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Residents raise transparency, animal-welfare and conflict-of-interest concerns as county weighs USDA wildlife-services contract
Summary
Public commenters and commissioners debated the county's USDA Wildlife Services contract during the June 10 work session, pressing officials for transparency about predator removals, contractor affiliations and the county's share of costs; staff recommended continuing the contract, which is federally funded in part.
Public commenters at the Grant County Board of Commissioners work session urged more transparency and raised conflict-of-interest concerns about the county's contract with USDA Wildlife Services, which provides predator control and related services.
The issue drew repeated public comment at the June 10 work session, with several residents questioning how many animals are being removed, whether nonlethal options are used and whether the wildlife-services agent's private work as a hunting guide creates a conflict. "With $9,700 in claim damages from coyotes, 50 coyotes were shot for predation," said Glenn Griffin, a resident who addressed the board, adding that the quarterly reports show no mountain lions or bears killed locally even though work tasks for those species were recorded.
The county manager…
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