(courtesy Idaho Department of Fish and Game)
by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports
The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would create a new state fund to compensate ranchers for livestock killed by wolves and grizzly bears.
“In North Idaho, we’ve had significant loss to grizzly bears… we have a veritable smorgasbord in between several of our mountain ranges,” said co-sponsor Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint. “We’ve lost a significant number of lambs, calves, bees, you name it.”
House Bill 592 would involve the state Department of Agriculture, Department of Fish and Game, and Office of Species Conservation to verify livestock depredation damages, calculate compensation, and dispense the funds.
“This legislation creates a framework of validation,” said co-sponsor Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan. “We must continue to validate our losses and our conflicts with livestock and with predators. If we fail to do that, the feds will point to our lack of validation and say you don’t have a problem.”
If passed into law, HB 592 would direct $225,000 annually to the new depredation fund. That sum would consist of $150,000 each year for compensating validated depredation claims and $75,000 each year for predator deterrence and conflict prevention.
“It’ll help my area significantly to offset the losses, and also to try and get the bears back where they belong, up in the hills and not down in the flatlands and our ranches,” Sauter said.
HB 592 passed the House in a 56-12 vote and now advances to the Senate.
A different piece of legislation, HB 612 from Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, would allow the Wolf Depredation Control Board to use its existing funds for depredation compensation. That proposal could come up for a House vote as soon as Wednesday.
“This bill is not in conflict with that bill, in my opinion,” Raymond said. “I will be supporting both bills.”
Logan Finney | Associate Producer
Logan Finney is a North Idaho native with a passion for media production and boring government meetings. He grew up skiing, hunting and hiking in the mountains of Bonner County and has maintained a lifelong interest in the state’s geography, history and politics. Logan joined the Idaho Reports team in 2020 as a legislative session intern and stayed to cover the COVID-19 pandemic. He was hired as an associate producer in 2021 and they haven’t been able to get rid of him since.