BuzzH
Well-known member
In todays casper newspaper, nothing shocking, just greedy ranchers with their hands out again. Yep, they sure do look out for wildlife. Do you think maybe if BLM and State leases were in better shape, this problem would even exist? Good to see my license dollars are going to subsidize some cry baby ranchers...again.
GREEN RIVER -- Wyoming's Game and Fish Commission will seek new funding sources before making changes to the state's policy for reimbursing ranchers when big game animals cause extraordinary damage to grass usually available to livestock.
The commission reviewed several Game and Fish Department recommendations, which were drafted by a special committee this fall, to improve the damage compensation program for unusual losses of forage to big game animals such as elk. The commission postponed action on the idea.
Ranchers attending the commission meeting Jan. 22 in Cheyenne were wary of the recommendations. Landowners contend the proposals don't do enough to protect their economic losses, especially in areas like Cody where elk numbers have risen dramatically over the past decade.
"The committee didn't go near far enough and they continued to water down the definition of extraordinary damage to grass ... which will create more contention and really not solve my problem of elk taking my livestock's forage," said rancher Merlyn Ballinger.
"It's as simple as that ... you're taking my grass and I can sell my grass," he said.
Wyoming Wildlife Federation officials supported most of the recommendations, but they urged the department to retain full management responsibilities under whichever program they choose.
Whatever changes the commission decides to make, it most likely will be expensive and new sources of revenue will have to be found to fund the program, Game and Fish officials said.
But agency officials also noted that landowner relationships with the department, historically shaky at best, might improve under the committee's recommendations.
"It is our hope the recommendations contained in this report ... might form the foundation of a new relationship that benefits Wyoming's people and Wyoming's wildlife," Game and Fish Policy Coordinator Walt Gasson told commissioners.
The department has long recognized that private lands are very important to the abundance and diversity of the state's wildlife. States are not liable for forage compensation unless it assumes the damage, as Wyoming's Legislature has.
Game and Fish Cody Regional Supervisor and committee member Gary Brown said the agency lacks the funding to effectively carry out any of the recommendations.
"We basically don't have the money or the personnel to implement any of these recommendations," Brown said. "Funding is a legislative prerogative... you'll need some sort of legislative authority for this."
Implementation is certain to be expensive, he said. For example, Brown noted the recommendation on compensation for forage consumed by elk calls for determining elk numbers on private lands and converting them to AUMs.
"Determining the number of elk on specific pieces of property over time is going to be damned hard to do," he said. "Just arriving at those basic numbers to start with ... is going to be real manpower intensive for the department."
Brown suggested the commission consider joining with other state agencies -- such as the Wyoming Department of Agriculture -- or boards to distribute compensation if the recommendations are adopted.
Subject of debate
The commission has debated for several years various proposals to change the definition of "extraordinary damage to grass" in state damage regulations. At one time the commission even considered deleting the term altogether, but backed away after residents and sportsmen protested the move.
And the commission declined to adopt a another proposal in early 2001 that would have left it largely up to Game and Fish Department game wardens to decide on a case-by-case basis whether payments to ranchers were warranted or not.
In February 2002, the commission decided against proceeding with another proposal, this time from a coalition of northeast Wyoming landowners.
The ranchers asked the commission to revise its current regulations to allow a test group of ranchers to sell landowner licenses to hunters.
The Wapiti Ridge Coordinated Resource Management group said they wanted to institute a pilot program to test the idea of allowing the ranchers to assign their landowner hunting licenses to anyone they choose.
The group said ranchers in the Cody area are sacrificing livestock revenue in order to maintain big game populations in the region.
But a legal opinion from the Wyoming Attorney General in February 2002 effectively shot down the proposal. The opinion said the commission does not have the authority to make landowner licenses transferable.
The commission decided instead to draft a committee to explore other possible ways to compensate landowners in return for providing and maintaining wildlife habitat and hunter access on private lands.
Cody rancher Curt Bales told commissioners that before 1972, his outfit ran 1,600 cow/calves on 25,000 deeded and BLM-administered acres.
There were normally about 500 elk in the area at that time.
"Today, I'm feeding 1,700 elk and 400 head of cows ... the roles are reversed and it sure looks to me like it's fallen on the landowners to feed wildlife, not the rest of the state," Bales said.
"Your extraordinary damage to grass definition does not go near far enough, but the landowner permit definitely takes us a step in the right direction of harvesting some of these elk," he said.
Wyoming Wildlife Federation board member Dave Bragonier said his group worries that any plan meant to increase landowner compensation significantly would need not only a large revenue base, but also numerous employees to oversee the program.
"Such a program would likely see fraud and corruption," he said. "We feel the less complex the plan, the better."
"We recommend that any new law, or any change in the statutes ... should use wording to make it unmistakably clear that the Game and Fish Department would retain full game management responsibilities regardless of what branch of government might administer any landowner compensation plan," he said.
Commissioners voted to table any action on the department's recommendations until more information can be gathered on possible funding sources.
Commission President Doyle Dorner said the report can serve "as a starting point" for commissioners to consider prior to making final changes.
Commissioner Hale Kreycik said funding is the key for any future commission action.
"If we bite on this ... it has the potential of us having to deal with other species, other costs and I see us not being financially able to deal with this right now," he said.
