WHITNEY ROYSTER Star-Tribune environmental reporter | Posted: Thursday, December 30, 2004 12:00 am
JACKSON - A conservation group this year more than doubled the amount it paid to ranchers who lost livestock to wolves.
In 2003, Defenders of Wildlife paid Western ranchers $64,795 in 55 payments. In 2004, the group paid $138,846 in 94 payments.
In Wyoming, Defenders paid $28,096 in 2004, compared with $10,803 in 2003. In 2002, payments totaled $21,506 in Wyoming, and payments were about $14,000 in 2000 and 2001.
"We've seen pretty good expansion of wolf range into areas they haven't traditionally been, and of course that tends to catch people off guard," said Suzanne Asha Stone, Rocky Mountain field representative for the group. "(The numbers) are still within what was estimated."
Jim Magagna, president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, called the program "marginally helpful."
"The standard of proof Defenders requires is an absolute confirmation of a kill by a wolf," Magagna said. "It's very difficult to find the majority of those killed."
Magagna said he is not surprised at the spike in payments. But he said proving a wolf kill is tough, particularly in a region where there are grizzly bears, too.
He said many ranchers have the experience to know their losses were due to wolves, but there is no evidence left to prove it.
With nearly 300 wolves now in the greater Yellowstone area and more than 400 in central Idaho, the number of livestock killed has grown accordingly, said Ed Bangs, head of wolf recovery for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, Mont.
"That's the price you pay when you have more wolves running around," he said.
Defenders reimburses ranchers for the full market value of animals lost, providing wildlife officials can confirm the animals were killed by wolves. If a death is considered a "probable" wolf kill, Defenders reimburses for half the market value.
Wyoming's wolf kills were spread out across the state, with most centered in the Dubois area and in Park County around Cody. Sheep ranchers in Lincoln County had losses, and ranchers as far away from traditional wolf country as Rock Springs were reimbursed by the group.
Ranchers in Ten Sleep, Kaycee, Jackson, Meeteetse, Green River, Daniel, Pinedale and Big Piney and other places all suffered losses.
Defenders, which supported wolf reintroduction, has compensated ranchers for cattle, sheep, dogs, horses and some other livestock over the years. The group has been paying ranchers all across the country since 1987 for losses due to wolves.
Defenders pays ranchers for losses to shift the economic burden from ranchers to those enjoying seeing large predators occupy historic ranges, the group has said.
"The compensation program allows for some tolerance for wolves from the ranching community," Stone said. "We know this both from feedback and also survey information we receive. If compensation was ended, there would be a significant decrease in tolerance toward wolves."
In the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, a total of $220,448 has been paid to ranchers. The payments come from the Bailey Wildlife Foundation Wolf Compensation Trust, which has paid $476,431 to 376 ranchers since 1987.
Stone said in addition to compensation, Defenders works to prevent wolf attacks on livestock. The group has "built strong relationships with people in the ranching community," she said, and the teams have worked to mitigate conflicts.
That includes the use of livestock guard dogs, aerial telemetry to help ranchers find out where wolves are and make sure they are grazing away from wolf dens and rendezvous sites, and providing alternative grazing sources such as hay or alternative pastures.
"If we can go in and prevent the problems from happening," she said, "that's really our best step."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@trib.com.