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Idaho Wolf Control Board Reports 31 Wolves Killed In 2014

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Thirty-one wolves were killed in the first six months of Idaho’s new Wolf Depredation Control Board.

Board members Tuesday asked the legislature for another influx of money to go after problem packs in Idaho.

The board started contracting with federal wildlife agents in August to kill wolves that prey on sheep and cattle and threaten big game populations. All of the 31 wolves agents killed were considered threats to livestock.

A board member told an appropriations committee at the capitol that 2014 was an unusually light year for wolves going after livestock, the lowest since 2005 in fact.

However, he said wolf conflicts tend to be cyclical.

So far, the board has spent $143,000. The board is asking lawmakers to again allocate $400,000 for the next fiscal year.

In addition to state money, the fund receives money from fees paid by hunters and the livestock industry.

Inland Northwest Correspondent Jessica Robinson reports from the Northwest News Network's bureau in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. From the politics of wolves to mining regulation to small town gay rights movements, Jessica covers the economic, demographic and environmental trends that are shaping places east of the Cascades.