Which Way Is Right?

The political right and left fall all over themselves on issues of fish and wildlife science.

In Washington, House Republicans and conservative sportsmen’s groups are trying to restore the authority of a citizen’s panel to appoint the Fish and Wildlife Department director.

But in Idaho, Republican politicians and conservative sportsmen are trying to rein in fish and wildlife management at every corner.

Washington’s HB 1540 and SB 5777 would reverse the 1987 law, spearheaded by Democrats, that stripped the state Fish and Wildlife Commission of its authority to appoint the director and gave it to the governor.

The bills have strong backing from sportsmen’s groups and Eastern Washington environmentalists who often are left out of decisions made in Olympia.

“We’re trying to drum up sportsmen’s support because we think this is the best opportunity we’re going to get to keep a strong public voice in wildlife management,” said Bob Panther, spokesman for the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council.

A stronger commission, however, is adamantly opposed by Democrat Gov. Mike Lowry as well as the commercial fishing industry.

On the other hand, Phil Batt, Idaho’s new Republican governor, became the first Idaho executive since 1938 to ask for the resignations of all members of the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Batt withdrew his request following a statewide uproar.

But the desire of politicians to squelch the science in managing deer, elk and trout remains passionate in Boise.

The Legislature’s joint finance and appropriations committee recently axed the Idaho Fish and Game Department’s budget of the $97,000 needed to fund the weekly “Incredible Idaho” television program.

The program, which is funded with sportsmen’s money, deals largely with fish and wildlife research and recreational opportunities.

However, state Rep. Jeff Altus, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the program had a “liberal agenda.”

“It’s just a big lie, the whole thing,” he said.

Altus and other conservatives apparently oppose the show’s tendency to point out that encroachments on habitat and water quality degradation have serious consequences for wildlife and fish.

“The Idaho Fish and Game Department has a mandate to look out for the best interests of wildlife,” said Jack McNeel, retired Fish and Game information officer from Coeur d’Alene. “Altus cannot defend calling ‘Incredible Idaho’ a lie. The show is based on science. Some people would rather not hear information that’s based on science.”

Occasionally, the agency has televised a position in opposition to certain mining, logging or development practices, McNeel said. “Those industries have their own spokesmen, but Fish and Game is the agency that speaks for wildlife,” he said. “To do anything else would be illegal.”