ALBUQUERQUE – On July 9, 2016 the Department of Interior (DOI) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a detailed report addressing numerous allegations made by Catron County, New Mexico officials regarding the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) management of the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery program in 2013.
The OIG report states: “Our investigation substantiated many of the allegations against the former Mexican Wolf Recovery Program Interagency Field Team (IFT) coordinator, but we learned that FWS had been aware of these issues and had already reassigned her to another position by the time we received this complaint.” FWS Regional leadership had identified communication problems with the Field Projects Coordinator and reassigned her to an administrative position to resolve the issue. This reassignment also resolved subsequent allegations against this individual that were found to be substantiated in the OIG report.
The OIG report also states they did not substantiate the remaining allegations of mismanagement within the program and made no specific recommendations of changes to the program. Some concerns raised in the report included the need for improved nuisance documentation, communication, and compensation for livestock losses during that time frame.
“Prior to the Department of Interior Inspector General investigation, regional leadership had identified the issue via multiple sources that brought it to our attention. We examined the issue, made a management decision to resolve it, and then executed an appropriate and proper solution.
Other allegations in the report were thoroughly reviewed by OIG and regional leadership but there was no validity to those claims," said Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, Southwest Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The OIG report validates that we were responsive to shortcomings in the field program in 2013 and that we’re on the right track in improving our coordination with residents and livestock producers of Catron County.”
Communication and community relations were areas in which FWS regional leadership also originally determined a need for improvement. Subsequently, the IFT has established a track record of better coordination, liaison and discussion between the agency and Catron County officials and residents. The members of the IFT are in contact with the Catron County wolf interaction
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investigator, livestock producers, and landowners on a routine basis to provide updates and exchange reports and information about Mexican wolves.
One of the main communication tools the Service employs is the public website dedicated to the Mexican wolf https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/. The IFT conducts bi-weekly flights over the MWEPA and provides current updates on occupied range and Mexican wolf locations on the website. In addition, the Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department publish a monthly update that provides information on the activities of the recovery program and the IFT. The public can subscribe to this monthly update and opt to receive it via email. The Service also provides an annual report on the program and field activities, which is posted on the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program website.
The IFT notifies livestock producers when they find dead livestock. When a member of the IFT discovers a livestock carcass within the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA), they immediately contact the landowner or livestock owner and provide them with the information about the location of the animal carcass and the time in which it was found. If the livestock owner did not previously know about the carcass and the owner wants an investigation to occur, the livestock producer will contact a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services (USDA-WS) investigator to determine the cause of the livestock death. The USDA-Wildlife Services investigator informs the livestock producer about the cause of the livestock death. In addition, USDA-Wildlife Services mails the formal results of the investigation and information about available compensation programs to the livestock owner. The livestock producer may provide the results of the investigation to the Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council and the USDA Farm Services Agency’s Livestock Indemnity Program for compensation.
The allegations discussed in the OIG report regarding insufficient compensation for wolf depredations on livestock were from the period 2000 to 2011. In 2011, the report acknowledges that the Service established the Mexican Wolf/Livestock Council, which directs the compensation to livestock producers for depredations that are confirmed or probable wolf kills. The Council determines the cost for the class of livestock depredated based on current market values. Of 161 depredation compensation claims received from 2011 to March 2016, none were denied compensation, and two were compensated for less than they requested based on the Council’s recommendation. In addition, since 2014, the Council has provided payments-for-presence of wolves to livestock producers to address the indirect costs of wolf presence, including increased management costs, weight reductions, and livestock carcasses that are not found.
The Mexican wolf project is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, White Mountain Apache Tribe, USDA Forest Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service -- Wildlife Services, and several participating counties in Arizona.
