[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6287455,"mediaKeyId","2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241","parentId",2552136,"title","Fish and Game director reports low but spreading chronic wasting disease, declining wolf numbers and increasing grizzly conflicts","audioSeconds",2008,"startMs",1022000,"endMs",3030000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241&start=1022&end=3030","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241/thumbnail_1022000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6287455/Idaho/Fish-and-Game-director-reports-low-but-spreading-chronic-wasting-disease-declining-wolf-numbers-and-increasing-grizzly-conflicts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6287455-e116259f102dafccceae1eef0d8b4355/orig.mp4?Expires=1771056432&Signature=k9tr9I6HpTg5gFzmDZCZ2atu~LQQXFNLsbQo-9u5w6FDSQKEezPTBlWDPUoW4qeY2hA0rCPntyGow8e~udk6xKVkhtJBGdJ4jlSttDI2K12qXXrTY3wB3S8mErDUYnxDaf7HIDKibbL2Wmtvp1WIaT1HOBqBOHNhQJVZLo7YSbzsS25bwEEyqrgzmRggDr23q5qzui1qvQIA10Uf7yYzzEAklqcgikugoU5-pv9ExSgiiKC7XWHghdtTOnsag3skpIZiidtqZFAJ-eyMeDm-zKF2~~uhuF3zyFbiZeSRv4IruWWwuqndm73jblzCayjbSQGXp9UtCTFbHY7XJymjVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate of Idaho","date","2025-03-05T00:00:00Z","article","Jim Fredericks, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, gave the committee an agency update covering chronic wasting disease (CWD), wolves and grizzly bears and described current surveillance, management tools and legal challenges.

On CWD, Fredericks explained that the disease is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion and is infectious, untreatable and fatal. He said there are no confirmed human cases and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people not eat meat from animals that tested positive. Fredericks described Idaho’s detection history: the first detections in Slate Creek in 2021 prompted mandatory testing and focused surveillance hunts; prevalence in that focal area has remained under 3 percent through 2024. In the Panhandle, the department detected CWD near Bonners Ferry in August 2024; subsequent surveillance and mandatory testing produced six positives out of roughly 1,400 samples (under 0.5 percent prevalence). Fredericks noted the department has tested nearly 40,000 samples since 1997 and that prions can persist in the environment for years.

On wolves, Fredericks reviewed methods used to estimate population size over time: earlier collar-and-helicopter counts, camera-grid occupancy and abundance estimates developed in 2019, and a newer genetics-based method that uses age and genetic data from mandatory hunter- and trapper-submitted teeth. He said the different methods validate one another and that Idaho’s wolf population has declined from highs of roughly 1,100 toward a target management level of approximately 500 wolves (Fredericks described the 500 figure as the management objective and noted typical seasonal fluctuation and a possible ±250 range). He also said wolf-caused livestock depredations and Wildlife Services investigations have trended down alongside the population decline, though some producers may not report all depredations.

Fredericks told the committee a federal court order in spring 2024 restricted recreational wolf trapping in 19 counties (the injunction limited trapping March–November in those counties because of concerns a grizzly could be caught in a wolf trap). He said trapping historically accounted for about half of wolf harvest in recent years and that the restriction has reduced harvest in affected areas; the department has filed motions for reconsideration and plans to appeal to the Ninth Circuit. \"There has never been in Bridal a grizzly bear caught in a legally set wolf trap,\" Fredericks said when asked about documented incidents (the director said no grizzly has been caught in a legally set wolf trap in Idaho to his knowledge).

On grizzly bears, Fredericks said 2024 saw an \"unprecedented\" number of livestock depredations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem portion of Idaho: 43 Wildlife Services investigations and 25 confirmed livestock depredations that resulted in four adult male grizzlies being lethally removed and one adult female captured, collared and relocated. He described other conflict types (bears in garbage, threats to public safety and self-defense shootings) and said the department conducted prevention and outreach that reached more than 7,000 people. Fredericks discussed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed distinct population segment (DPS) rule for grizzlies and an updated 4(d) rule (the ESA provision that can authorize limited take); he said the department has submitted preliminary comments and will file detailed comments before a March 17 deadline, and urged the Service to consider state flexibility, including take authorizations for landowners and coverage that would not impede wolf-trapping activities where appropriate.

Ending: Director Fredericks said the department will continue surveillance and management actions—testing hunters’ animals at no charge, focused surveillance hunts, outreach and legal action where court decisions affect management tools—and will submit formal comments to the federal proposed rules.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Resources & Environment Meeting March 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Jim Fredericks, director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, briefed the Resources & Environment Committee on chronic wasting disease, wolf population monitoring and grizzly-bear conflicts and described surveillance, management methods and legal actions the agency is pursuing.","taxTitle","Resources & Environment, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Idaho","taxId",57315,"location","Idaho","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6287458,"Committee forwards memorial urging end to federal grizzly listing, return management to states",677,337000,1014000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241&start=337&end=1014","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241/thumbnail_337000.jpg","/articles/6287458/Idaho/Committee-forwards-memorial-urging-end-to-federal-grizzly-listing-return-management-to-states","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6287458-4074f16616b26b282915865fb7233be4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771056432&Signature=NYssDMJbyopq7Ba70Aci8YxvpcpgcXLX-10srZQlBp-O60guRSkIZIuOhxiL~~IqAvtTbCv~IyuiO~Lx9NPct4c0HJCiPblfxuTwFCXESJWrm6s~H-qx3uq2KTo0TFVlc21WWVJivT2ssLgzagHYiklhuGqbT3-fx8Q72R7jiI6IDdLjekVxNJ7dVkg0RKuZK18Nt-YpP~CJT2PLA1owurtsa0-olCjQSORk6y062dOguVZMVTBFsiGDqRdhllpMalbxXFADzo83EG0h~1hQBmmEW19bEKkr7QIxg33jX0~1uONtd9u7gd3JK-1YHTR8xpwHmiqiGsNVKKrkoSjB~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Resources & Environment Committee voted to send House Joint Memorial 4 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after sponsor Senator Burton Shaw urged the panel to seek state control over grizzly-bear management rather than federal listing and oversight.

