Idaho Fish and Game Faces a Slow Boiling Existential Crisis

Would you be willing to pay more in taxes to prop up Idaho Fish and Game?  I suppose it depends on who you are.  There’s a perception among some, and some transplants to Idaho, that the agency is funded by taxes.  It’s not.  Hunting and fishing license sales pay for the programs, staff, and stocking.

We’re talking about a heavy lift because fewer and fewer people are hunting and fishing compared to previous generations.  Our rapid population growth hasn’t altered the equation.

When I hear complaints about out of state hunters and tourists fishing our lakes and rivers, keep in mind that without them, Fish and Game would be hard strapped to come up with much of any activity at all.

Meanwhile, I came across a post that suggests the mission be refocused on species other than game.  You can read the details by clicking here.

The bigger question remains centered on the cost.  I pay taxes for roads, bridges, and public safety.  Because I believe those are things needed for daily modern life to function.  It keeps commerce moving, and if my house is burning, I would welcome a response.

But there are other things I think are important.  The mission of Fish and Game is one of those things we don’t often notice, because we see a fox pass through the garden, or a deer in the field, and we don’t consider much beyond the natural environment we’ve always known.

Whether your goal is to save honeybees or keep trout stocked in streams and ponds, we’re living in a changed culture.  What are you willing to pay?

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