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IDF+G URGENCY!

CALL TO ACTION: Next Thursday at the weekly commission teleconference the Idaho fish and game commission will be voting on auction tags, they are no going to go to sportsmen first. We need to contact all commissioners and let them know that this is not the process as they are leaving sportsmen out. Region three commissioner Blake Fisher made the motion and this is just as sneaky as what the legislators tried to pull last year. Contact your commissioner and not only say no but let them know that doing this behind sportsmen's back is not acceptable!!!! Please note that a couple commissioners voted against this motion. Not only spread it but the meeting is open and we can attend we just have to call F&G and let them know we would like to be there. We are not allowed to speak unless spoken too but just showing up will speak volumes

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

F&G came and spoke to TVB banquet tonight. They are doing this because either Senator Bair or maybe Senator Bayer (sorry, I don't hear so good) is introducing a bill to the legislature that will change the wording of present law from "the fish and game MAY provide auction tags" to "the fish and game SHALL provide auction tags" in order to force this upon the state. According to the representative, F&G are going to try and maintain some modicum of control in the number of tags by beating the legislature to this. Very messy and hard to predict where this will go- F&G also said that according to the recent survey, 53% of respondents were in favor of the auction tags now, which had changed considerably since previous surveys where auction tags were very much opposed. His suggestion was to contact state representatives now and to express your preferences concerning the issue. It also wouldn't hurt to let your F&G commissioners know where you stand.

comment online here

This has changed from the original a lot. Getting all the story put together quick it was only partially right. THe commission is acting on threats from legislation Senator Bair has threatened to put into legislation that the F&G HAS to do this so it was an attempt to appease him. He is still filing the RS today to force them even with the Commission moving forward.

Tonight at 7:00 Nampa Fish and Game office to talk about the Auction tags, this is not about our commission doing wrong but legislation pushing them in the wrong direction. Even if they do make these changes which i personally am neutral to, they are still telling the commission what they have to do. Our legislators should not be trying to manage wildlife. Please show up and at least learn what is happening.

After a great meeting with F&G I want to get this out there. Our commission is still doing a great job of representing sportsmen and want as much input from us as they can get on many subjects. Legislation still wants to circumvent process and tell the commission what they have to do. 5 years ago legislation put into law that the commission “may” institute auction tags. The commission has not felt the need to do so until this year when pressured by Senator Bair. After informing the commission that he was drafting legislation to make them put auction tags out, changing the wording from “may” to “shall”. The commission chose to discuss putting them out to appease him. Today he introduced the RS to committee and it was approved for printing and we should have a bill number soon and we will need to be emailing the house resources and conservation committee to make sure this does not pass. This is about legislation telling our commission what to do over us. If you look at the last few years, the more active sportsmen and women are with the commission and F&G, the more they work with us. We need to continue this work. As legislation goes please be ready to help support our hunting by calling, emailing, or even snail mailing your representative or senator. You elected them, they work for you.

Alright, we have a SB now, here is our job as sportsmen, Write emails, call and make sure your voice is heard by both the house and senate resource and environmental committees.Make sure you contact your representative, and senator! At the end of this I will add a link to both pages with phone numbers and emails, do both and PLEASE pass this along to your friends and family and have them do the same. This is how we get heard. . If you go to the Idaho Legislature page it is Senate Bill 1236 driven by Senator Steve Bair and Representative Mike Moyle. Both of these gentlemen were involved in HB32 last year and the high-jacking of the fee increase for F&G. The one we all fought so hard to stop and did an amazing job. Help ourselves do it again! This bill forces the commission to put out auction tags, it is not the commissions idea to do so but with the survey results being so close they figured they would appease Senator Bair by offering five tags, He is still pushing this legislation and we need to stop the legislators from circumventing the process, they should only be able to give the commission the option to do things and them we can work with the commission to decide if it is wanted or not. This year for now it is SB1236 https://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2016/S1236.pdf Thank you! http://legislature.idaho.gov/senate/committees.cfm http://legislature.idaho.gov/house/committees.cfm http://legislature.idaho.gov/who'smylegislator.htm

