The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is the
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
state department which is responsible for preserving and managing Idaho's
wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
, including mammals, fish, birds, plants, and invertebrates.
History
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game was established by the
Idaho Legislature
The Idaho Legislature consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. Idaho is divided into 35 legislative districts, which each elect one senator and two representatives. There are no term limits for either cha ...
in 1899. The department was previously managed by a warden. In 1973, the department was reorganized, dividing the state into six regions and creating the position of state supervisor to manage the department.
On January 5, 1981, two IDFG officers, Bill Pogue and Conley Elms, were killed in remote
Owyhee County
Owyhee County ( ) is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,133. The county seat is Murphy, and its largest city is Homedale. In area it is the second-largest county in Ida ...
. Wildlife trapper
Claude Dallas
Claude Lafayette Dallas Jr. (born March 11, 1950) was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the deaths of two game wardens in Idaho. On May 16, 1986, he became the 400th fugitive listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted List.
Biography
Born in Winches ...
was subsequently convicted of manslaughter in their deaths.
Responsibilities
IDFG manages 32
wildlife management areas, including several that are jointly managed with the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
and
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
. In addition, IDFG manages 19 fish hatcheries across the state.
Headquarters
The department's headquarters in
Boise
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...
on Walnut Street was the former site of
Airway Park, the city's
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
from 1939 through 1963.
In summer 2019, it was announced that the headquarters would be demolished, with plans to construct a multilevel building in its place. Despite criticism from local
historic preservation
Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...
advocates, the building was demolished in summer of 2020.
See also
*
List of law enforcement agencies in Idaho
This is a list of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. state of Idaho.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2008 ''Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies,'' the state had 117 law enforcement agencies employing 3,146 swo ...
*
References
External links
*
Fish and Game
Environment of Idaho
{{Idaho-stub