Wildlife federation charges political interference led to axing of two Idaho F&G commissioners
As part of an ongoing dispute between Senate Resources Committee Chairman Steve Bair, R-Blackfoot, and the Idaho Fish & Game Commission over Bair’s support for special hunting tags that would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, the Idaho Wildlife Federation today released a series of emails it obtained under the Idaho Public Records Act showing exchanges between Bair, eastern Idaho businessman Doug Sayer, other senators and state and Fish & Game officials over the issue. Included is an email from Sayer to David Hensley, Gov. Butch Otter’s chief of staff, recommending that two F&G commissioners, Mark Doerr and Will Naillon, not be reappointed when their terms expired. Otter apparently followed that recommendation; neither was reappointed, and Otter offered no reason for his decision.
You can read the highlighted emails here, which show sharp differences of opinion about how Fish & Game should raise more money for conservation and habitat work – through fee increases or through auctioning off hunting tags – as well as differences over the role of the Legislature and the governor-appointed commission in determining Fish & Game policies. The Idaho Fish & Game Commission was created by a voter initiative in 1938; the measure passed with 76 percent support from voters. Aimed at taking politics out of the management of Idaho’s fish and game, the voter initiative created the commission, which is prohibited from being dominated by members of a single political party, and the districts commissioners represent, and charged the commission with the “supervision, management and control” of the Idaho Department of Fish & Game.
In a news release today, the Idaho Wildlife Federation said it sought the emails to “confirm what Idaho sportsmen had suspected: That Gov. Butch Otter bowed to political pressure to ax two members of Idaho’s Fish and Game Commission, who ran afoul of a legislator’s desire to revamp the way Idaho distributes its most prized hunting licenses.”
“Idahoans enjoy a world-class wildlife resource thanks to our independent Fish & Game Commission,” said Kahle Becker, Idaho Wildlife Federation president. “The strong-arm politics we have unveiled are a direct threat to Idaho sportsmen and the hunting heritage we have built over decades.”
Bair said, “I would like to raise money for the Department of Fish and Game. I think that there’s an opportunity there to be able to raise large amounts of money, in the tens of millions of dollars, over time that through the auction tag process could be used for habitat improvement, to increase the numbers of those animals and provide more opportunities to hunters in the long run. We’ve seen that work with the auction tag for the bighorn sheep that we’ve been doing for decades. It raises tremendous amounts of money every year that goes directly back to the bighorn sheep, and it’s helped.”
He said Sayer merely copied him on his email to the governor; Bair said he didn’t necessarily agree with what was in the email, particularly with regard to the director and deputy director of the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, Virgil Moore and Sharon Kiefer. “I have never sought for the resignation of Virgil, I have never sought for the resignation of Sharon – I consider ‘em both friends,” Bair said. “In fact, I just spoke about half an hour ago with Sharon on this issue. I’ve never tried to get rid of them. I think they do a terrific job. We’ve had nothing but professional relationships with the department and the director and the deputy director. I think they’re both wonderful people.”
Asked who should set policy for Fish & Game – the governor, the Legislature, or the Fish & Game Commission – Bair said, “All of the above. I think there needs to be a collaborative effort.”
Jon Hanian, spokesman for Otter, said in an email, “The commissioners’ terms expired. They were each told if they were interested in serving another term, they would need to reapply and go through the selection process. They chose not to go through that process which meant they would not be reappointed. The emails referenced were immaterial.”
Asked Otter’s position on who should control policy at Fish & Game and his position on the issue of auction tags, Hanian said, “Both the executive and legislative branches of government play a role in setting policy as does the Commission. If and when he is presented with legislation regarding this matter, he will take all sides into consideration. But he is not going to get ahead of the process.”
