"Elk Rent" Payment for Presence Program: Ranch footage

Using advanced camera traps powered by artificial intelligence (AI) together with landowners’ innate knowledge of the land, PERC's innovative "Elk Rent" Payment for Presence Program is the first of its kind in the region.
Paradise Valley serves as an important wintering ground for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s iconic elk herds. As rapid development threatens wildlife habitat in the valley, ranchers and their large, open land holdings play a valuable role in maintaining ecosystem connectivity. Providing habitat, however, comes at a cost.
Rather than paying ranchers for predator losses as traditional livestock compensation programs do, PERC’s payments are based on the presence of elk to specifically mitigate elk-livestock conflict. The pilot program is designed to test the payment-for-presence system as well as the efficiency of artificial intelligence game cameras with continuous refinement.
Learn more about the project by visiting perc.org/elkrent