Idaho Department of Fish and Game

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is the Idaho state department which is responsible for preserving and managing Idaho's wildlife, including mammals, fish, birds, plants, and invertebrates.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Agency overview
Formed1899
JurisdictionGovernment of Idaho
Agency executive
  • Ed Schriever, Director
Websitehttps://idfg.idaho.gov/

History

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The Idaho Department of Fish and Game was established by the Idaho Legislature in 1899. The department was previously managed by a warden. In 1973, the department was reorganized, dividing the state into six regions and creating the position of state supervisor to manage the department.[1]

On January 5, 1981, two IDFG officers, Bill Pogue and Conley Elms, were killed in remote Owyhee County. Wildlife trapper Claude Dallas was subsequently convicted of manslaughter in their deaths.[2]

Responsibilities

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IDFG manages 32 wildlife management areas, including several that are jointly managed with the United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. In addition, IDFG manages 19 fish hatcheries across the state.

Headquarters

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The department's headquarters in Boise on Walnut Street was the former site of Airway Park, the city's minor league baseball park from 1939 through 1963.

In summer 2019, it was announced that the headquarters would be demolished, with plans to construct a multilevel building in its place. Despite criticism from local historic preservation advocates, the building was demolished in summer of 2020.[3][4][5]

Programs

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The department was tasked with relocating problem beavers in 1948. Beavers became a problem when new residents complained about beavers cutting down trees and creating dams. The Fish and Game Department understood that beavers help with the wetlands, they helped reduce erosion, and they create habitat for birds and fish, so they decided to move the animals. The department trapped 76 beavers that were parachuted into the meadows of Central Idaho.[6] In 1949 the operation was deemed successful after officials observed the beavers had made homes in the new areas.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Fish and Game History". Idaho Fish and Game. September 30, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "Spokane Chronicle - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "Advocacy Alert: The Idaho Fish and Game Building!". Preservation Idaho. October 28, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "Idaho Fish & Game wants to demolish its headquarters. Here's where the agency will go". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "License sales at Boise headquarters now available at MK Nature Center". KIVI. March 10, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Sherriff, Lucy (September 16, 2021). "Why beavers were parachuted into the Idaho wilderness 73 years ago". National Geographic. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Heter, Elmo W. "Transplanting Beavers by Airplane and Parachute". Idaho Fish and Game Department. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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43°36′07″N 116°11′10″W / 43.602°N 116.186°W / 43.602; -116.186