• by STEPHEN FLOYD, Herald and News, 8/8/18

Klamath County commissioners have accepted an $8,796 state reimbursement grant on behalf of a rancher whose herd was attacked by a wolf last fall.

The state grant, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, will help compensate Yamsi Ranch for three calves attacked near the end of October by a wolf designated as “OR-25.”

Two calves died while the third survived but lost its commercial value, according to commissioners.

The county applied for the grant in February and is required to provide a 10 percent match, or $879.60.

Lani Hickey, natural resource manager for Klamath County Public Works, said the funds should become available immediately. She said the county also has state funds of around $5,000 available for non-lethal wolf deterrence.

She noted other wolf attacks have occurred in the county since the beginning of the year, but reimbursement for those losses will likely be applied for during the 2017 grant cycle so losses for 2016 can be requested all at once.

“This ensures that we’re spending only what we need,” she said.