JANUARY TOWN HALL

Hunting season has given way to the busy season for many of us. The first session of the 68th Idaho Legislature kicked off on Jan. 6, with Governor Brad Little delivering his State of the State Address and budget package, which included recommendations for the benefit of Idaho’s natural resources, which we’ll mention later.

Despite the frenzy and time demands of the first few days of the session, we were pleased with the turnout for our January town hall, and we thank the Legislators who took time out of the busy first week of the session to attend.  With a new Legislature, we are also working to bolster membership in the Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. We will announce this in a future meeting, and again, thanks to so many legislators for supporting hunting, fishing, trapping, and shooting in Idaho.

The townhall got underway with Jim Fredericks, Director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), talking about some of the challenges the agency is expecting when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issues its decision on grizzly bears. Coincidentally, the next day, the federal agency announced its decision not to lift Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies. We expect to learn more from Fredericks next month about the decision and the impact on Idaho and the agency. But he also expects a different response from FWS under the new Trump Administration. Idaho Sportsmen Board member Tim Frost encouraged Fredericks to reach out if the agency needs any help revisiting its grizzly bear management plan.

Fredericks said the agency is doing a good job monitoring and managing the Chronic Wasting Disease issue in north Idaho. The agency has collected more than 5,600 samples and, to date, reported only 20 positive detections. The outbreak also appears to be isolated to Unit 1.  He also pointed out that two ranches in east Idaho are under quarantine after two captive elk tested positive for CWD.

Ellary Tucker Williams, IDFG Legislative and Community Engagement Coordinator, advised that the Nonresident Hunting Advisory Group had finished its work and submitted a set of recommendations to the IDFG Commission. The commission meets later this month and will consider the recommendations. She praised the advisory group for being thorough and reaching a consensus on most recommendations. Ultimately, she said the changes in nonresident hunting policies will take shape through a combination of legislation and rules. Benn Brocksome from Idaho Sportsmen said he’s optimistic that the state will be in a better place thanks to the work done by the advisory group.

Tucker Williams also provided updates on the Hunting & Technology Working Group. The group recently reviewed results from a survey sent to 15,000 Idaho big game hunters, which yielded more than 2,000 responses. She said it’s clear from the responses that many hunters are wrestling with the definition of fair chase in an era with so much available and changing technology. Fredericks said the work of this group is timely because the agency will be examining all of its rules for big game hunting this year.

Dustin Miller, Director of the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), said he was pleased with Gov. Little’s budget recommendation calling for $100 million to manage wildfires. The Governor also urges the Legislature to spend an additional $5 million on early detection and camera technology.

In other natural resource budget news, the Governor’s budget package includes $30 million for critical water infrastructure projects.

Allison Ginn from the U.S. Forest Service said 2025 is shaping up to be a disappointing year for trail restoration and development projects due to funding challenges. Brocksome urged Ginn to keep everyone in the communication loop because Idaho Sportsmen would be happy to mobilize volunteers to help with trail projects.

For some good news, Ginn cheered Congress for passing the Explorer Act. She said the legislation includes key provisions for identifying areas for new shooting ranges and expanded opportunities for access to public lands and waters.

For scheduling purposes, our next town hall is planned for Tuesday, Feb. 4th, at 6 p.m.