Become a member!

As we move through the first months of 2025, my thoughts are centered around the year ahead of us for IWF – and what I see is exciting. I’m excited to work on conserving and improving habitat for fish and wildlife, to continue promoting access for hunting, fishing, and exploring Idaho’s wild places, and to advocate for the integrity of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation that has been such a remarkable engine for wildlife conservation and recovery.

I’m also excited about the growth of IWF as an organization. We’ve got a lot of new plans for the next year, and we’re kicking off a big one today - for the first time in years, we are opening up the ability to become a member of the Idaho Wildlife Federation. IWF members have helped to fuel some of the greatest conservation victories in our state’s history, and you can now be a part of that legacy.

IWF is the only statewide organization dedicated to ensuring that the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is an integral part of the conservation landscape in Idaho. IWF was founded in 1936 in order to push for the citizen’s initiative of 1938 that created an independent Fish and Game Commission. We have maintained that value system since our founding, and science-based wildlife management continues to be our bedrock today. 

The Idaho Wildlife Federation is the oldest and largest sporting conservation organization in Idaho, and we advocate for conservation everywhere from the State House to local county commissions. We fight on a daily basis for public access, quality habitat, and hunting and fishing rights – both through advocacy and education as well as through on the ground projects.

The importance of our conservation work can be seen in real time. On my way to an elk hunt last year, I passed through landscapes that include many of the 52 mapped migration corridors for deer, elk, and pronghorn in Idaho. As I watched a herd of pronghorn move casually through a pivot field set against a backdrop of Idaho’s characteristically rugged mountain peaks, I thought about all IWF has accomplished in our work on wildlife migrations. The Salmon Challis National Forest migration study. Our success in working with the BLM to get up to date migration data included as exclusion criteria in their solar plan, helping to ensure that ancient migration routes are not interrupted by vast solar arrays. We have worked with local field offices to conserve vital habitat and to advocate for wildlife connectivity. The expertise we have developed on this issue will be a big focus in 2025, and as our state continues to grow rapidly it has never been more important to conserve these priority landscapes.

Of course, we have ongoing challenges that we will continue to confront. Efforts to dispose of our shared public lands will be an ongoing fight. Snake River salmon continue on an extinction trajectory. We face continual legislative and legal threats to our system of wildlife management and our sporting traditions.

But in spite of the challenges we face, Idaho has some of the greatest opportunities in the world for those of us who love to hunt, fish, and explore wild places. We have a chance to ensure that it stays that way, and I’d like to invite you to join us by becoming a member of IWF. Together, we can ensure that the freedom to pursue adventure in our wild places is maintained and improved for our children, and their children after them. Thank you all.

See you out there,

Nick