BILLINGS, Mont.—Ranchers could get money from the federal government to compensate them for livestock killed by wolves under a provision in a public lands bill passed by the U.S. Senate.
Senators from Wyoming and Montana sponsored the so-called “Wolf Kill Bill,” which authorizes the federal government to spend up to $1 million annually on the 5-year demonstration program. The money also would cover grants to states and Indian tribes to reduce the risk of livestock attacks, by erecting fences and improving grazing practices.
The wolf kill measure was part of a broader public lands package approved Thursday on a 73-21 vote. It was sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana and Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming.
Approval came a day after the government announced its plan to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list in the western Great Lakes and Northern Rockies, except Wyoming.
“Wolves are part of the ecosystem at this point and time and we need to look for ways for ranchers to be held as harmless as possible,” Tester said Thursday. “It’s good news for livestock producers and very timely.”
He said money for the program would likely be split evenly between compensating ranchers and paying for ways to prevent wolf attacks.
An estimated 1,500 wolves now roam Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, up from just a few dozen prior to their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in the mid-1990s.
Killings of sheep, cattle, llamas, dogs and other farm animals soared over that time, with more than 3,200 killed. Last year alone, 532 animals were killed.
“The people of Wyoming knew the wolves would mutliply and spread. We didn’t want them here in the first place,” Barrasso said. “Washington brought the wolf here and Washington should pay for the damage done by the wolves.”
The three Northern Rockies states have their own programs to compensate ranchers for livestock losses due to wolves. But state officials had pressed the federal government to share in the expense since the reintroduction of the predators to the region was done under federal jurisdiction.
The bill passed Thursday calls for the federal government to match state funds spent on wolves.
George Edwards, coordinator of Montana’s Livestock Loss Reduction & Mitigation Program, said ranchers received $83,000 through the state last year for 224 livestock kills.
Much of that money was donated by Defenders of Wildlife. Edwards said the federal money would be critical to keeping the program viable.
“It’s extremely important to the livestock industry. Over 50 percent of all the livestock we paid for had mortgages, so those owners owe the bank whether that animal is alive or not,” he said.
