Where will the $$ come from?
Colorado
The below is copied and pasted from a Complete Colorado article. I'm not playing a rabble rouser role here. Ag people need to be compensated for their losses so i like that about this bill. But where will the funding come from? My own view is that it eede to come from the general fund and supported by tax dollars. Can anyone clarify this?
"SB23-255, also sponsored by Representative Marc Catlin, passed by a vote of 12 to 1. It would ensure Colorado Parks and Wildlife has adequate resources to mitigate wolf conflict and fairly compensate livestock owners for their losses. Under the bill, the “Wolf Compensation Fund” would be created within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources to compensate livestock owners who suffer the loss or injury of their animals from wolf predation."
A correction. Not Complete Colorado but The Fence Post
https://www.thefencepost.com/news/mccluskie-lukens-bipartisan-wolf-mitigation-bills-pass-in-house-committee/
As reported: The bill creates the wolf depredation compensation fund (fund) to compensate landowners and agricultural producers for depredation of livestock and working animals by wolves. For the 2023-24 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, the state treasurer is directed to transfer $350,000 from the general fund to the fund. At the end of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 state fiscal years, any unencumbered balance in the fund that exceeds $100,000 is transferred to the wildlife cash fund. At the end of subsequent state fiscal years, the amount transferred to the wildlife cash fund is any unencumbered balance in the fund that exceeds 120% of the amount spent from the fund in the previous state fiscal year. Each year, the director of the division of parks and wildlife will issue a report and make a presentation at the appropriate "SMART Act" hearing. The bill reduces by $175,000 the fiscal year 2023-24 general fund appropriation to the department of natural resources for use by the division of parks and wildlife for the reintroduction and management of gray wolves.
Let the clowns that voted 4 this pay the bill. There is a list of registered clowns who voted yes. Fair.
Wolf travels south to Grand County - see link
And those who wonder where the $$ will come from? Well, all the CPW has to do is this.... [get used to seeing this phrase]
"Colorado Parks and Wildlife could not confirm the calf was killed by wolves and did not compensate Sykes. The agency said wind and snow covered potential tracks, and GPS collars indicated the two wolves were not in the area at the time of the kill."
I'm no financial analyst but Paul's explanation left me somewhat assured (for now) that it won't be license dollars. But, your example illustrates the potential for the real problem. How is a rancher going to be compensated for losses on summer range that are known missing but never found. Or found weeks even months later when the evidence is inconclusive?
I doubt they will be compensated. I've read a few of the reports that go along with payments to sheep operations. If the CPW officer doesn't get there to investigate the alternative is sometimes pictures of the kill taken by the rancher or herder. In either case, if its been a while, the initial cause is hard to prove. It's still tens of thousands in payments to some outfits a year mostly due to bears. But, sheep usually have a herder around.
With cattle that are on their own for weeks or months at a time and carcasses that may never be found, it's unlikely compensation can be approved when they don't show up during round-up.
