
News
At IWF, we work to provide timely and educational updates that give you the tools necessary to be an effective voice for the issues in conservation that matter to you. From policy updates to wildlife and habitat statistics to public access stories throughout Idaho, we want to build an outdoor community that can come together around common goals and shared passions.
Utah Sen. Lee Proposes Bills to Take and Give Away All Public Lan
That’s right – all 640 million acres of your land! Last week Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) unveiled his plans to steal your public hunting and fishing grounds for privatization. Included in his ridiculous plan would be the total takeover...
S.3119 May Be a Short-term Fix, but One That Is Needed Now
The Columbia basin salmonid populations are plummeting due to several causes – ocean and river harvest methods, dams, ocean conditions, warming rivers and reservoirs, and predation by artificially inflated predator populations to name a...
After IWF’s Washington D.C. Visit, Rep. Simpson Cosponsors Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
This month the Idaho Wildlife Federation flew to Washington D.C. to meet with our members of Congress about issues important to the health of our fish and wildlife and advocated for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (HR 4647). As a result...
Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Job Announcement Job Title: Communications and Outreach Coordinator Reports to: Executive Director Compensation: $36,000 – $42,000, plus competitive health benefits, retirement savings, and vacation leave Classification: Full-time..
Wild B-run Steelhead Plummeting, Labrador’s Bill to Keep Current Fish Plans Gets Hearing
Under 500 wild B-run steelhead will pass the last dam in Washington before making their way into Idaho waters this year. B-run steelhead are ocean migrating fish that spend two years in the ocean before returning to where they were born. They...
Gov. Refuses to Sign Amended HB 658 , Allowing it to Become Law
View the Governor’s letter below for his reasons why he wouldn’t sign HB 658a. The letter is worth a read. In it, the Governor addresses every concern IWF and law enforcement raised made throughout this bill’s journey. Here are...
HB 658 Moves to Full Senate Vote With Amendments
We were told sportsmen Amendments were considered, but “consideration” is not “application”. On Tuesday, March 20, HB 658 got some changes approved by the Senate. The Amendments struck pages 3 – 21 from the original...
HB 658 is Sent to Senate Amending Order
HB 658 was met with more opposition in the Senate Committee. MARCH 14- Another lengthy testimony for HB 658 has led to another twist in this saga. The bill is being sent to the 14th Order where amendments to the bill will be considered and...
HB 658 Headed to Senate Resources Committee
HB 658 successfully avoided the two standing Committees reserved for reviewing criminal and civil law legislation- House and Senate Judiciary and Rules. In a rather nontraditional path, the bill lobbied for by the Texas Wilks brothers has weaved...
What We’ve Learned About HB 658 in Committee Hearing and Beyond
Sportsmen don’t have a stake to argue with this bill, but they need our money to pay for it. Tuesday, March 6 saw HB 658 (HB 536‘s resurrected form) got a hearing in the House Agriculture Affairs Committee. Testimonies were given by...
HB 536 Dead, Replaced By Worse Bill To Be Funded By Sportsmen
Trespass bill is back from the dead. After her original bill became too toxic to support, Rep. Judy Boyle (R-Midvale) introduced a similar, longer, more confusing bill attempting to fix… something? Advocates for transparency and general...
Idaho Bill Greased the Skids for Public Land Transfer, Hits Dirt Instead
On it’s surface, HB 608 appeared to be a bill that would retain multiple-use for any state lands acquired by a federal land takeover. It also states that newly acquired lands would not necessarily be used to maximize profits. That seems...
Another Day, Another “Unconstitutional” Bill
HB 461 would allow Idaho lawmakers to nullify federal laws, regulations, or U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Sound impossible? Well, it is. The proposed law would directly violate the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, it violates the Supremacy...a
Bill Will Make Parks & Rec Director Political Appointee, Forfeit Harriman State Park
Currently, the Department of Parks and Recreation is governed by a board of six people, each representing a different region in Idaho. Board members are appointed by the Governor based on professional relevance. The board has the power “to...
Idaho Bill Will Eliminate Posting Private Ground, Then Severely Punish Trespassers
HB 536 places burden of delineating property lines on sportsmen, recreationists. Representative Judy Boyle’s House Bill 536 is a whopping 15 pager that takes direct aim at those who utilize public lands. As good sportsmen know, it is...
Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Public Lands, Conservation in Idaho
For the first time, Colorado College’s “State of the Rockies” survey included Idaho voters. The survey, conducted by two research companies with opposing political leanings, polls registered voters across the West on issues of...
Currently, Your Right To Access Public Areas is Not Protected
Anyone can block you from accessing your public lands, roads, trails, and right of ways, waters, and they can do it legally. You read that right. There currently exists no Idaho law protecting your right to access public areas that you pay for...