Commission to Meet in Nampa Dec. 4

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet December 4 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 7:00 pm. A major item on the agenda is consideration of public input on the Access Yes! Program which was started this year. In 2003, Access Yes! provided 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 consider how to fund it. The public can provide input by filling out a survey at regional Fish and Game offices or online at: http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/Hunt/ProgramsInfo/AccessYes/survey/sur… Surveys should be completed by November 10. The Commission will also set turkey seasons and rules for 2004.