Commissioner Gary Lundvall agreed. "This is a problem that has to be dealt with ... but I think we ought to at least see what comes out of the Legislature before taking action," he said.
GREEN RIVER -- Wyoming's Game and Fish Commission will seek new funding sources before making changes to the state's policy for reimbursing ranchers when big game animals cause extraordinary damage to grass usually available to livestock.
The commission reviewed several Game and Fish Department recommendations, which were drafted by a special committee this fall, to improve the damage compensation program for unusual losses of forage to big game animals such as elk. The commission postponed action on the idea.
Ranchers attending the commission meeting Jan. 22 in Cheyenne were wary of the recommendations. Landowners contend the proposals don't do enough to protect their economic losses, especially in areas like Cody where elk numbers have risen dramatically over the past decade.
"The committee didn't go near far enough and they continued to water down the definition of extraordinary damage to grass ... which will create more contention and really not solve my problem of elk taking my livestock's forage," said rancher Merlyn Ballinger.
"It's as simple as that ... you're taking my grass and I can sell my grass," he said.
Wyoming Wildlife Federation officials supported most of the recommendations, but they urged the department to retain full management responsibilities under whichever program they choose.
Whatever changes the commission decides to make, it most likely will be expensive and new sources of revenue will have to be found to fund the program, Game and Fish officials said.
But agency officials also noted that landowner relationships with the department, historically shaky at best, might improve under the committee's recommendations.
"It is our hope the recommendations contained in this report ... might form the foundation of a new relationship that benefits Wyoming's people and Wyoming's wildlife," Game and Fish Policy Coordinator Walt Gasson told commissioners.
The department has long recognized that private lands are very important to the abundance and diversity of the state's wildlife. States are not liable for forage compensation unless it assumes the damage, as Wyoming's Legislature has.
Game and Fish Cody Regional Supervisor and committee member Gary Brown said the agency lacks the funding to effectively carry out any of the recommendations.
"We basically don't have the money or the personnel to implement any of these recommendations," Brown said. "Funding is a legislative prerogative... you'll need some sort of legislative authority for this."
Implementation is certain to be expensive, he said. For example, Brown noted the recommendation on compensation for forage consumed by elk calls for determining elk numbers on private lands and converting them to AUMs.
"Determining the number of elk on specific pieces of property over time is going to be damned hard to do," he said. "Just arriving at those basic numbers to start with ... is going to be real manpower intensive for the department."
Brown suggested the commission consider joining with other state agencies -- such as the Wyoming Department of Agriculture -- or boards to distribute compensation if the recommendations are adopted.
Subject of debate
The commission has debated for several years various proposals to change the definition of "extraordinary damage to grass" in state damage regulations. At one time the commission even considered deleting the term altogether, but backed away after residents and sportsmen protested the move.
And the commission declined to adopt a another proposal in early 2001 that would have left it largely up to Game and Fish Department game wardens to decide on a case-by-case basis whether payments to ranchers were warranted or not.
In February 2002, the commission decided against proceeding with another proposal, this time from a coalition of northeast Wyoming landowners.
The ranchers asked the commission to revise its current regulations to allow a test group of ranchers to sell landowner licenses to hunters.
The Wapiti Ridge Coordinated Resource Management group said they wanted to institute a pilot program to test the idea of allowing the ranchers to assign their landowner hunting licenses to anyone they choose.
The group said ranchers in the Cody area are sacrificing livestock revenue in order to maintain big game populations in the region.
But a legal opinion from the Wyoming Attorney General in February 2002 effectively shot down the proposal. The opinion said the commission does not have the authority to make landowner licenses transferable.
The commission decided instead to draft a committee to explore other possible ways to compensate landowners in return for providing and maintaining wildlife habitat and hunter access on private lands.
Cody rancher Curt Bales told commissioners that before 1972, his outfit ran 1,600 cow/calves on 25,000 deeded and BLM-administered acres.
There were normally about 500 elk in the area at that time.
"Today, I'm feeding 1,700 elk and 400 head of cows ... the roles are reversed and it sure looks to me like it's fallen on the landowners to feed wildlife, not the rest of the state," Bales said.
"Your extraordinary damage to grass definition does not go near far enough, but the landowner permit definitely takes us a step in the right direction of harvesting some of these elk," he said.
Wyoming Wildlife Federation board member Dave Bragonier said his group worries that any plan meant to increase landowner compensation significantly would need not only a large revenue base, but also numerous employees to oversee the program.
"Such a program would likely see fraud and corruption," he said. "We feel the less complex the plan, the better."
"We recommend that any new law, or any change in the statutes ... should use wording to make it unmistakably clear that the Game and Fish Department would retain full game management responsibilities regardless of what branch of government might administer any landowner compensation plan," he said.
Commissioners voted to table any action on the department's recommendations until more information can be gathered on possible funding sources.
Commission President Doyle Dorner said the report can serve "as a starting point" for commissioners to consider prior to making final changes.
Commissioner Hale Kreycik said funding is the key for any future commission action.
"If we bite on this ... it has the potential of us having to deal with other species, other costs and I see us not being financially able to deal with this right now," he said.
Commissioner Gary Lundvall agreed. "This is a problem that has to be dealt with ... but I think we ought to at least see what comes out of the Legislature before taking action," he said.
