There are confirmed packs just to the north and south of the ranch. He's seen their tracks in the fresh snow. On a couple of occasions, folks have even spotted them on the property.
So far, Trexler has been lucky.
But he knows that can change in the blink of an eye.
With that knowledge, Trexler can take some solace knowing that a program that's provided compensation for decades to ranchers who've lost livestock to wolf depredation has taken the next step to ensure it will be around for a long time in Montana.
Trexler is one of seven brand new members of Montana's Livestock Loss Reduction and Mitigation Board, which will oversee the state's new wolf depredation reimbursement program when it launches this spring.
That group met for the first time last week for a primer on the history of wolf management in Montana and to draft administrative rules.
The new program, which is attached to the Montana Department of Livestock, is designed to reimburse livestock producers for confirmed losses to wolf depredation. Created by legislation passed in 2007, the program replaces one funded by Defenders of Wildlife for the past two decades.
“It was a productive meeting,” said George Edwards, Livestock Loss Reduction and Mitigation Program coordinator. “We got the opportunity to meet one another and learn about where we've been and where we're going.”
There are currently seven people on the board; five have livestock interests and the remaining two represent wildlife.
“It seemed to me to be a pretty well-rounded board,” Trexler said. “We all agreed that wolves are here to stay and that we all need to realize that we're not going to be able to shoot them up or kill them all tomorrow. That's not going to happen.”
Defenders of Wildlife and the Bailey Wildlife Foundation Wolf Compensation Trust provided a $100,000 grant to get the program started. Eventually, the state hopes to raise a $5 million trust fund that would be used to both compensate people who lose livestock and pay for new mitigation efforts that help keep wolves separated from domestic animals.
“We'll need public and other support in the form of donations, gifts, grants and appropriations to the trust fund to make the program work,” Edwards said. “Based on the program's past success, we're optimistic that that kind of support is out there.”
All gifts to the reimbursement program are tax deductible.
Over its 20-year history, the Defenders of Wildlife have made 276 payments to Montanans totaling more than $317,000 for 336 cattle, 689 sheep, 16 livestock dogs and 15 other animals, including mules and llamas.
In 2007, the group spent more than $81,000 for projects that used nonlethal deterrents to reduce conflicts between wolves and livestock. More than half of that - $48,000 in total - was spent in Montana.
The Defenders program compensated ranchers
100 percent for confirmed wolf kills and 50 percent for animals that were probably killed by wolves.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services Division investigated and confirmed livestock losses under Defenders' program and will continue that work when the state takes over.
Edwards said Defenders of Wildlife did a “great job” in forging strong partnerships between public and private interests. The state hopes to build on that success.
“This is a program that's good for wolves and good for ranchers,” he said. “I think we're going to find that people want to support it.”
The next step includes getting administrative rules for the board and program resolved. The draft rules will be published and opened for public comment in about a month.
Edwards said the board will not get involved in wolf management issues.
“The reimbursement program is called for in the state's wolf management plan, but the board won't get involved in wolf management decisions,” Edwards said. “We leave that to the experts at Fish, Wildlife and Parks.”
The federal government is expected to make the announcement removing wolves from the federal endangered species lists soon.
“The rumor has it that it could happen before the end of this month,” said Caroline Sime, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' state wolf coordinator.
The decision won't be final until 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Some groups have indicated they'll file a lawsuit in an attempt to stop that process. If the courts choose not to intervene, then Montana will take over wolf management responsibilities when that 30-day period ends.
Sime sees the pending delisting decision as a vote of confidence in the hard work that Montanans have invested in putting together a state wolf management plan.
A key ingredient in that plan is the state's decision to take over the compensation program, she said.
“It's important that this be a homegrown compensation program with its anchor in our state management plan,” Sime said.
Wolves can cause financial losses for livestock producers. At the same time, the open space those agricultural lands provide are important not only to wolves, but to all wildlife. And therefore it's important to be responsive to the economic pressures that landowners might experience, Sime said.
“Maintaining open space is a net benefit for all of us,” she said.
Plans call for continuing compensation for direct losses. In the future, Sime said the state may also consider taking a look at indirect losses ranchers have complained about in the past, including weight loss and pregnancy issues.
“There are a lot of tough questions and a lot of detail that still needs to be worked out,” Sime said. “The board is a work in progress, as is most things wolf in Montana.”
To report wolf activity, learn more about wolves in your area, or get help with conflict prevention strategies, contact Sime at (406) 444-3242. Additional information about wolf management is also available online at fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/wolf/wolfQandA.html.
More about wolves
To report wolf activity, learn more about wolves in your area, or to get help with conflict prevention strategies, contact Carolyn Sime at (406) 444-3242. Additional information about wolf management is also available online at fwp.mt.gov/wildthings/wolf/wolfQandA.html.
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or pbackus@missoulian.com.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)
Toby Bridges wrote on Jan 9, 2009 1:06 PM:
Sportsmen who have supported wise conservation practices and who have paid for the brunt of the work to rebuild our deer and elk herds are now getting royally robbed just to satisfy a bunch of armchair animal rights activists and organizations, like the lame Defenders of Wildlife.
Ever stop to figure out how many deer and elk the 500 or so wolves in Montana kill each and every year. The numbers most likely top 30,000 deer and 5,000 elk. Some will argue those numbers, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math when there are that many apex predators roaming the state.
It's time for sportsmen to take matter back into their own hands. By the time the state and U.S. government reach any kind of real wolf population control measures, there won't be any deer or elk left for sportsmen to hunt.
It's time for sportsmen to rally around a new battle cry..."Save An Elk Herd...Kill A wolf!"
Toby Bridges,
Missoula, MT "