Wildlife Plates Help Support Nongame Wildlife Programs

Idaho residents can put wildlife plates on their camp trailers as well as the vehicle that pulls them while they help support nongame programs and boating access. Fish and Game has statutory responsibility for about 10,000 species - fish, wildlife and plants. Of these, about 550 are vertebrate animals, 80 percent of which are classified as "nongame wildlife," including songbirds, water birds, raptors, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and threatened and endangered wildlife. Maintaining the state's species diversity is part of Fish and Game's legal mandate to protect and manage all of the state's fish and wildlife species, and conserving all species means all species benefit, whether hunted, fished, trapped or not. In 1992, the Idaho Legislature passed the wildlife license plate bill that allowed a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's nongame wildlife program. The bluebird plate became available in 1993. The elk plate was added in 1998 and the cutthroat trout plate in 2003. And since January 1, 2003, the Idaho Transportation Department has issued wildlife plates and some other specialty plates for towed recreational vehicles. The nongame program gets 70 percent of the money from bluebird plates, and 60 percent of the money from elk and trout plates; 10 percent of the money from elk plates supports wildlife disease monitoring and testing programs and 10 percent from cutthroat plates supports non-motorized boat access. These funding sources provide matching funds that are doubled or tripled when matched to other grant funds. But license sales and grant funds have been dropping in the past few years. The nongame budget is used to monitor populations and improve the habitat of species at risk, such as the Columbia spotted frog or the southern Idaho ground squirrel. These efforts toward improving habitat benefit all wildlife, including game species. Buying a wildlife license plate, donating through the tax check off or giving directly to the nongame program is a way for people to contribute to fish and wildlife conservation. The wildlife license plates are sponsored by the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation on behalf of Fish and Game's nongame program. For information, or to buy a wildlife plate contact the local county assessor: http://itd.idaho.gov/dmv/vehicleservices/assessor.htm; or the Department of Transportation Special Plates-Registration Services Section on the Internet at http://www.itd.idaho.gov/dmv/Vehicleservices/registr.htm; or by phone at 208-334-8649.