ELECTIONS, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT
State audit questions how $5 million intended for wolf preservation was actually used
Oct 19, 2024, 3:00 PM
A female Mexican wolf, one of two released Nov. 16, 1998, stares back at the camera after her release into a holding pen in the wild of the Apache National forest near Alpine, Ariz. A state audit is questioning how the $5 million spent to delist wolves from the endangered species list was actually used. (AP Photo/Jeff Robbins)
(AP Photo/Jeff Robbins)
SALT LAKE CITY — A state audit is questioning how the $5 million spent to delist wolves from the endangered species list was actually used.
The audit found a group called Big Game Forever initially controlled the contract. This group had control over the project for nearly a decade. However, when the project went nowhere… state auditors wondered where that money had actually gone.
“They really need to delineate what actual objectives that the contractor was going to fill,” August Lehman with the legislative auditor general said.
According to Lehman, Big Game Forever had questionable objectives, and efforts to contact the group were unsuccessful.
“We tried to contact Big Game Forever, and they wouldn’t answer our calls, texts or emails,” he said.
Lehman said another group, Hunter Nation, took over the project in 2023. This group defined objectives and it appeared that the state was getting what it paid for.
“The later contracts with Hunter nation …, that was a much better contract,” Lehman said.
It’s now up to the legislature to determine how and if the project will move forward.
Tammy Kikuchi is a reporter and anchor for KSL NewsRadio.
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