JUNE TOWN HALL

IDAHO SPORTSMEN | ACCESS & OPPORTUNITY

MONTHLY REPORT

June 2026

It’s the first week of June and Boise finds itself at the center of the universe for everything related to fish and game management, conservation strategy, and policy related to hunting, trapping and fishing in the Western half of the U.S. 

The heck you say? It’s true. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is hosting the annual Summer Conference of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, a multi-day event packed with more than 500 officials from agencies in every state west of the Mississippi River. Boise is hosting the conference for the first time in 100 years.

It’s a coup for Idaho and the crew at Fish and Game and we’re proud they are putting on a great conference. It’s head-spinning to scroll through the agendas and see all that’s going on. There are discussions about wildlife movement and migration, incentive based conservation as part of wildlife management strategy, Golden Eagle monitoring and data sharing, wild sheep populations and using fish hybridization science and techniques as a tool to control invasive species.

It’s encouraging to see the top western leaders and staff overseeing policy, management, research, and conservation come together, share best practices and figure out how to preserve our precious fish and game across the West. Elk, grizzly and salmon don’t honor political boundaries. It’s nice to see the best minds in the fish and game space doing the same.

Now, let’s break down the discussion from our June town hall.

Ellary Tucker Williams, legislative liaison from Idaho Fish and Game, responded to a question about the grizzly bear lawsuit in federal court that prompted the judge to issue an injunction on wolf trapping in the state. There isn’t much news to report, she said, adding the case remains pending in the courts and agency attorneys are working diligently to reach a resolution.

Mike Edmondson, Administrator at the Office of Species Conservation, chimed in to say his agency shares the overall frustration about the injunction, which has essentially eliminated trapping as a viable tool for managing the state’s wolf population. Edmondson said the state is still engaged in separate litigation over grizzly bear habitat and bull trout, as well as sage grouse. He said attorneys are in the middle of arguing against moving the sage grouse lawsuit out of Idaho and to a federal court in Montana.

There are some interesting developments to share on the federal side. Casey Attebery, natural resources staffer for U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, said progress is being made in D.C. on new budget bills for the Interior Department, which includes national parks, and the Farm Bill, which covers spending for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. In addition, Crapo and his Senate colleague Jim Risch just last month signed on as co-sponsors of the America the Beautiful Act. This legislation has broad support from a wide range of Idaho hunting and fishing groups, outfitters and outdoor recreation groups. The bill would allocate federal dollars to address a backlog of maintenance for roads, bridges, campgrounds, boat ramps, trails and more.

We here at Idaho Sportsmen for Access and Opportunity join in support of this important legislation and the funding that will help restore and maintain the important infrastructure that enables us to enjoy what we do in the backcountry. Atteberry indicated there is energy in Congress to get this legislation passed this summer.

The discussion shifted to a recent Executive Order signed by President Trump related to off-road vehicles and snowmobile usage on federal lands. Several attendees asked for details about the EO and its impact on usage. At this point, Atteberry, along with Darren Parker, legislative director for Sen. Risch, said more time is required to fully digest the implications. Both agreed, however, that the EO does not roll back regulations in place in travel management plans for public lands.

One other development we’re tracking is a public land exchange involving the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and the Forest Service. Last month, the Idaho Land Board gave IDL permission to perform due diligence on a land swap known as Payette Lake Land Exchange.

Under proposed terms, the state would give up about 5,300 acres of state endowment land, including 2,200 acres around portions of Payette Lake outside of McCall. In return, Idaho would receive about 18,000 acres of forest service land in Adams County. Thousands of acres the state would receive border Tamarack ski resort. 

Michelle Anderson, Deputy Director for Policy at IDL, said the agency is in the process of doing its homework and gathering public input. She said IDL is building a web page with information about the proposal and will host a series of public meetings later this month in Valley and Adams counties to inform the public and maintain its commitment to public transparency. Approval of the land swap would require the greenlight from the Land Board and approval by Congress. Again, we’ll keep you all posted on the developments of this proposed deal.

Finally, in keeping with tradition, we will not be hosting a townhall in July. We will resume our monthly roundtables again in August. The next meeting is slated for Tuesday Aug. 4th at 6 p.m.