For years, Roger Newkirk and other members of Albany County's predator management district board have wanted to conduct an intensive monitoring plan to see how predators were affecting a local mule deer herd.

But such an effort requires a detailed monitoring plan, assistance from the University of Wyoming, equipment, manpower and, most importantly, money to pay for all of those things.

It was money part the district needed the most. Until now.

Working under the auspices of the 8-year-old Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board, the predator districts got a big boost last year when the Wyoming Legislature approved a $6 million expansion of predator control efforts.

A huge chunk of those dollars will go to the 17 local predator control boards to help fund a variety of projects over the next few years, officials involved in the effort said.

In the past, local control boards haven't had the money to do anything more than just manage predators in order to protect livestock.

To do more - such as controlling skunk populations that are prone to rabies outbreaks or managing predators to help other wildlife - required a much more significant revenue stream than local boards had access to.

"We've never had the real dollars before … We're pushing ahead into territory we've never been in," Newkirk said during a recent meeting of the state board in Casper. The board met to review predator management project funding applications from the districts.

"With our project … we want to follow and tag the fawns and does in a (mule deer) herd … one that doesn't travel to far (from our area)," he said. "But to get that focused data on mule deer herds is hugely expensive for us … it takes a lot of manpower and money."

Now, "we can pursue the wildlife end more and get that data which for us has been much harder to obtain," he said. "Our approach can be localized, hands-on and real intense as we look at tracking those mule deer numbers."

The increased state funding is freeing up the districts to pursue predator projects that benefit wildlife as well as control predator damage to livestock.

"The big thing I see is that this (extra funding) will enable the county predator districts to provide assistance to enhance wildlife populations," said Rod Krischke, state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services in Wyoming.

"Our work prior to this in that field has been super limited … with just trying to respond to livestock damage and working on small pieces of ground to stop the damage," he said.

"With our work, the deer and antelope may be benefiting right on (a livestock producer's) ranch, but in other parts of the state they're not benefiting," Krischke said. "This (funding) maybe can give those county programs some opportunity to help deer or antelope, or even bighorn sheep, that may be being impacted (by predators)."

Most of Wyoming's counties have employed predatory animal districts and boards to spearhead local predator control efforts over the years.

The boards have traditionally been funded by fees collected during brand inspections, along with some state funding. Board members are elected by livestock producers who pay for brand inspections.

The state also established an Animal Damage Management Board in 1999 to oversee state predator management efforts.

The ADM program is administered by a 15-member board. Until this year, the program was funded through an annual $100,000 allocation from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, a $125,000 appropriation from the state's general fund, and $5,000 from other sources.

Radios, shotgun shells

The increased state funding is allowing the local predator boards to add manpower and equipment for on-the-ground predator control efforts. It will also allow for research projects, monitoring and wildlife enhancement projects.

In Sheridan County, for example, predator control board official Ralph Foster said that district's $102,000 funding request to the state board will pay for some much-needed skunk traps for municipalities including Story and Big Horn.

It will also pay for aircraft expenses, a full-time trapper, the lease of a truck and supplies.

"We've struggled for years … but we think we can get some good programs going with this money now," Foster said.

Albany County submitted a $108,000 request that will fund its $20,000 mule deer herd study and monitoring effort. But that board also will spend this year's increased budget on a full-time trapper, on almost double the aircraft time for coyote control, and for new equipment such as radios and shotguns.

Alan Todd of Weston County said his board's $170,000 request would be spent on hiring an additional employee, more aircraft time and supplies. They're also planning to rent a building to house staff and equipment.

Niobrara County's board is seeking $105,000 for two full-time trappers, aircraft expenses and supplies. But a lot of the funding will also go toward sage grouse monitoring and data collection.

In Natrona County, Chuck Harlan said his predator management board's recent $267,000 allocation has been used to pay for increased aerial gunning of coyotes.

"We've been taking lots of coyotes in the past few months … mainly because we're flying over areas where we've been without predator control for many years," he told ADM board members. "We're taking 40 to 50 coyotes in two to three hours' flying time in helicopters every time out."

The money will also fund ammunition costs, which are increasing dramatically.

"The costs of shotgun shells has really risen," he said.

Ravens, starlings

Wildlife Services and the districts have also been managing bird populations that can harm public safety and the economics of aviation when commercial and military aircraft collide with birds and mammals during takeoff or landing. Officials said that work may also increase with the additional funding.

Bird/plane collisions in the United States costs the aviation industry over $500 million a year in damages and downtown, according to federal estimates.

Krischke said Wildlife Services specialists already perform routine airport surveys in Cody, Jackson and Cheyenne to minimize the possibility of collisions.

Part of the Goshen County district's $102,000 funding request this year will go to help control bird problems at feedlots in Torrington.

Krischke said as many as 16,000 starlings have been counted at one time feeding off the truck spills on the railroad tracks at a local feedlot. Current control methods include spreading poison pellet feed in alleyways and away from cattle feed bumpers to kill the birds.

In Sweetwater and Lincoln counties, some of the district's $185,000 in funding will go to help control a growing raven problem, said district board member and Rock Springs rancher Bill Taliaferro.

Ravens are plaguing several industrial plants in the region, including the four soda ash facilities in the Green River Basin, which provide bicarbonate soda for cattle feed production, and a gas processing plant.

"Ravens are flying all the way from the (soda ash) plants to Farson to feed in the dump and fields … and they have caused huge problems at Exxon's Shute Creek Plant," Taliaferro said. "It's a big problem. Shute Creek has been paying $50,000 a year to clean up the plant from all the raven (droppings)."

Reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.