Ask the Conservation Officer (CO)

By Gary Hompland, Regional Conservation Officer Question: "You haven't had any Ask the CO articles in the paper for a couple months. What's been going on?" Answer: I must apologize I occasionally run out of ideas for articles or struggle to meet media deadlines. However, there has been a lot going on this spring in the Magic Valley. Planting bitterbrush has become a traditional spring time activity across southern Idaho. This project is mostly completed by volunteers and conservation groups and focuses on mule deer winter range rehab as a result of fire. This spring 459 volunteers planted 41,600 bitterbrush seedlings across the region. Habitat biologists are also busy working on habitat projects such as food plots and shelter belts on wildlife management areas as well as extension projects with private landowners. They also work closely with the BLM and U.S. Forest Service on habitat projects such as juniper thinning and aspen regeneration. Another repeat project involves trapping and transplanting sharp-tailed grouse. An Idaho native prairie grouse; these birds are captured on their spring dancing grounds called leks in the Rockland and Sublett areas. The relocation site this spring was House Creek in unit 46/47. In the past sharp-tails were traded for turkeys from Washington and mountain quail from Oregon. A new project this fall will involve trapping birds for relocation to the Camas Prairie near Fairfield. In cooperation with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, biologists and conservation officers radio collared 12 wintering elk in the Mayfield area along Interstate 84. This is an effort to identify transition ranges for elk between summer and winter. To date the majority of these elk have moved east across US Highway 20 into the Bennett Hills. Fisheries biologists and staff have also been busy with an exploitation study on walleye in Oakley reservoir. The results of the study will tell biologists how angler harvest affects the population. They have also been conducting population estimates for trout in Salmon Falls Reservoir. Enrollment for the "Access Yes" program has been completed for 2009. This year, Access Yes will provide public access to about 184,000 acres of private land that provides access to about 327,000 acres of public land in the Magic Valley Region alone. Even during the downturn in the economy, proposed development is moving full steam ahead. Biologists have been busy examining potential impacts to fish and wildlife from several proposals including a residential housing development in Quigley Canyon near Hailey and the China Mountain Wind Farm proposal. In addition there are three electrical transmission corridors proposed to pass through the region and a geothermal development proposed. Hunter and bowhunter education is really gearing up for the spring. To date, 26 regular hunter education and five bowhunter education classes have been completed. Four field days have also been completed for on-line students. An estimated 750 students have graduated from classes and on-line hunter education efforts this spring. About 600 students in grades three through 11 from seven Magic Valley schools participated in a fisheries stewardship program called "Trout in the Classroom." As part of the "Be Outside" program to encourage children to get outdoors, this program teaches students about the web of life using trout as a model. The class involves learning basic fish anatomy and ecology as well as rearing fish from fertilized eggs in the classroom. The class also takes children fishing and includes basic instruction on fishing techniques. At the Hagerman State Hatchery they've stocked 1,182,539 trout in Idaho reservoirs through April - 915,505 were fingerlings and 267,034 were catchables. They still have about 400,000 catchables and 700,000 fingerlings to stock yet this spring. They also have 19 fishing-hatchery tours scheduled with about 600 school children plus a large 4-H wildlife day-camp on May 16. Sage-grouse researchers and biologists in the Jarbidge and Brown's Bench area have three projects under way. A doctoral candidate is evaluating different population estimation and monitoring techniques currently used on breeding grounds to improve accuracy for counting sage-grouse. A second study is evaluating sage-grouse collision mortality from structures, such as fences. And biologists are monitoring sage-grouse instrumented with radio transmitters for movements adjacent to the Murphy Complex Fire. There are lots of things going on with fish and wildlife in the Magic Valley. A place for the public to find out about resource activities is on the Idaho Fish and Game website under "About Fish and Game" in the Regional Office or the Law Enforcement sections. If you have further questions, call the Magic Valley regional office of Idaho Fish and Game at (208)324-4350 or visit us online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.