Wildlife Co-Ops and Land Appraised for Wildlife Management -- Which is the better management tool?

Which is the best tool to use for wildlife management: a co-op or having land appraised for wildlife management use? Let’s define what the two are and you make a decision.

WILDLIFE CO-OP
Typically co-op members are “traditional ag use producers”. ‘‘Agricultural use’’ includes but is not limited to the following activities: cultivating the soil, producing crops for human food, animal feed, or planting seed or for the production of fibers; floriculture, viticulture, and horticulture; raising or keeping livestock; raising or keeping exotic animals for the production of human food or of fiber, leather, pelt.

A wildlife co-op is a collaboration of mutually defined wildlife management objectives between several landowners. Wildlife Management Associations and Wildlife Co-ops are groups formed by landowners to improve wildlife habitats and associated wildlife populations. Success in managing the habitat for healthy wildlife populations depends significantly on the actions and attitudes of neighboring landowners.

It is a “gentleman’s” agreement between landowners and is not legally binding. The property still has to conform to the level of intensity for traditional ag use as established by the local county appraisal district. I have seen many co-op properties that are way overgrazed. So what is left for the wildlife?

LAND APPRAISED FOR WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT USE
This land must have an open space appraisal (traditional agricultural use) BEFORE it can be appraised as land for wildlife management use.

It is different from a co-op in that the PRIMARY purpose of the land is WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT USE as defined by Subchapter D “Appraisal of Agricultural Land”, Section 23.52 (7) of the Texas Property Tax Code. This method requires the landowner to “actively” manage the land for the benefit of an intended specie or species of native Texas wildlife. Livestock can be part of the wildlife management plan and that is a discussion in detail by itself on how and when to integrate livestock into a wildlife management plan.

There are 7 wildlife management categories a landowner may choose from to manage the land BUT the requirements per the Texas Property Tax Code stipulate that 3 of the 7 activities shown below must be done to propagate a sustaining breeding, migrating, or wintering population of indigenous wild animals for human use, including food, medicine, or recreation:

(i) habitat control; (ii) erosion control; (iii) predator control; (iv) providing supplemental supplies of water; (v) providing supplemental supplies of food;(vi) providing shelters; and (vii) making of census counts to determine population.

To summarize wildlife co-op is still a “traditional ag use” property and that ag use is the PRIMARY purpose of the land NOT WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT. That means if the property is to remain qualified for tax purposes it must conform to the stocking rates set by the local appraisal district. Typically landowners overstock their properties and that has a negative impact on the lands habitat.

Land appraised for wildlife management use allows the habitat to “recover” from livestock grazing. The PRIMARY purpose of the land is WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT. This method helps decrease the workload associated with a traditional ag activity as well as reduces associated costs.

So, which way is a better method of managing for wildlife?
Answer: Get the land appraised for wildlife management use and perform the activities required to enhance the habitat and you should see an increase the numbers of native wildlife.

Go to www.TexasWildLifeGuy.com for a more detailed explanation on how to convert traditional ag land into wildlife management land.