Commission to Meet December 4

Permanent funding for the new access program that pays landowners to allow hunting and fishing will be discussed when the Idaho Fish and Game Commission meets December 4. The meeting will be held at the Nampa Research Office Building, 1414 East Locust Lane in Nampa. A public hearing will be held at that facility on December 3 beginning at 7 p.m. Access Yes! began this year by providing access to 107,000 acres of private land and access through private land to an additional 240,000 acres of public land. The department spent $117,000 on the program in 2003. Currently, Access Yes! funding is limited ($300,000 is budgeted for the program in 2004). Fish and Game is currently paying for Access Yes! by reducing budgets for other programs. Expanding Access Yes! to provide more hunting and fishing access on private and public land will require additional funding. Approximately 1.2 million dollars is needed to provide Idaho hunters and anglers access comparable to access programs in other western states. The Commission will also set turkey seasons and rules for 2004.