Strategic Plan Update: Goal #1: Sustain Idaho’s fish and wildlife and the habitats on which they depend
Please review and submit your comment for Goal #1: Sustain Idaho’s fish and wildlife and the habitats on which they depend in the Draft IDFG Strategic Plan 2026.
The plan is organized around four goals. Under each of these goals are updated objectives, strategies and actions that reflect the changing needs of Idaho now and in the years ahead.
Objective 1: Maintain or improve populations of fish and wildlife for hunting, fishing, trapping, and wildlife-related recreation.
Strategy 1: Manage predation to meet fish and wildlife management objectives.
Action #1 – Develop, implement, and review predation management plans in accordance with Department policy.
Action #2 – Collaborate to manage out-of-state downriver predation impacts on salmon and steelhead populations.
Action #3 – Manage habitat to minimize predation on target populations where habitat conditions contribute to excessive predation.
Strategy 2: Manage conflicts between wildlife and private landowners.
Action #1 - Prevent or minimize wildlife damage to agricultural crops and livestock and compensate producers for wildlife damage in accordance with statute, rule, and policy.
Action #2 – Continue to build landowner tolerance of deer, elk, and pronghorn on private lands through development of new prevention and mitigation measures or programs.
Action #3 – Increase hunting and trapping access on private lands where conflicts are occurring by incentivizing landowners to allow public access for hunters.
Objective 2: Sustain populations of fish and wildlife by maintaining and enhancing the capacity and resilience of their habitats.
Strategy 1: Prioritize the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat.
Action #1 - Increase breadth and pace of priority habitat conservation through collaboration, partnership, and technical assistance.
Action #2 – Prioritize landscapes most in need of restoration, conservation, or management to sustain fish and wildlife resources effectively and efficiently.
Strategy 2: Achieve landscape-scale habitat conservation and improvements on private and public lands.
Action #1 - Implement habitat restoration and improvement projects that address factors limiting landscape productivity, function, and connectivity on private and non-Department public lands.
Action #2 - Conserve and improve habitats on Department-owned or managed lands.
Strategy 3: Protect habitat on private lands in priority landscapes through long-term, incentivized, voluntary conservation agreements.
Action #1 – Collaborate with private landowners, organizations, and partner agencies to secure habitat and water protections in priority landscapes with fee-title acquisition, conservation easements, and other agreements.
Objective 3: Ensure the long-term survival of native fish, wildlife, and plants.
Strategy 1: Implement the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) for conserving and managing Idaho’s most at-risk fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats.
Action #1 – Identify and monitor native species with high-priority conservation needs.
Action #2 – Provide strategic guidance on priority conservation actions.
Action #3 – Create opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate in proactive, voluntary, and community-oriented partnerships to conserve at-risk species, fostering and incentivizing these partnerships.
Objective 4: Mitigate and manage the impacts of fish and wildlife diseases and invasive/incompatible species on fish and wildlife populations, livestock, and humans.
Strategy 1: Develop collaborations, research projects, new tools and efficiencies to enhance the Department’s understanding of disease and invasive/incompatible species impacts on fish and wildlife populations.
Action #1 – Investigate and deploy new and emerging tools and improve surveillance for fish and wildlife health monitoring and disease detection.
Action #2 - Research population dynamics of emergent introductions of invasive/incompatible species and develop corresponding response and action plans.
Action #3 - Research and develop strategies to enhance participation of anglers, hunters, trappers, and landowners in management activities related to invasive/incompatible species and disease.
Strategy 2: Reduce the impact of disease as a limiting factor in fish and wildlife populations by monitoring, mitigating, and managing the transmission of disease.
Action #1– Implement disease plans and protocols to address risks of diseases in wild populations.
Action #2 – Monitor and investigate mortality events and population declines for diseases to safeguard the long-term health and resilience of Idaho’s fish and wildlife.
Action #3 – Coordinate surveillance and biosecurity measures with agencies and partners to assess and reduce disease transmission risks between wildlife and domestic animals.
Strategy 3: Reduce the impact of invasive and incompatible species on the sustainability of Idaho’s fish and wildlife by detecting, monitoring and managing introduction, colonization or establishment.
Action #1 – Minimize spread of invasive and incompatible species by researching, managing and monitoring existing populations.
Action #2 - Implement a balanced, strategic approach to managing invasive and incompatible species by prioritizing actions based on their risk to desirable populations, feasibility of suppression or control, and alignment with social, economic, and conservation priorities.
Please review and submit your comment for Goal #1: Sustain Idaho’s fish and wildlife and the habitats on which they depend in the Draft IDFG Strategic Plan 2026.
The plan is organized around four goals. Under each of these goals are updated objectives, strategies and actions that reflect the changing needs of Idaho now and in the years ahead.
Objective 1: Maintain or improve populations of fish and wildlife for hunting, fishing, trapping, and wildlife-related recreation.
Strategy 1: Manage predation to meet fish and wildlife management objectives.
Strategy 2: Manage conflicts between wildlife and private landowners.
Objective 2: Sustain populations of fish and wildlife by maintaining and enhancing the capacity and resilience of their habitats.
Strategy 1: Prioritize the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat.
Strategy 2: Achieve landscape-scale habitat conservation and improvements on private and public lands.
Strategy 3: Protect habitat on private lands in priority landscapes through long-term, incentivized, voluntary conservation agreements.
Objective 3: Ensure the long-term survival of native fish, wildlife, and plants.
Strategy 1: Implement the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) for conserving and managing Idaho’s most at-risk fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats.
Objective 4: Mitigate and manage the impacts of fish and wildlife diseases and invasive/incompatible species on fish and wildlife populations, livestock, and humans.
Strategy 1: Develop collaborations, research projects, new tools and efficiencies to enhance the Department’s understanding of disease and invasive/incompatible species impacts on fish and wildlife populations.
Strategy 2: Reduce the impact of disease as a limiting factor in fish and wildlife populations by monitoring, mitigating, and managing the transmission of disease.
Strategy 3: Reduce the impact of invasive and incompatible species on the sustainability of Idaho’s fish and wildlife by detecting, monitoring and managing introduction, colonization or establishment.