Non-lethal wolf deterrence grants announced

OLYMPIA -- The Northeast Washington Wolf Livestock Grant Board awarded grants for non-lethal wolf deterrence projects to a cattle producers association and an area nonprofit group this week.
 
The board selected the Cattle Producers of Washington and Northeast Washington Wolf-Cattle Collaborative from five applicants to receive funds from the 2019 NE WA Wolf-Livestock Management grant, which is tied to the state Legislature’s $352,000 appropriation to fund wolf management projects.
 
The Cattle Producers of Washington will receive $144,908 for a project that involves using conflict specialists to address wolf issues in Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille and Okanogan counties.
 
The non-profit Northeast Washington Wolf-Cattle Collaborative will receive $189, 492 for a project that will continue an effort to improve the performance and use of range riders as a deterrent to wolf depredations. The group also plans to work on outreach to inform the non-ranching public about the issue.
 
A portion of the funds provided by the Legislature was intended to cover WSDA’s cost of administering the grants, which involves ensuring that projects selected to receive funding are in compliance with state law and regulations.
 
The Legislature provided another $80,000 to be split between the sheriff’s departments of Ferry and Stevens counties to help them cooperate with the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife on wolf management activities.
 
Visit agr.wa.gov/grants to find more information about the Northeast Washington Wolf Livestock Management Grant.