Senator Burton Shaw described the memorial as a request that grizzly management be returned to states and said the memorial does not call for permanent delisting \"We're not saying take him off of the endangered species list and never put him back on. What we are saying is that we take him off the endangered species list and let the states manage them,\" Shaw said. He cited language from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Grizzly Bear Recovery material and discussed closures and reductions of sheep allotments in national forests as part of historical recovery efforts.

Shaw told the committee the memorial text asserts grizzly populations have expanded in number and range since 1975 and states figures in the memorial (the memorial text cites an estimated 60,000 grizzlies occupying 60% of historical range in North America and about 2,000 listed grizzly bears in Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming). Shaw asked colleagues to consider whether returning management to the states would address conflicts on ranching operations.

No outside witnesses testified on the memorial at the committee hearing. A motion to send the memorial to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation was offered by Senator Guthrie, seconded by Senator Cook, and the committee recorded the motion as carrying on a voice vote.

Ending: The committee forwarded House Joint Memorial 4 to the Senate floor; the memorial requests federal action to delist grizzly bears in the Lower 48 and return management to state authorities, per the memorial's text.","House Joint Memorial 4, which calls for removing grizzly bears in the Lower 48 from the federal endangered list and returning management to state authorities, passed the Resources & Environment Committee with a due-pass recommendation.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6287463,"Committee advances bill to align depredation language and expand compensation for possible predator kills",452,78000,530000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241&start=78&end=530","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2552136-89e3d383bfb5ebb032b9d9f614eb7241/thumbnail_78000.jpg","/articles/6287463/Idaho/Committee-advances-bill-to-align-depredation-language-and-expand-compensation-for-possible-predator-kills","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6287463-2fabc624961bde05312cdd7a1e3b8770/orig.mp4?Expires=1771056432&Signature=P5UimQGGXhg7pclj8WaFe1PHzeGhMog0tjLD4O~IlxBUY7Q~pvnBk3GpGo~3vTGfosB3F3tIjpm49B-xevvXitVWMFU6m3DiqRTB0GOh4v45uJkDKEGFoRrwGWP6XNBL8dnqWQ6aDDbRM-8XNT46ujc9~LxQgmkuuNsW~rahboIj9H80qRuO~379ZrBagK~f1foLaWcziNQ8Lgh8uU5QiGziDDmaAjxB3n434ldZLS9~oOInat8GojTZXi~mj6FblSkUnWj6pcws-Bk8j3W1UQEUA4EyzBHo2Bc3Eu6GrCeX~JNEGX2wEj6e50dstt5aulm6tvbG8svgNeTgXZldMA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Resources & Environment Committee voted to send House Bill 82 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after discussing changes to Idaho Code 36-11-21 that aim to align state terminology with Wildlife Services and expand when state funds may be used for livestock depredation claims.

Sponsor Senator Burton Shaw, District 31, told the committee the bill makes two primary changes: revise wording in several statutory references so Idaho’s classifications match those used by Wildlife Services, and permit payment of up to 75 percent for depredations classified as \"probable\" or \"possible\" when confirmed-kill claims have been paid and money remains in the depredation account. \"So that makes a big difference in the funding,\" Shaw said, describing how a confirmed kill currently receives immediate payment while a probable kill often does not qualify for federal funding.

Ellery Tucker Williams, legislative and community engagement coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, testified in support on behalf of the Fish and Game Commission. Tucker Williams told the committee that livestock owners and producers \"are disproportionately impacted by wolves and grizzly bears\" and said House Bill 82 would align the state's reimbursement program with Wildlife Services investigations and allow compensation for depredations deemed possible when sufficient funding exists. \"I respectfully ask that you forward this bill to the floor with a due pass recommendation,\" Tucker Williams said.

Nick Fasiano, executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, also supported the bill, saying predators are more common on the landscape and that compensation for cases with limited physical evidence is a reasonable step to help keep producers whole. \"Because this bill includes potential compensation for cases that are deemed possible but not unknown ... it's a reasonable step to help keep producers whole,\" Fasiano said.

Committee members discussed funding sources. Committee testimony identified funds established by House Bill 592 as the source: $150,000 available for livestock depredation and $75,000 for prevention measures such as fencing. Committee discussion cited past balances in the depredation account (about $25,000 in one prior year and roughly $90,000 in February 2024), and witnesses cautioned the account could be depleted quickly depending on claims.

A motion to send House Bill 82 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation was moved by Senator Konowitz and seconded by Senator Guthrie; the voice vote was recorded as aye and the motion carried.

Ending: The committee forwarded House Bill 82 to the Senate floor. If acted on by the full Senate, the bill would change statutory terminology to match Wildlife Services classifications and permit limited state compensation for depredations classified below \"confirmed,\" contingent on available funds.","The Resources & Environment Committee voted to send House Bill 82 to the Senate floor with a \"due pass\" recommendation. The bill changes statutory language to match Wildlife Services classifications and would allow state compensation for depredations deemed \"possible\" when funds remain.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Fish and Game director reports low but spreading chronic wasting disease, declining wolf numbers and increasing grizzly conflicts

Committee forwards memorial urging end to federal grizzly listing, return management to states

Committee advances bill to align depredation language and expand compensation for possible predator kills