DEVELOPING A COORDINATED WILD PIG MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ACROSS A MULTI-AGENCY PARTNERSHIP

Daniel S Biteman; Wildlife Innovations; biteman@wildlifeinnovations.net; S. Jake Manley, Amie B. Aguiar, R. Thadeus Sternberg

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most invasive species of mammal worldwide. Introduced to California in the 1700s, and again in the 1920s, they have since been documented in 56 of the state's 58 counties. Pigs cause significant ecological and economic impacts through rooting, wallowing, and depredation and are extremely difficult to manage. The East Bay Stewardship Network comprises five agencies that collectively manage over 272,000 acres of public lands. These contain invaluable habitat for threatened and endangered species, drinking water for neighboring cities, and are maintained for recreational access. To protect these resources, the Network aimed to develop and operate an effective pig management program. Since the pigs that use Network properties are likely interconnected, a regionally collaborative pig management effort was warranted. We helped the Network develop a scientifically-backed and adaptive pig management plan. We collected and evaluated available pig presence data to better understand pig presence on Network and adjacent properties and generated a habitat suitability model. These analyses were used to inform the development of a collaborative effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pig management and continue to provide adequate protection for sensitive resources at risk due to pig presence.

Studies in Exotic Species Management