, and Red River Counties are located in north to northeast Texas. The land varies from Blackland Prairie to East Texas timberlands. The counties contain 1,848,960 acres. United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reports a combined total of 5,014 farms and ranches covering 480,428 acres of cropland, 725,688 acres of pastureland, and 149,872 acres of woodlands. The counties are bordered by the Red River to the north and include both the Red River and Sulphur River Basins. There are numerous creeks, Pecan Bayou, Bois d’Arc Lake, Pay Mayse Lake and over 50 other minor reservoirs. Beef cattle, hay, wheat, corn, and soybeans are the chief agricultural products.
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Anticipated Partner Activities
The partner will coordinate a trap loan program to deliver traps, assist landowners in setting the traps, delivering initial bait and tracking landowner time as in-kind support for the project. The partner will coordinate with Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – Wildlife Services and will provide quarterly reports and a final project report to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
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
Continual monitoring will be conducted to identify reinfestation of cooperating properties. Annual damage data collection will evaluate the efficacy of the project. APHIS will adjust intensity of control based on monitoring and the partner will report damage data annually and trap loan statistics quarterly. The partner will gather damage data and summarize damage data by project area.
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
Community-level outreach will be in the form of organized community open house, press releases, newspaper articles and radio programs.
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.