Audit finds public funds unaccounted for in effort to delist wolves in Utah

Since 2011, the Utah Legislature has set aside nearly $6 million in public funds to support efforts to remove gray wolves from the Endangered Species list and bring the animal's management under state control. A recent audit has found that over $5 million of those public funds have gone unaccounted for. We talk to Anastasia Hufham, reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune, about her recent story on this issue. We also hear from the Utah News Connection about new conservation easements for agricultural and ranch land across the state. Plus, we hear a story from KSUT about a former Navajo Ranger who recently published a memoir that includes tales of the paranormal on the reservation. - Show Notes - • Salt Lake Tribune: To fight protections for wolves, Utah gave a nonprofit $5M. An audit says it’s ‘difficult to pin down’ how the taxpayer money was spent. https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2024/10/18/how-anti-wolf-group-used-utah-tax/ • Photo: A gray wolf stands in a meadow in Wyoming where the species was briefly delisted and managed by the state until 2022 when the gray wolf was added back to the state's Endangered Species list. Photo via Flickr