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Fish and Game seeks one‑time federal/dedicated funding for fire rehab, website overhaul and remote connectivity
Summary
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game told lawmakers its 2026 requests are largely one‑time items including fire rehabilitation for the Valley Fire, a phase‑two website overhaul, remote connectivity for hatcheries and capital work tied to salmon restoration; staff explained license‑fund balance fluctuations and federal grant timing.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game told the Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday that most of its fiscal‑year 2026 enhancement requests are one‑time projects tied to federal and dedicated revenues, including wildfire rehabilitation, a website redesign, improved remote connectivity for hatcheries and continued work on salmon and steelhead habitat restoration.
Janet Jessup, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, summarized the agency’s funding structure and noted the department receives no general fund. The Fish and Game Fund—fed largely by license, tag and permit sales—comprises the department’s primary dedicated revenue source; Jessup said set‑asides within that fund are statutorily prescribed for specific purposes and cannot be freely reallocated.
Director Jim Fredericks and administration bureau chief John Oswald told the committee that license‑fund balances can appear erratic because of federal grant billing cycles and the timing of one‑time projects. “The dip in FY ’24 was in part due to…federal grant billing. We fell behind several months and we have caught up in fiscal year 25,” Oswald said, adding that fiscal year 26 reserves are planned for one‑time projects such as a salmon regional office remodel and the Pocatello office remodel.
On wildfire rehabilitation, Fredericks said the Valley Fire burned about 9,900 acres east of Boise including parts of the Boise River Wildlife Management Area and that immediate restoration costs are estimated around $750,000. The department used herbicide application and reseeding this fall to protect winter range for deer and elk; Fredericks said the agency lacked a dedicated fire‑rehab fund and that long‑term restoration costs would extend beyond initial treatments. “This will be…an ongoing thing with an initial herbicide treatment and seeding, but then moving into sagebrush planting down the road,” he said. The department is in discussions with the utility company involved about possible voluntary contributions.
Fredericks also discussed the agency’s request to complete phase two of a website overhaul. The department spent a small portion of an initial $750,000 for discovery and auditing; Fredericks said Colorado’s recent redesign informed cost expectations and the director now anticipates the total project will be roughly $1.3 million to $1.5 million. He said the department expects to proceed quickly if funding is approved.
On remote connectivity, John Oswald said the department worked with the state’s information technology services to specify hardware for remote hatchery and wildlife locations. “In some cases, we have a point‑to‑point connection across a large swath of land and that adds some cost,” Oswald said, explaining higher per‑site costs for wide‑area connectivity compared with consumer satellite solutions.
Jessup’s fiscal slides showed the department expended about 46% of its budget on personnel in fiscal 2024 and that 88% of the department’s fiscal‑year 2026 enhancement request is one‑time in nature. She also noted a fiscal‑year 2024 supplemental tied to post‑fire rehabilitation and said the governor’s recommendation included the agency’s requested enhancements with no additional changes.
Agency staff said they would provide additional details on federal grant timing and the planned use of cash reserves when requested by committee members. No formal committee votes were taken during the hearing.
