Idaho Department of Fish and Game
{{Short description|State agency in Idaho, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name = Idaho Department of Fish and Game
| logo = 180px
| formed = 1899
| jurisdiction = Government of Idaho
| chief1_name = Ed Schriever
| chief1_position = Director
| website = https://idfg.idaho.gov/
}}
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.
History
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.{{Cite web|date=September 30, 2015|title=Fish and Game History|url=https://idfg.idaho.gov/about/history/|access-date=July 28, 2021|website=Idaho Fish and Game|language=en}}
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.{{Cite web|title=Spokane Chronicle - Google News Archive Search|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gANMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4475,458848|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=news.google.com}}
Responsibilities
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
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.{{Cite web|title=Advocacy Alert: The Idaho Fish and Game Building!|url=https://www.preservationidaho.org/blog/2019/10/28/advocacy-alert-the-idaho-fish-and-game-building|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=Preservation Idaho|date=October 28, 2019 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Idaho Fish & Game wants to demolish its headquarters. Here's where the agency will go.|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/idaho-fish-amp-game-wants-to-demolish-its-headquarters-heres-where-the-agency-will-go/ar-AAHYalI|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=www.msn.com}}{{Cite web|date=March 10, 2020|title=License sales at Boise headquarters now available at MK Nature Center|url=https://www.kivitv.com/news/outdoors/license-sales-at-boise-headquarters-now-available-at-mk-nature-center|access-date=June 29, 2020|website=KIVI|language=en}}
Programs
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.{{cite news |last1=Sherriff |first1=Lucy |title=Why beavers were parachuted into the Idaho wilderness 73 years ago |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/why-beavers-were-parachuted-into-the-idaho-wilderness |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916145417/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/why-beavers-were-parachuted-into-the-idaho-wilderness |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 16, 2021 |access-date=February 25, 2023 |publisher=National Geographic |date=September 16, 2021}} In 1949 the operation was deemed successful after officials observed the beavers had made homes in the new areas.{{cite web |last1=Heter |first1=Elmo W. |title=Transplanting Beavers by Airplane and Parachute |url=https://archive.org/details/Transplanting_Beavers_By_Airplane_And_Parachute_Elmo_W_Heter_1950.pdf/page/n1/mode/2up |website=Idaho Fish and Game Department |access-date=February 25, 2023}}
Line of duty deaths
Since its establishment, 5 officers and 1 K9 of the IDFG have been killed in the line of duty{{Cite web |title=Idaho Department of Fish and Game, ID |url=https://www.odmp.org/agency/1774-idaho-department-of-fish-and-game-idaho |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official|http://fishandgame.idaho.gov}}
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