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Board approves final Wolf Committee grant awards; $3,000 to Hatfield High Land Trust
Summary
The board approved the Wolf Committee recommendation to grant $3,000 to the Hatfield High Land Trust for preventative fencing, leaving $871.34 for a carcass removal program; funds must be spent by Jan. 31 or be reallocated to wildlife cameras.
The Deschutes County Board approved a recommendation from the Wolf Committee on Nov. 24 to allocate the remaining $3,871.34 from a prior $50,000 allocation. John Patterson, strategic initiatives manager, told the board that the committee is recommending $3,000 to the Hatfield High Land Trust to build fencing and pens to protect livestock, and to leave $871.34 in the carcass removal program. Patterson said recipients must provide receipts and reports to show how funds were spent. "So with that being said, that's the request on the table, for the remaining about $3,800 for those funds," he told commissioners.
Commissioners raised questions about the scale of livestock operations, prior grants to ranches (McCormick, Hatfield High Land Trust, Desert Creek Ranch), and accountability for funds. County staff said reports and receipts are required and that, if funds are not expended by Jan. 31, remaining dollars could be repurposed to wildlife cameras monitored by the state wildlife agencies. Commissioners also discussed that Senate Bill 777 introduces a compensation multiplier that could increase demand for limited state funds.
A motion to approve the committee recommendation was made and seconded; commissioners verbally registered approval on the record and the motion passed. The board’s approval authorizes the county to disburse the remaining funds consistent with the committee's recommendation and with required reporting.
