Confusion On Wildlife Services Program
Editor,
A recent article in the Pinnacle concerning the recently re-established wildlife services by the Board of Supervisors seems to have stirred up several citizens that don’t understand the program. One of the main reasons that the board decided to finance the program was the several hundred calls and complaints received yearly by the city Animal Control, the Agricultural Commissioners Office and the Hollister Police Department about nuisance animals in their backyards and under their homes, such as skunks, raccoons and possums. These animals create a health and public safety problem due to the possibility of rabies or other animal diseases, not to mention the possibility of a small child cornering one of these animals in their backyard and being very seriously mauled.
Forty of the 58 counties in California have contracts with USDA Wildlife Services. The major activity in California is Wildlife Disease Monitoring (E.coli, Avian Influenza, Plague, West Nile Virus, Rabies, etc.). There were over 9,700 visits to urban properties in 2006 to investigate and resolve wildlife damage and home invasions. Thirty-eight percent of funding is to protect agriculture and 34 percent is to protect human health and safety. The county will bear most of the cost the first year, less the contributions from the Taylor Grazing Act Committee and the County Fish and Game Committee. The second year the county will be reimbursed by up to 60 percent of the costs incurred the first year from the unrefunded gas taxes. These monies are from gas taxes on off-road vehicles, farm equipment, etc. These funds are reimbursed back to the county through the agricultural commissioners office for subvention of agricultural related programs.
This program is for all segments of citizens, rural, urban and businesses that are experiencing problems with wild animals, not just the rancher or farmer as the story keeps referring to. The board has placed certain requirements upon the program, a quarterly report on the number of calls, either urban or rural, types of animals causing problems and proof of damage or loss for rural complaints. The story also states that all these farmers and ranchers receive all these government subsidies. My parents were farmers and I have worked in agriculture for the last 40 years. If any farmer or rancher is getting rich on government subsidies, that’s news to me. They do receive a small property tax reduction through the Williamson Act, which requires that their property stay in farming or ranching, which is good for all of us. What we eat doesn’t come from the back of the supermarket, but from people who decided they love farming and ranching. These very unique and diversified businesses are the only ones I know that buy at retail, but sell their product at wholesale.
Paul Matulich, SBC Agricultural Commissioner
