States Fail To End Outfitters’ Dispute Idaho, Washington Guides Won’t Get Reciprocal Rights

Time has run out on Oregon and Washington lawmakers to pass legislation giving their licensed outfitters reciprocal rights on the Snake River under a 2-year-old Idaho law.

Dean Sangrey, executive director of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board, said the Oregon Legislature came close to passing a bill, but the Washington Legislature accomplished nothing before the Idaho law expired in July.

The Idaho Legislature passed the law to peacefully close a rift between Idaho and Washington outfitters and guides on the Snake River.

Idaho Outfitters and Guides triggered the dispute by citing three Washington outfitters on the Idaho side of the Snake River four years ago. But it has not actively patrolled the river since then as it sought reciprocity pacts with the other states.

“Anyone who is operating on the Idaho side needs to have an outfitter or guide license in the state of Idaho, and we will enforce that,” Sangrey said Friday. “The law requires us to do that.”

He said no outfitters have been cited on the Idaho side of the Snake River for failing to have their $250 Idaho license since July. But he said outfitters blatantly operating out of Hells Gate State Park near Lewiston or aggressively advertising inside the state without the proper license could be cited.

“In all honesty, I think we will continue to try to resurrect an agreement and I have received indications from people in Washington that they are interested in doing so likewise,” Sangrey said.

Washington state Sen. Eugene Prince, R-Thornton, said Washington has never prohibited Idaho guides from going past the center of the Snake River.

“We don’t have restrictions on them,” he said. “So how do you do something if we don’t have any restrictions on them?”

The Idaho law required Washington and Oregon to pass bills and establish minimum guide licensing requirements. It also included limits on the number of licenses issued to minimize the impact on fisheries by commercial outfitters and guides.

“Idaho is a monopoly and Washington doesn’t want to get into the monopoly business,” Prince said. “I think they have more to lose than Washington does. If they get nasty about it, we’ll have to change the law.”

Sangrey said he does not expect to push the Idaho Legislature to pass another bill to give Washington and Oregon more time. He said he needs to resurrect the idea with both states first.

Prince later said no legislation passed the Washington Legislature because Idaho and Washington have come to an understanding.

“It doesn’t look like there will be a problem,” he said. “We are going to do everything we can to keep it from flaring into an open conflict.”