The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) has introduced a novel payment-for-presence program aimed at compensating ranchers for providing elk habitat in Montana's Paradise Valley. This initiative, which employs advanced AI-powered camera traps alongside landowners' expertise, marks the first of its kind in the region. Unlike traditional livestock compensation programs that focus on predator losses, PERC's payments are based on elk presence to address elk-livestock conflicts.
Paradise Valley is a crucial wintering area for migrating elk herds from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. With rapid development threatening wildlife habitats, ranchers play a key role in maintaining ecosystem connectivity through their expansive land holdings. However, this responsibility incurs costs.
Montana-based PERC, recognized as a national leader in market solutions for conservation, aims to develop incentive-based solutions that conserve wildlife habitat by mitigating these costs for landowners. "Elk are often viewed as uninvited guests on a rancher’s property," stated PERC CEO Brian Yablonski. He emphasized the importance of keeping private open lands intact to conserve the unique migratory ecosystem and described paying ranchers 'elk rent' as a critical step towards achieving this goal.
The program defines an "elk day" as capturing at least 20 elk on camera across the ranch in one day, triggering financial compensation for the rancher. A bonus is provided if 200 or more elk are captured in a single day, with an annual payment cap of $12,000.
Druska Kinkie of Emigrant Peak Ranch reports seeing 400-500 elk during peak migration season. The presence of such wildlife leads to costs from lost forage, fence damage, and disease threats like brucellosis spread from elk and bison to cattle. "This program has offered us a ray of hope," said Kinkie. She noted that compensating for their presence helps offset costs and reduces liability.
The initiative involves collaboration between Emigrant Peak Ranch and Grizzly Systems, which uses advanced AI camera traps with integrated software to distinguish between random movements and actual wildlife detection. Game cameras installed throughout the property aim to capture real-time data on elk numbers. Over time, AI technology will improve its accuracy in identifying elk.
Jeff Reed from Grizzly Systems expressed enthusiasm about testing their technology's potential in this significant wildlife region: "We appreciate PERC’s spirit of creativity and flexibility." As technology advances, so can the program model deliver more tailored results.
This payment-for-presence initiative is part of PERC’s Conservation Innovation Lab projects, including Montana’s first elk occupancy agreement and other efforts addressing brucellosis compensation and grizzly grazing conflict reduction.
