Ranchers whose livestock are killed by grizzly bears and wolves could get more financial support from the state of Idaho under a bill making its way through the statehouse.
The bill would set up a $225,000 annual fund to reimburse ranchers for livestock losses. It would be managed by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
The federal Wildlife Services reported that wolves were responsible for 85 livestock deaths in 2023, and said the number of depredations had declined over the past few years.
Idaho receives some federal funds to pay ranchers when livestock is confirmed to have been killed by wolves. But Lane Justus, the Idaho Resource Coordinator for the Western Landowners Alliance, said Idaho is in the minority of Western states without a state depredation fund.
“It's really important for us to support livestock producers and landowners who face the economic costs of having predators on the landscape," she said.
The new fund would include $150,000 for livestock depredations. Co-sponsor Rep. Jerald Raymond (R-Menan) said ranchers would need to submit claims of their losses to the state.
“We must continue to validate our losses and our conflicts with livestock and with predators," he said. "If we fail to do that, the feds will point to our lack of validation and say, 'You don't have a problem.' We do have a problem in rural Idaho.”
A third of the annual funding in the bill -- $75,000 -- would go toward "conflict prevention."
Currently, Idaho relies primarily on killing wolves to deal with livestock-predator conflicts. The Wolf Depredation Control Board receives roughly $400,000 a year from the general fund to contract with Wildlife Services or private contractors to kill wolves.
But Justus said that approach alone is insufficient.
"If we're only funding lethal control, there're gaps in how we're supporting producers," she said.
Many producers want support for additional tools, she said, including non-lethal ones. That could mean funding more people on horseback, known as range riders, to protect cattle herds, or more distraction tools like lights and flags to fend off attacks.
The depredation fund bill passed the House with a 56-12 vote Tuesday. It now moves on to the Senate.
A separate bill being proposed would allow the Wolf Depredation Control Board to reimburse for livestock losses to depredation, as well.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on X @racheld_cohen
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