Wolves of the Minam Pack roam Northeastern Oregon. The pack has been one of the more aggressive packs going after livestock. The 2025 Oregon Legislature recently passed a bill to better compensate ranchers for wolf predation. (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Contributed Photo, File)

Compensation measure now on its way to governor

SALEM — An Oregon Senate bill to strengthen Oregon’s wolf compensation program is on its way to the governor’s desk.

The Oregon House on Tuesday, June 3, passed SB 777 on a vote of 44-12 with three excused. The Senate passed the bill on March 25 on vote of 28-1 and with one excused.

The bill significantly strengthens Oregon’s Wolf Depredation Compensation and Financial Assistance Grant Program.

Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, ushered the bill through the Senate, while Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, shepherded the bill through the House.

“I’ve been working on wolf management and depredation issues for nearly two decades, both on the Fish and Wildlife Commission and now in the Legislature,” Levy said in a press release. “SB 777 A reflects years of hard work and real-world experience — it finally gives our ranchers a fair, workable system that acknowledges the true cost of coexisting with wolves. I’m proud to see it pass with strong bipartisan support.”

The bill allows for more accurate and fair compensation, including multipliers for confirmed and probable wolf kills — up to five times fair market value for some animals — capped at $25,000. The bill also requires counties to allocate at least 50% of grant funds toward nonlethal deterrence methods, such as fencing, lighting and range riders. The bill aims to both reduce conflict and improve accountability.

Levy credited Nash’s support of the bill that has gone on since before he was elected to the Senate. Nash spent several years garnering support from his position as a Wallowa County commissioner and former president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.

“Sen. Nash’s leadership and deep understanding of wolf issues was absolutely critical in getting this bill to the finish line,” Levy said.

“A special thanks to the ranchers, county commissioners and agricultural groups that have helped on the compensation issue for years,” Nash said in the press release. “As well as to those that suffered financial and emotional hardships, yet still participated in a process that didn’t come close to fully compensating them. We owe a huge thanks.”

Nash originally championed a bill that would have included a multiplier of seven times the market value of livestock and this one falls short of that. It’s still an improvement over the one-to-one compensation ranchers were getting.

“Although SB 777 A will never cover all the losses suffered by livestock owners, it’s a huge step forward,” he said. “I’m so appreciative of everyone that made this day possible.”

Levy emphasized the strong bipartisan coalition that came together in the House to support the bill, particularly Reps. Annessa Hartman, Ken Helm and Emerson Levy. She called them instrumental in “helping to bridge urban and rural perspectives and working with me in good faith to get this across the floor. This was a true bipartisan effort, and I’m proud of what we accomplished together.”