Innovation Lab
East Yellowstone Brucellosis Compensation Fund
A new tool helps reduce disease risk and increase tolerance for wildlife
overview
PERC’s East Yellowstone Brucellosis Compensation Fund is an innovative new tool that helps ranchers in Wyoming’s Park County whose land serves as vital elk habitat.
Relief for ranchers
The private fund is designed to support cattle ranchers in Park County, Wyoming who provide critical winter habitat for migratory elk.
A conservation coalition
The project brings together a diverse coalition including Park County ranchers, local conservation organizations, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Wyoming Livestock Board to protect elk migration and open space.
Agile and adaptable
The fund is a flexible, private market solution designed to be simple, straightforward, and effective.
Challenge
Migratory elk rely upon Wyoming’s working lands
The iconic elk herds east of Yellowstone National Park descend upon private lands during the harsh winter months, in search of better forage and more hospitable conditions. Two distinct herds — the Clarks Fork herd comprised of roughly 3,000 elk and the Cody herd of approximately 7,000 elk — rely on private lands for their survival.
But their presence can bring significant costs and challenges to the ranchers who provide wintering grounds, including the risk of transferring brucellosis.
As regional growth and development threaten Wyoming’s working lands, conserving open landscapes is more important than ever. Minimizing the impact of brucellosis helps support large, working cattle ranches and conserves important wildlife habitat.
“This compensation fund represents a collaborative approach to conservation that recognizes the economic pressures faced by ranchers. By providing financial protection, we’re demonstrating how conservation can support agricultural working lands and protect wildlife habitat.”
– PERC Director of Conservation Travis Brammer
Solution
A private fund for conserving elk and open space
Many conservationists, hunters, and community members want to protect the region’s vibrant elk herds. The East Yellowstone Brucellosis Compensation Fund is a privately financed tool that engages them to do just that.
PERC’s researchers developed the model collaboratively with conservation partners, local wildlife agencies, and the local ranching community with an aim to increase wildlife tolerance and make it less risky for ranchers to provide habitat for species like elk.
Timing
Funding is available to qualified participants beginning January 2025
Participants
Available to any cattle rancher in Park County, Wyoming
Fund size
The fund is capitalized at a minimum of $150,000 and is designed to cover 60 percent of a rancher’s quarantine-related costs following a positive brucellosis test. The partial funding incentivizes ranchers to remain proactive in precautions against the disease.
Payouts
$45 per head, per half-month with payments currently including hay cost rate and pasture lease rate
Learn more about the fund’s payment structure and eligibility requirements.
project partners
Conservation and community partners stepped up to fund the program.
A collaborative project
After seeing the success of PERC’s Paradise Valley fund, the East Yellowstone Collaborative—a group of conservation organizations including Western Landowners Alliance, The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Park County Open Lands, Beyond Yellowstone, Trout Unlimited and LegacyWorks Group—invited PERC to help explore the possibility of a similar model in Wyoming. Together with input from Park County ranchers, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Wyoming Livestock Board, the new fund provides similar coverage while addressing the distinct needs of Wyoming’s cattle ranching community.
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PERC Launches Brucellosis Compensation Fund with Partners to Support Ranchers Who Provide Elk Habitat
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