Virtual Fencing Pilot Supports Sustainable Ranching on Taos Public Lands

Taos-area ranching families who rely on public lands grazing often lack flexible, affordable tools to manage livestock across sensitive habitats, such as riparian corridors (strips of land adjacent to water bodies) and playas (shallow depressions that fill with water during the rainy season), and to prevent cattle from accessing roadways. This can create public safety risks and environmental concerns, impacting both community safety and the economic stability of ranching operations.

To address these interconnected challenges, staff from Friends of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and Alianza Agricultura de Taos developed a collaborative solution and reached out to LOR: pilot virtual fencing technology that gives ranchers real-time control over livestock distribution while protecting sensitive natural areas.

With support from LOR, Friends of the Rio Grande del Norte will purchase four virtual fencing towers and 170 e-collars to launch a pilot across four BLM allotments within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. The technology will allow ranchers to manage cattle remotely, prevent access to riparian areas, playas, and roadways, and reduce reliance on hard fencing, which frequently breaks and conflicts with wildlife movement.

This pilot will operate under existing grazing permits and strengthen collaboration between ranchers, BLM staff, and conservation partners, with the goal of demonstrating a practical approach that balances land stewardship with agricultural viability in Taos. If successful, the model could also be applied to U.S. Forest Service lands facing similar challenges.