When the federal Wildlife Services was given a kill order for two wolves on sheep rancher John Peavey's land near Carey earlier this month, wolf advocates were aghast, saying the agency is flying over a conservation easement within the ranch where lethal control is allowed only when other methods fail.
But county staff say Peavey has not violated the terms of his easement, purchased by The Nature Conservancy, and state officials say they will not kill wolves on the easement—but will on portions of Peavey's land not covered by it.
Blaine County contributed more than $200,000 in matching funds toward the purchase of the easement in December. The funds came from the Land, Water and Wildlife Levy, a two-year $3.4 million assessment on county property taxes meant to preserve open land and farm space from development.
The ranch lost seven ewes to wolves during the week of May 7, and Wildlife Services State Director Todd Grimm said Peavey experienced more depredation late last week—another three ewes, taking the wolf-kill total to 10 ewes this month.
A kill order for two wolves in the Little Wood pack near Carey was issued by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game upon Peavey's request on May 11. Wolf advocates say the order never should have been issued due to the easement on more than 1,100 acres of the approximately 25,000-acre ranch.
The easement agreement contains a provision to prevent lethal control methods from occurring within the easement's borders.
"[The Flat Top Sheep Co.] shall comply with all applicable laws and use selective and humane control practices, including, where practicable, non-lethal deterrents and management practices," the agreement states.
Boulder-White Clouds Council founder and wolf advocate Lynne Stone said the provision was added because of an incident last year when Peavey lost a calf to wolves and three wolves were killed as a result.
"There was a big uproar last year when [Wildlife Services] killed those wolves," she said, adding that she protested the conservation easement last fall as a result. "We just had three wolves and four coyotes shot on their ranch—where we are [going to give] them money for preservation of wildlife—and not [just] some wildlife? Wolves are wildlife, coyotes are wildlife."
Brian Ertz, media director for Western Watersheds Project in Hailey, said he believes Peavey's decision to allow Fish and Game to issue a kill order was a violation of taxpayer trust—despite the fact that the depredation did not occur on the easement.
"That's not what the citizens wanted, that's not what we were told we were going to get," Ertz said.
Stone said she felt like she had been "slapped in the face," even though she admitted the easement terms apply only to the 1,100 acres held by The Nature Conservancy.
She also said she believes Peavey was violating the terms of his easement as the fixed-wing plane used by Wildlife Services to track and kill the wolves was flying over High Five Canyon within easement boundaries when she visited the ranch on May 11.
Grimm confirmed that the plane was flying over the easement, but said Peavey alerted the pilot to the easement's borders.
"[The plane] is flying over the whole ranch," Grimm said. "They are obviously flying over [the easement], but they are obviously not going to do anything in it."
But Stone dismissed that explanation, contending that the plane should not be flying over the easement at all.
"I guess they could say, 'Well, we were flying over the parcel, but if we had seen wolves there, we wouldn't have shot them,'" she said. "Do they think we're stupid?"
County Land, Water and Wildlife Program Coordinator Clare Swanger said that as far as she is aware, Peavey is acting within the terms of his agreement.
"My clear understanding is that this situation is not on the conservation easement," she said.
Even if the plane is flying over the easement, she said, that's not a violation.
Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen, also the county's liaison to nonlethal deterrent advocates Wood River Wolf Project, said he believes that Peavey is within his rights.
"The depredation did not take place on the easement area, so the easement does not control the control actions," he said, adding that the county would not be responsible for enforcing the terms of the agreement even if it had been.
"The reason we work with The Nature Conservancy is because they have experience enforcing these easements," he said.
Mark Davidson, spokesman for The Nature Conservancy, was out of the country and could not be reached for comment by press time Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, no wolves had been killed on the Flat Top Ranch. Wildlife Services has 60 days from the date of the last depredation—May 18, in this case—to carry out the order. Grimm said his teams will likely search for about 30 days before scaling back.
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
Rancher John Peavey, left, discusses wolves at a meeting last summer with County Commissioner Larry Schoen, center, and Rick Williamson.
Express file photo
