FEBRUARY TOWN HALL
The Idaho Sportsmen Legislative Caucus met on February 6, 2024, for the first town hall during the 67th Idaho Legislative session. This town hall emphasized updates from legislators regarding legislation they are running or have seen introduced.
Chairman of the House Resources and Conservation Committee Ron Mendive started the updates by presenting his bill on muzzleloaders. HB 469 would prevent the Idaho Department of Fish and Game from adopting or enforcing a rule prohibiting using 209 primers, pelletized power, or sabots in muzzleloader-only season. Chairman Mendive discussed his goal of seeing efficiency in hunting with less wounding and greater harvesting. There will be a hearing for this bill in February in the House Resources and Conservation Committee.
Rep. Sonia Galaviz spoke next on a bill she is working on with Rep. Jerald Raymond relating to grizzly bear and wolf depredation. HB 485 creates the Depredation of Livestock and Prevention Fund and allocates $150,000 to compensate claims and $75,000 for conflict prevention and education. Rep. Galaviz discussed questions from the bill hearing, including a request from Rep. Judy Boyle about information on federal funds related to depredation. Other questions were regarding what happens to depredation funds if or when grizzly bears are delisted.
Butch Suor, a former Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board (wolf board) member, joined the meeting remotely and asked when they are going to get serious about depredations as he believes the population is growing year by year. Benn Brocksome, Executive Director of Idaho Sportsmen, highlighted this is a step in the right direction, and while it won’t solve everything, they are seeing bipartisan support for this. The bill sponsors have worked with stakeholders and agencies to understand what is happening across the state. Rep. Raymond mentioned there are forty-three (43) confirmed grizzly kills in Idaho, and they have found Idahoans would prefer to claim the state government rather than the federal government.
Rep. Raymond then discussed HB 468 which would create the Rangeland Improvement Act, which would coordinate rangeland maintenance control of animals and invasive species, watershed projects, and the general welfare of livestock. He spoke on the bill's goal being to cross all types of land ownership and funding from different sources to repair and maintain land within the state. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton noted they have funds available, which could be an opportunity for collaboration. Rep. Raymond wants to see the Idaho State Department of Agriculture lead grant writing and creating contracts for private entities. The sponsors hope to have HB 485 and HB 468 hearings next week in the House Resources and Conservation Committee.
The meeting transitioned back to discussing wolves with an update from Charlie Booher, Watershed Results. Mr. Booher outlined wolf updates on the federal level with a recent change within the US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS). A ruling came out on Friday where USFWS chose to keep wolves delisted in Idaho and other neighboring states. Wolf statues in the lower forty-eight (48) states remain the same. Still, Mr. Booher predicts there might be some changes to this in the coming weeks. Idaho Sportsmen supported this effort. They signed on to a letter with several other regional and national groups to seek a decision to allow states to have primacy over species management, including wolves and grizzlies, once they are delisted.
USFW has also issued a National Recovery Plan effort for the wolves with a deadline of December 2025. This is a three (3) year endeavor to change the public opinion on wolves in preparation for the recovery plan. While this is different than delisting, the hope is to get states to start thinking about the number of wolves they could handle and begin to work with USFWS on the future restoration of wolves.
For a grizzly bear update, Mr. Booher brought up the scoring notice on EIS to reintroduce grizzlies in the Bitterroot Area. Recovery coordinators for USFWS are compelled to do this because of a court ruling. He expects significant changes to this process over the next 2-3 years through various election cycles.
Mr. Booher then spoke on HB 404, which Rep. James Petzke sponsored. This bill would add records identifying telemetry frequencies, remote camera locations, or precise locations of any terrestrial wildlife to records exempt from disclosure. The floor vote for the bill was not unanimous but had a decisive vote leaving the House, and there is solid support in the Senate. There is a hopeful hearing date for February 14th in the Senate Resources and Environment Committee.
Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) led updates for the Outdoor Recreation Fund Advisory Council (ORFAC). The projects the council referred to the Governor are awaiting his signature and will be sent to the Board of Parks and Recreation for final approval. Along with this, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has a $20 million line-item request, using ARAP funds for park improvements. The expectation is that $ 5 million will be allocated to the ORFAC to further their efforts. IDL also has multiple rules up in both the House and the Senate.
Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG) stated they will be participating publicly for the EIS to reintroduce grizzlies in the Bitterroot area. Idaho and Montana have also filed a sixty (60) day notice of intent to sue regarding the Wolverine listing. Ellary Tucker Williams, IDFG, provided an update on chronic wasting disease (CWD), noting there have been eight (8) detections, with seven (7) being white-tail deer in the Slate Creek area and one (1) mule deer. IDFG has also started its second controlled action in the Slate Creek area, which may last up to four (4) weeks.
Another bill of interest relates to season setting, which is sponsored by Rep. Mike Kingsley. This bill would require the Fish and Game Commission to have annual season settings, a change from the two (2) year standard. Ms. Tucker Williams expressed concerns about the workload this would bring to IDFG, as having a biennial season setting allows them to focus resources on other areas, like monitoring animal populations and trends.
She also spoke on SB 1231, sponsored by Sen. Dan Foreman, which makes individuals with outstanding fines ineligible for a license from IDFG. The commission has not taken a position on this bill but there are some concerns from IDFG. They don’t have the authority to revoke licenses without the courts recognizing someone’s license. The bill is currently on the amending order on the Senate floor and the drafted revisions from Idaho Sportsmen and IDFG address many of the department's concerns.
The meeting came full circle with another discussion about muzzleloaders. IDFG held two (2) public comment meetings for the rule, where they saw over four hundred (400) comments, with 65% in support, 31% opposed, and 4% unspecified. Ms. Tucker Williams expressed the desire to balance technology and sportsmen’s success. Mr. Booher would like to see a rulemaking change rather than a bill. Rep. Ned Burns would want to see a modernized muzzleloader season and a traditional season. There was a consensus from the group with a preference for muzzleloader rule changes instead of policy changes.
The meeting concluded with an acknowledgment that there are many commitments during the legislative session and Idaho Sportsmen appreciates all who can make it to the meetings. Benn Brocksome reminded attendees to reach out if there are any questions about policy bills or the legislative process.
