Introducing IWF’s Illegal Access Obstruction Reward Program
IWF is offering a $500 reward for Idahoans who initiate the successful conviction of persons illegally communicating any public ground, road, trail, easement, or waterway is private or inaccessible.
Our public lands define our western character and outdoor lifestyles. Three quarters of Idahoans say they live here because of the opportunities our public lands provide. Public land attracts business. They offer food, experiences, and quality of life – Idahoans’ “second paycheck”. Access to these lands is vital.
Yet, many individuals and interests continually get away with obstructing this access – flouting existing laws and trespassing public property by claiming it as their own or physically blocking public access.
“Over the last years countless numbers of people have identified legally dubious land and road closures. They’ve tasked IWF to travel to county clerk offices, search through files for deeds of ownership, and figure out the legal status of these places and how we can hold violators responsible,” said Becca Aceto, Idaho Wildlife Federation (IWF) communications and outreach coordinator.
“Simply put, we don’t have the resources to investigate every questionable access denial,” added IWF executive director, Brian Brooks. “We realized we need the help of folks out in the field across the state. This program will launch a useful database to track where violations are occurring, if violators are adequately sentenced, identify loopholes in current policy, and ultimately inform lawmakers why and how we need to redraft laws to appropriately address the growing number of illegal access obstruction cases.”
IWF hopes the reward program will augment the limited resources of law enforcement officers, help public land users hold each other accountable, encourage landowners to post only property they own, and to promote legal access. For those reports that don’t result with a conviction, but do remove illegal signage and obstructions, they will qualify to be entered to win a hunting rifle.
Brooks concluded, “we need the same standard we hold for private property rights applied to public property rights. Respecting that boundary must go both ways and deterrents must be equal. But right now, in Idaho, it is incredibly imbalanced and folks are gaming the system. Some of those folks had a hand in rewriting the rules to that system for their benefit. This reward program will illuminate that too.”
For more information on how to apply for the $500 reward or be entered to win a hunting rifle, follow this link for the rules and guidelines.
And if you would like to support IWF’s work, follow this link to become a member!
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