San Isabel National Forest
Fence Removal
By Briant Wiles
“The fence just disappeared” was the overheard remark of one of the participants at the recent Salida fence pull event. 16 motivated volunteers meet up on a warm and sunny mid-September morning at a work site on San Isabel National Forest. A joint effort between BHA, Greater Arkansas Nature Association (GARNA), and Chaffee County Rec Adopters brought folks together from many walks of life with one goal in common: improve habitat.
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Members of GARNA tackled a 1/4-mile section of this fence in 2023, and we were here to finish the job. The fencing was part of an outdated grazing scheme within a USFS grazing allotment and was no longer needed. The volunteers were eager to get started and after a few instructions and a brief safety talk they grabbed BHA provided tools and jumped in. A much enthusiastic effort of clipping, rolling up the wire, and taking out T-Posts commenced and before I knew it, it was all gone. Standing there a little confused at the pace I glanced at the time and realized we had pulled .4 miles of fence in a little under 3 hours!
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Driving away at the end of the event it was easy to see why this country was so favored by mule deer. Juniper trees rise on the sunny slopes then drop away to hidden gullies of ponderosa and aspen. The Country thus unfolds like the skin of an old hound dog draped over the bones of the earth. Removing the four-strand barbwire fence in priority mule deer winter range will be an important drop in the bucket to improve habitat for the deer and other critters.
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Big Thanks to GARNA, Rec. Adopters, and all the volunteers that made it a success! Will see you at the next one.
About Briant Wiles
Colorado Habitat Stewardship Coordinator for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers