Utah wildlife agency programs see funding cuts

Cuts to next year's budget for Utah's wildlife agency will mean no money for coyote bounties and no payments to a sister agency that allows hunters and anglers to use its land.

The state Division of Wildlife Resources gets about 10 percent of its budget from the state's general fund. Cuts approved by the Legislature earlier this year, though, will affect several programs.

For years, the agency has paid the state School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration to allow access for hunting and fishing on its land. The $579,000 payment for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, is among the budget cuts.

SITLA raises money for Utah schools by selling and leasing on 3.4 million acres of state-owned land it controls. Rather than issue a permit for hunter and angler access, the agency collects an annual payment from the wildlife division.

Dave Hebertson, a spokesman for the agency, said the agreement that allows access to SITLA's land is scheduled to be discussed in September. He said he didn't know of any immediate decision about future access to the land because of the wildlife agency cuts.

Also getting trimmed from the wildlife budget is $100,000 that pays for a predator bounty program. The wildlife agency sends the money to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, which distributes it to counties.

The money has been used to pay for bounties — typically $20 per coyote — in agricultural areas where predators are causing problems for livestock.

In 2007, about 29,000 sheep were killed by predators, including about 16,000 by coyotes, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures.

Most predator control in Utah is done by Wildlife Services, part of the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

But losing the bounty program for those who kill coyotes and other predators on the ground will hurt ranchers, according to Utah Department of Agriculture spokesman Larry Lewis.

Losing the bounty program money — which could be made up by counties if they decide to fund it — adds to problems ranchers already face from rising feed costs and falling market prices, Lewis said.

"From city folks' perspective, it doesn't mean that much but if you're a sheep rancher, this is going to be the loss of hundreds of dollars, if not thousands of dollars," Lewis said.

It also points to a larger question about whether Utahns still want agriculture in the state, he said.

"This is one nail in the coffin that's making it less attractive," he said.

Most of the wildlife agency's budget comes from hunting and fishing licenses. General fund money is usually used to support non-game programs, according to Linda Braithwaite, a financial manager with the agency.

Other reductions next year include travel and some money to manage the state's sensitive species — those that could someday be eligible for the federal endangered species list.

On the Net: Division of Wildlife Resources: wildlife.utah.gov