Fish and Game Commission To Meet In St. Maries In July

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will soon bring the business of managing the state's fish and wildlife resources to the Idaho Panhandle. The quarterly meeting of the Commission will be held in St. Maries July 8 and 9. A public comment meeting will precede the formal meeting the evening of July 7. To stay in touch with the residents of the state, the Commission has made it a practice to hold meetings throughout the state. The July meeting location will give Panhandle residents the opportunity to participate in a public hearing and to observe the quarterly meeting. All of the meetings will take place in the downstairs conference room of the Federal Building located at 7th and College in downtown St. Maries. A public hearing will be held from 7-9 pm on July 7. At this time, interested members of the public will have the opportunity to formally address the Commission on fish and wildlife topics. The Commission will hold their quarterly meeting at the same location on July 8 from 8 am -5pm, and July 9 from 8am-12pm. Commission meetings are open to the public, however, public participation and comment opportunities occur only during the public hearings. The quarterly meeting will include reports on a mule deer initiative; and discussions of legislative proposals for 2005, a fisheries economic survey, a draft 15 year strategic plan, and the possible release of bighorn sheep tags for auction and lottery. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission Chairman is Nancy Hadley of Sandpoint. Individuals with disabilities may request meeting accommodations by contacting the Director's office at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game directly at 208-334-5159 or through the Idaho relay service at 1-800-377-2529 (TDD).