OCTOBER TOWN HALL
On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, the Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus held their monthly town hall facilitated by Idaho Sportsmen and Congressional Sportsmen Foundation. The group started with an engaging quagga mussel update from various supporting agencies to ISDA on this prevalent issue.
Jamie Neil, Governor’s Office, kicked off the conversation to discuss updates on quagga mussels in the Snake River. The state has been working to find the best way to eradicate the species in the river as quickly and safely as possible. The treatment began Tuesday around 2 p.m., and a second treatment will take place within the coming weeks.
Administrator Mike Edmundson, Office of Species Conservation, filled in the gaps by noting quagga mussels change the water systems. This invasive species can take over pipes, waterways, and so much more; thus, eradication as soon as possible is necessary. No state or entity has performed a treatment of this scale, so the full effects are unknown. Closures have been in place to attempt to prevent the spread of the species. He continued to discuss the effects of the treatment, which is bound to kill fish. However, without the treatment, wildlife’s habitat will be affected long term. He did state he would defer the wildlife questions to Director Jim Fredericks, Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG).
Administrator Edmundson stated that as sportsmen, recreation will look different on the Snake River for a minimum of five years. All boats and water transportation will need to be hot-washed and left out to dry for a minimum of thirty (30) days. Administrator Edmundson also explained that bleach or other approved chemicals can be used to clean gear, and “wash, drain, dry” is the best way to prevent the spread of quagga mussels on boats, fishing, or hunting equipment, etc.
Director Fredericks continued the conversation to discuss the predicted effect on fish. Most of the fish are non-game fish, but there will be a few species that are of concern. Smallmouth bass and sturgeon are this biggest concern now; however, the fish will not be moved due to the possibility of the larva being spread to other bodies of water. There is not an advisory on fish consumption at this time and this is not a concern as of now. IDFG did close the Snake River in this area to hunting, fishing, and trapping to prevent interference and spreading the invasive species.
Director Jess Byrne, Department of Environmental Quality, discussed that DEQ is monitoring the concentration of the treatment in the water to ensure it stays at or less than 1.3 parts per million. This is the standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water standards. He noted numerous state and national agencies have been helping with this issue. Benn Brocksome, Idaho Sportsmen, thanked the numerous partners who have been working night and day to get this issue under control. The best thing individuals can do is stay out of the Snake River in this area and ensure they are getting the most up-to-date information from the ISDA. The ISDA quagga mussel resource page can be found HERE.
Agencies did have an opportunity to give other updates, but most have been primarily focused on quagga mussels. IDFG did recently have a public comment period to discuss what an antler season in the spring would look like in certain districts of the state; this generated a few thousand responses so far. This comment period closes on October 9, 2023. For more information see HERE.
Idaho Sportsmen discussed the recent Idaho Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Clay Buster Shooting Event held on September 22nd. Lt. Governor Scott Bedke joined the group to speak on the annual National Hunting and Fishing Day proclamation signed by Governor Little for September 23, 2023. The event was well attended by legislators, agency folks, congressional delegates, and many sportsmen. We are so pleased to live in a state where we celebrate the heritage of hunting and fishing time after time again.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 7, 2023. We enjoy the great questions, discussions, and turnout at these meetings and would love to keep the momentum going for the two remaining meetings of the year. In the coming meetings, we will begin to discuss session priorities, budgets, and other agency and federal updates.
