Fish and Game details grant balances, Valley Fire rehab and website overhaul to appropriators

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Oct. 23 about fund balances, ongoing operations and a request for roughly $18.18 million in FY2026 enhancements—most of it one-time—covering replacement items, remote connectivity, a website overhaul and rehabilitation work after this fall’s Valley Fire.

Director Jim Fredericks told lawmakers the department receives no general fund support and operates mostly on dedicated license revenue and federal grants. Budget analyst Janet Jessup highlighted that the Fish and Game Fund collects hunting and fishing licenses, tags and permits and that some fees are statutorily set aside for specific purposes; she cited the steelhead (anadromous) license set-aside as an example used to fund access and parking-area work.

Cash balances and federal billing

Lawmaker questions about a dip in license fund cash balances for FY2024 prompted Fish and Game Chief of Administration John Oswald to explain the department fell behind on federal grant billing and caught up in FY2025, and that FY2026 balances reflect deliberate use of reserves for one-time projects. "The dip in FY '24 was in part due to ... federal grant billing," Oswald said.

Enhancements and one-time requests

Jessup summarized Fish and Game’s FY2026 enhancement request at $18,184,900, of which about 88% is one-time. Noted items include:

- Valley Fire rehabilitation and restoration work: The department said initial immediate costs are expected to be "about 3 quarters of a million dollars," Director Fredericks said, and he warned restoration will be multi-year. The department is in discussions with the local utility about voluntary contributions but had no final agreement to report.

- Website overhaul, phase 2: Senator Cook asked about prior spending on phase 1; Fredericks said only a small portion of the initial $750,000 has been spent for discovery and audit and estimated a total project cost now nearer $1.3 million after benchmarking other states.

- Remote connectivity for hatcheries and Wildlife Management Areas: Representative Mitchell asked why the budgeted cost averaged about $8,000 per location; Chief Oswald said solutions were specified with ITS because some locations require point-to-point links across large areas, raising hardware and installation costs.

- Capital and replacement items: The packet includes requests for vehicle and equipment replacement and a $500,000 ongoing lease payment to secure land and construct a subregional office near McCall, as well as ArcGIS software licenses and federal-grant alignment adjustments.

Fire rehabilitation supplemental

Jessup noted the department typically does not request appropriations for fire rehabilitation and that the Valley Fire affected nearly 9,900 acres east of Boise, including part of the Boise River Wildlife Management Area. The department purchased seed and applied herbicide to restore winter range for deer and elk. Fredericks said there is no dedicated set-aside for fire rehabilitation and the department requested supplemental funding to cover immediate needs.

Committee follow-up and context

Committee members asked for more detailed accounting of cash balances and for an explanation of website project phases and timelines. Fredericks said the department expects to go to bid for the website redesign in March and could begin spending phase-2 funds immediately upon appropriation. Oswald and the director emphasized that many expenditures are tied to facilities (19 hatcheries) with real utility and maintenance costs that explain operating-line items.

The director closed by thanking the committee for continued support for management of fish and wildlife populations. "We strive to maintain and manage healthy and abundant fish and wildlife populations around the state for the people of Idaho," Fredericks said.