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Meeting in Boise July 14, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to take a draft fee and funding proposal to the public for comments.
Commissioners want to know if the public will support fee increases to bring back some of the functions the Department of Fish and Game has lost to inflation over the past several years. The current draft version would raise about $4.4 million annually, primarily on resident licenses, which have not had a general fee increase since the early 1980s.
The increased funding would allow annual repair and replacement of equipment and facilities; rehabilitation and upkeep of hatcheries and wildlife management areas; acquisition and development of new fishing waters; trapping and transplanting of wildlife; aerial surveys of moose, sheep and goats; regional wildlife investigations using graduate students; more customer service help on peak license sales days; and replacing temporary help. All of these projects and functions have been under-funded over the past five years, some, such as hatchery maintenance, to the point that further deterioration of equipment will mean cutbacks in production.
The proposal also would fund a three percent wage increase, in case the legislature passes a change in state employee compensation. This has occurred in each of the last two years and the legislature has appropriated general fund dollars to pay the costs for other agencies. Fish and Game, which receives no general-fund money, took $600,000 from other projects and budgets in each of the last two years to fund the pay increases.
The draft being taken out for public comment includes an increase in controlled hunt application fees from $5 to $10 and would make put-and-take pheasant hunting for game farm birds on Wildlife Management Areas pay for itself with a $20 permit good for four birds. Multiple permits could be purchased. It would also allow for the lottery of a limited number of deer, elk, antelope, moose and goat "super" tags; would allow a nonresident with a deer tag to harvest a mountain lion or bear instead of a deer; and would provide for sale of leftover nonresident deer and elk tags (after August 15) at nonresident prices, as a second tag. The tags would be available to residents.
Fish and Game is asking for a one-time infusion of general fund money to repair dams which provide recreation, irrigation, and other benefits not specifically related to the department. This $390,000 would be used at Winchester and Elk River reservoirs in the Clearwater Region, Blue Lake and Sand Creek in the Upper Snake Region, and Mosquito Flat Reservoir in the Salmon Region.
As drafted, the proposal would increase a resident combination license from $21.50 to $28.50; hunting from $7.50 to $11.50; fishing from $16.50 to $21.50; sportsman^s package from $90.00 to $130.50 (but will include the two-pole permit and the federal migratory bird harvest information validation) ; junior combination from $11.50 to $15.00; junior hunting from $5.50 to $6.50; and junior fishing from $8.50 to $11.50. Resident deer tags would increase from $16.50 to $18; elk tags from $22.50 to $28.50. The cost of junior deer and elk tag fees would lower from $16.50 and $22.50 to $9.50 and $15.50. The "over 70" senior tags, now $1.50 each, would raise to match the price of the junior tags.
Nonresidents would see an increase in the cost of a hunting license from $101.50 to $126.50; the small game license would go from $56.50 to $70.50; season fishing license from $51.50 to $68; deer tag from $232.50 to $235 and elk tag from $332.50 to $338.50.
The short term fishing license would go to $10.50 for the first day (now $7.50) and $5.50 for each consecutive day (now $3.00).The archery and muzzleloader permits would go from $9 to $16.50 and the two-pole fishing permit from $9 to $11.50.
The Commission will consider public input until its Sept. 30 meeting, at which time it is expected to approve a final version which will be submitted to the Legislature in January. Legislators could approve, modify or reject the proposal.
Uploaded: 8/8/1999
Uploaded: 8/8/1999