Cuffe introduces bill to prevent bear attacks

Rep. Mike Cuffe has reintroduced legislation he sponsored last year that allocates a minimum of $200,000 for the purpose of nonlethal, preventative measures to reduce the impacts of grizzly bear and wolf predation on livestock in Montana.

Cuffe proposed similar legislation during the 2013 legislative session. The bill passed, but was eventually vetoed by Governor Steve Bullock.

The bill, House Bill No. 145, would create a special account with an initial appropriation of $400,000, to be known as the livestock loss restricted special revenue account. That account would be used to compensate livestock owners from expenses incurred due to predation by wolves and grizzly bears.

A minimum of half of the money allocated to that account would be used, according to the bill, for “nonlethal, preventative measures.” One such measure that has proven to be effective, Cuffe said, is “electrified, grizzly-proof fencing.”

Cuffe said the impetus behind the bill is a long-standing desire to have the grizzly bear delisted as a threatened species.

Cuffe mentioned a case from some years ago in which a grizzly sow and her cub slaughtered approximately 80 sheep spread across three different ranches in northwest Montana. “These bears are essentially marauding unchecked,” Cuffe said.

The situation with grizzly bears is a sticky one. Federal authorities have been actively trying to increase the bear population in the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem. When a bear attacks people or livestock, that bear is either removed or killed, thus decreasing the overall population and increasing repopulation efforts. That increasing population leads to more grizzly attacks on livestock, causing more removal or killing. The cycle continues.

Cuffe’s goal is to prevent the attacks, thereby eliminating the need for relocation and for compensation. The idea, Cuffe said, is “to avoid getting grizzlies killed or moved.”

“We need this management piece if we’re ever going to be able to delist the grizzly bear,” Cuffe said. “That’s my end-game, to delist the grizzly.”

The bill passed both houses of the Montana legislature last year, with broad support from a variety of groups. Cuffe said he had the support of Fish, Wildlife & Parks as well as public support from farmers and ranchers and environmental groups.

Cuffe said the governor vetoed the bill because the senate changed the funding source of the bill from the general fund to a more restricted account. While previous governors had allowed similar usage of that restricted account, Governor Bullock refused to do so.

This year Cuffe expects the bill to pass again, and hopefully be enacted into law. He said his conversations have revealed no organized opposition to the bill and he anticipates the governor’s eventual support. “Last year’s issue was the source of the funding, not the notion of the bill,” Cuffe said.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the House Committee on Agriculture at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.