Idaho residents have long sought to manage wildlife for equal opportunity believing that the wildlife of Idaho is a public resource. Understanding that the legislature does not have the subject matter expertise, that a wildlife administrative body should be free from political influence, and that wildlife should be managed with the best available science, the Legislature gave the Fish & Game Commission the administrative authority to offer up to 12 auction tags, provide Landowner Appreciation Tags (LAP), and discretion to implement a bonus point system for lottery tag drawings. The Commission is appointed by the Governor and confirmed the legislature, and given the charge to represent sportsmen and do what is best for Idaho’s wildlife. To this date the Commission has chosen not to implement any of these programs. Members of the legislature seek to again overstep the authority given of the Fish & Game Commission, authority provided to the Commission by the Legislature in 2012. If a well-funded department is the goal, then the clean fee increase bill last year (HB32) should have been passed on its own merit without riders. Fish and Game recently put a survey out asking opinion of sportsmen. Sportsmen who are passionate about providing feedback to the Fish & Game on their own initiative were overwhelmingly opposed to auction tags. Written comment submitted to the Fish & Game is tracking 65% of sportsmen are opposed to the idea of auction tags, most of which are “strongly opposed.” These are obviously engaged sportsmen. These sportsmen are concerned with managing wildlife through science rather than legislation, and maintaining equal opportunity to wildlife. In a random survey mailed to Idaho sportsmen with a hunting license, 50% that participated in the draw permits, and 50% that did not, the results were 54% in favor auction tags. We are told this may have a statistical error rate of 2-3% which still is too close of a margin to say there is “enough” support. We are writing this letter in regards to SB1236. Once again legislation is trying to dictate the actions of the Idaho Fish and Game Department through the mandatory auctioning of controlled hunt tags. As was spoke against before, during the hostage holding of Idaho Fish and Game funding, Idaho's wildlife is on the edge (once again) of being sent to the auction block to be sold to the highest bidder. For some reason certain Senators and Legislators are trying to turn Idaho's most precious resource into a money generating commodity at the expense of all Idahoans, and worse yet our precious wildlife. It is our duty as an organization to stand up to protest what we feel are unjust motives And to push back against those who are passing bills which we feel endanger the very fabric of Idaho. Thanks for your time and consideration of the citizens that you gave oath to work for.

ISB received word today that the auction tag bill will be on the docket (probably next week). The committee (Senate Resources and Environment) more than likely has heard that sportsmen want the auction tag process to be mandated.

I would urge each of you to write to the senators on that committee using the template below:

Dear Legislators,

I am writing to ask you to vote against SB 1236 requiring the issuance of Governor's Wildlife Partnership Tags (Auction Tags).

First, I believe the appearance of the legislature attempting to circumvent the authority of the Fish & Game Commission's role to implement policy will be a black eye for policy makers. This goes against sportsmen's understanding of Title 36 that the Legislature create policy, and the Commission implements policy based on feedback from sportsmen and best available science.

Secondly if funding is the motivation behind this bill, I would urge you to pass a fee increase bill as proposed by the Fish and Game, and free from amendments. Because the Commission works closely with the department, and is fully aware of the financial situation of the department, please support their charge to offer auction tags, if needed or desired.

As an lifelong hunter/fisherman, and active member in the sportsmen community, there is great skepticism that this is a step to authorize the amendments added to last year's Fish & Game fee increase bill (Auction Tags, Bonus Point System, Land Owner Permit Tags). In our view this shifts the balance from equal opportunity to wildlife and trophy tags to a small subset of sportsmen - landowners and the wealthy.

Please vote against SB1236. Please support legislation that does not put the Idaho sportsmen at odds with the legislature.

Thanks you for you consideration, and feel free to contact me for any questions.

Sincerely,

There is a bill in the Idaho legislature, SB1236, that will have the Legislature directing Fish and Game Policy re: hunting Tags. This is not the process for managing our Fish and Game Resources. Bill SB1236 would force the Idaho Fish and Game (F&G) Commission to begin issuing auction tags for Moose, Deer, Elk, and Antelope. There have never been auction tags for these species. This bill is written and sponsored by our local Senator, Senator Steve Bair The Idaho Fish and Game Commission is established under the law as an independent, citizen commission for a reason. Politicians don’t belong meddling with our fish and game resources. They provide NO state funds for the F&G Dept. We, the citizen hunters, fishermen, and trappers pay all the funding not the legislature. Politicians know nothing of wildlife science or management. We citizen sportsmen, working with the F&G Commission, must be the system that manages wildlife in Idaho, the same model present in almost every state. This bill is the political camel’s nose under the tent on the way to stealing hundreds of tags from us, the citizens of Idaho. We the citizens own all the wildlife in this state and our appointed F&G Commission makes decisions based the best wildlife science. Utah now auctions over 500 tags at prices far above what the average citizen can afford. These new Idaho tags would be sold at similar prices. There are many in Boise who want to go the way of Utah and we are already well on the way to that situation. Wildlife is supposed to be available to our citizens on a democratically based, equal access system for all regardless of politics, power, or money. Bill SB1236 makes tags available only to the rich. If you want access to wildlife for your kids, no matter how they might interact with it, you need to educate Senator Bair about how you feel. All Idahoans who love wildlife must care. You’d better set him straight because many other destructive actions have already occurred in past legislatures and more are coming if you don’t speak up. There are far too many politicians in Boise with ideas like SB1236. Senator Bair’s phone: 208-332-1346 e-mail [email protected]

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