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Committee hears reappointment of David Bobbitt to Fish and Game Commission; wolf management priorities highlighted
Summary
David Bobbitt, nominated for reappointment to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, told the Senate panel he hopes to pursue delisting wolves to allow state regulation and cited a long-term management target of about 500 wolves compared with a recent survey of 1,278.
David Bobbitt, of Coeur d'Alene, introduced himself to the Senate Resources & Environment Committee as the gubernatorial reappointment candidate to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission and described his background and priorities. Bobbitt said he had served four years on the Commission and had been chairman.
On policy priorities, Bobbitt said an important goal was "getting wolves delisted, so they could regulate the wolf population in Idaho," which he linked to protecting ungulates and ranching communities. He added that "the grizzly bear issue was similar and intertwined with the wolf issue." Bobbitt described the Commission's long-term objective as managing wolves "down to a population of around 500" and said the "last wolf survey showed a population of 1,278." He told senators that legal constraints made reductions difficult but that IDFG had taken steps to improve monitoring so managers would know where wolves were when federal protections were relaxed.
Senators asked follow-up questions about depredation costs, monitoring in wilderness areas and federal involvement; Bobbitt said IDFG worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and that some legal and monitoring limitations remained. The committee did not record a formal vote on the reappointment at this meeting.
