**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** DUNG BEETLES PERFORM VALUABLE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TO PASTURES BY DECOMPOSING MANURE, THUS INCREASING NUTRIENT CYCLING AND COMBATTING ANIMAL PARASITES. HOWEVER, MANY DUNG BEETLES ARE HARMED BY CHEMICAL PARASITICIDES USED TO TREAT LIVESTOCK. TO MAXIMIZE PASTURE PRODUCTIVITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE THE DUNG BEETLE COMMUNITIES OF WV AND EFFECTIVE PARASITE CONTROL METHODS THAT PROTECT DUNG BEETLES. RESEARCH ON HOW PARASITE CONTROL PRODUCTS AFFECT DUNG BEETLES HAS LARGELY FOCUSED ON A SINGLE CLASS OF DEWORMERS: IVERMECTINS. HOWEVER, A SURVEY OF LOCAL CATTLE PRODUCERS INDICATED THAT 50% OF RESPONDENTS WERE USING OTHER PRODUCTS, BUT WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TOXIC THESE OTHER PRODUCTS ARE TO DUNG BEETLES. ADDITIONALLY, IN WV, THE CURRENT DUNG BEETLE SPECIES LIST INCLUDES ONLY 13 SPECIES, WHILE NEIGHBORING STATES CAN HAVE 5X MORE SPECIES. CHARACTERIZING THE DUNG BEETLE COMMUNITY PROVIDES A BASELINE FOR FUTURE STUDIES ON CLIMATE CHANGE, PARASITE MANAGEMENT, AND GRAZING PRACTICES. TO SUPPORT LIVESTOCK IN APPALACHIA, WE PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING THREE OBJECTIVES: FIRST, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE RISK TO DUNG BEETLES OF THE FOUR MOST COMMON PARASITE CONTROL PRODUCTS. SECOND, WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LANDSCAPE, PARASITE TREATMENTS, AND PASTURE MANAGEMENT ON DUNG BEETLES BY SURVEYING THE DUNG BEETLES ON LIVESTOCK FARMS. THIRD, WE WILL PROVIDE TRAINING FOR EXTENSION EDUCATORS AND ESTABLISH A DUNG BEETLE ID SERVICE TO WHICH WV RESIDENTS CAN SEND THEIR DUNG BEETLES TO BE IDENTIFIED.ULTIMATELY, WE HOPE TO PROMOTE THE PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF PASTURE ECOSYSTEMS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION BY UNDERSTANDING DUNG BEETLE COMMUNITIES IN WV.