Budget axe fells longtime Texas wildlife program

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

July 10, 2003 -- Coyotes and beavers are problems for many people, including farmers and ranchers, businesses and ordinary people.

For years, the Texas Wildlife Damage Management Service (TWDMS) has been an intricate part of helping control these, and other destructive, animals. But, with a veto to the budget on June 23, Gov. Rick Perry eliminated the $6.9 million state appropriation from the agency's budget. Perry's action means, as of Sept. 1, TWDMS will no longer have field workers. Instead, all that will be left to an agency that began in the early 1900s as the U.S. Biological Survey, will be a "skeleton crew of federal employees."

After finding out, from newspaper reports, the agency was part of the budget cuts, TWDMS State Director Gary Nunley put wheels in motion to save the abolished agency.

One wheel was meeting with Executive Director Glynn Knight of the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) in Kilgore on June 27. Knight met with Ted Pepps, a wildlife damage management biologist, and Gerald Gregg, a wildlife damage specialist, to discuss options, if any, the ETCOG could offer in the fight to save the agency.

The ETCOG helped the TWDMS several years ago when the East Texas division of TWDMS needed additional funding that would be allocated for beaver control in the region. ETCOG, along with counterparts Deep East Texas Council (DETCOG) of Governments in Jasper and Ark-Tex Council (ATCOG) of Governments in Texarkana, made several phone calls to government and county officials, stating the importance of the agency and the need for money to support beaver control.

At the June 27 meeting, Knight told the Pepps and Gregg, "We certainly will send some correspondence to the governor and elected representatives" in behalf of TWDMS. Knight also said he would contact DETCOG and ATCOG.

Pepps presented Knight a summary of beaver control and technical assistance projects completed by the TWDMS from 1993 until 2003.

In the 10-year period, TWDMS summarizes (numbers are approximate): verified beaver damage - $14,652,109; reported beaver damage - $8,492,010; number of beavers taken - 27,696; number of properties worked - 3,197; number of technical assistance projects - 21,396; number of leaflets distributed - 21,098; and the number of citizens whom received technical assistance - 53,312.

"Keep in mind out of the number of beavers taken, beavers mate for life. Each mated pair have from two to four offspring. If we (TWDMS) are eliminated think about how many beavers will be left," Pepps said. "We need to get the message out" was the overall sentiment of the meeting.

Gov. Perry, in his veto message, said key aspects of the agency's work could be outsourced or handled by another agency.

"I'd like to know who that's going to be," questioned Pepps. "I've talked to people from Texas Parks and Wildlife and they said they were overloaded like it was."

As far as private trappers, the pair asked, "Who will have the money to pay them? Not an elderly women on fixed income. We have licenses and permits, toxins, that people can't get."

If the agency doesn't find a way to stay in existence, approximately 140 people will loose their jobs across the state.

"We do a lot to protect the state's livestock industry as well as native and exotic wildlife from predators," Nunley said. "If that work stops, ranchers will miss it the next day."