Oregon State Rep. Bobby Levy (R-Echo) proposes increasing funding for livestock depredations and missing animals in the upcoming short legislative session.
At the request of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Sheep Growers Association and Oregon Hunters Association, Levy proposes an additional $1 million for Oregon’s Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance Grant Program.
“I’m bringing the bill because wolf issues are a big deal in the state,” Levy told WLJ. “Wolf compensation is just one of the few tools we have to mitigate the financial costs of reintroducing wolves.”
In 2011, the Oregon Legislature required the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to establish and implement a wolf depredation and financial assistance grant program. ODA implemented Oregon’s Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance Grant Program, which awards annual funds to Oregon counties to compensate ranchers for livestock depredation, missing livestock and taking nonlethal measures.
Levy’s proposed boost is vitally needed; John Williams, OCA’s co-chair for the eastern Oregon Wolf Committee, told WLJ the amount needed this year for missing livestock was $700,000 and another $80,000 for depredations through November. Williams said the amount continues to climb with the number of depredations that have occurred in the last few weeks.
According to Levy, the total number of missing livestock through Nov. 6 was 679 yearlings and 47 cows. Wallowa, Umatilla and Baker counties have the largest number of missing livestock. Levy speculates the number of missing livestock is higher, as she has spoken with people in her district who were unaware the compensation program covers missing animals.
“We are encouraging ODFW to step up addressing these issues (of missing livestock and depredation),” Williams said. Williams noted two wolf packs are “very hot” in Klamath and Union counties, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) needs to address those packs and take aggressive measures to control the losses. Levy concurred and said the department needs to be proactive with issuing kill permits, particularly in southern Oregon.
The federal grant budget allocation for the 2019-21 biennium is $690,502. This grant includes 75 percent federal funds with a 25 percent state match that comes from a combination of ODFW license and lottery funds.
State Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) requested $800,000 for the program in the 2021 legislature. Lawmakers instead approved a one-time allocation of $400,000, on top of what was already provided in ODA’s budget.
For 2021, ODA had approximately $200,000 in their budget for the grant program, and combined with the one-time allocation, the department has $800,000 for rancher compensation and control measures, according to Levy.
“We’ve already got over $800,000 in losses,” Levy said. “They’re (ranchers) not going to be anywhere near compensated. If the depredations keep going the way they’re going, a million dollars isn’t even going to touch it.”
In previous years, assistance has not covered all the requests for losses due to depredation or missing cattle. According to the ODA, $504,678 was made in grant requests to the agency in 2019. Only 13 percent of grant requests for missing livestock and 19 percent for preventive measures were funded. ODA awarded $251,529 to 12 counties in 2020, up from $178,319 awarded in 2019.
In 2020, ODFW received requests from livestock producers for 73 investigations of dead or injured livestock suspected to be wolf depredation, a 46 percent increase from 50 requests in 2019. Confirmed depredations increased 94 percent from 19 in 2019 to 31 in 2020. In 2021, the rate of depredations increased exponentially to 87 animals, including 51 cattle, 28 sheep, six goats and two guard dogs.
Levy, who served as a commissioner on the Oregon Department of Wildlife, believes the number of depredations is higher, as ODFW biologists are cautious when determining if an animal was killed by wolves or died of another cause.
Biologists estimate Oregon had a minimum wolf population of 173 animals in 2020, a 9.5 percent increase over the previous year. ODFW determined there are 22 wolf packs by estimating the population based on verified evidence such as visual observations, tracks and remote camera photographs.
Levy said after the short legislative term ends on March 7, she intends on working with the same group and Hansell for policy changes to the wolf compensation program. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
