Bend, OR -- Deschutes County’s newly formed Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance Committee meets for the first time Monday night.

“We will have two owners or managers of livestock. Two wolf conservation or co-existence with wolves’ advocates,” Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang tells KBND News two representatives from the business community will be selected by the committee. He says the group will take immediate action, “We have had an ODFW confirmed depredation in Deschutes County in the last month. We will have some discussion about how we process a compensation application for that depredation. There’ll be some background information, as well as some very specific discussion about how to get a compensation application moving to support that livestock owner who experienced losses a month ago.”

A rise in wolf-livestock conflicts in the county led to the formation of the committee. 

The group will also discuss ways to reduce those encounters. Managing wolf and livestock co-habitation is an age-old problem, one other parts of the state are dealing with, and the committee uses that information as a resource.

There are also high-tech solutions to help. “Some of those wolves out there are collared and can be tracked. One of the prevention techniques that has great promise is using drones,” Chang says.

Monday’s meeting is open to the public at the Deschutes Services Building from 6 to 8.