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SJM102.........................................by RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
DOGS - WOLVES - Stating findings of the Legislature and urging Congress to
support broadening the federal regulation to authorize citizens to protect
their pet dogs and sporting dogs in the same manner as provided for
livestock, including dogs that guard or herd livestock; to support the
continued funding through federal grants of Idaho's Wolf Depredation
Compensation Plan; and to support the broadening of compensation criteria
to provide compensation for wolf-related losses of all dogs in the same
manner as provided for the loss of livestock.
02/14 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/15 Rpt prt - to Res/Env
02/22 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
02/23 10th Ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Schroeder
Title apvd - to House
02/24 House intro - 1st rdg - to Res/Con
03/02 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/03 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/09 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Wood
Title apvd - to Senate
03/10 To enrol
03/11 Rpt enrol - Pres signed
03/14 Sp signed
03/15 To Secretary of State
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-eighth Legislature First Regular Session - 2005
IN THE SENATE
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 102
BY RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS
3 ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
4 IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
5 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
6 State of Idaho assembled in the First Regular Session of the Fifty-eighth
7 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
8 WHEREAS, in 1995 and 1996, pursuant to provisions of the Endangered Spe-
9 cies Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced wolves into Idaho
10 where they have since been managed by the federal government and the Nez Perce
11 Tribe; and
12 WHEREAS, since reintroduction, the wolf population has grown steadily
13 along with wolf-related livestock losses and other animal losses; and
14 WHEREAS, since the reintroduction, the central Idaho recovery area
15 attained its share of the wolf population criteria necessary to initiate the
16 delisting countdown. The delisting of wolves, however, will not occur until
17 the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have all established wolf management
18 plans that are acceptable to the federal government; and
19 WHEREAS, in 2002, in preparation for delisting, the Idaho Department of
20 Fish and Game, in conjunction with Idaho's Wolf Oversight Committee, completed
21 an Idaho Wolf Conservation and Management Plan to facilitate the transfer of
22 management authority to the state following delisting; and
23 WHEREAS, Montana has also established a plan. As of the date of this Joint
24 Memorial, however, the state of Wyoming has not established a plan that is
25 acceptable to the federal government; and
26 WHEREAS, a new federal regulation, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
27 Plants; Regulation for Nonessential Experimental Populations of the Western
28 District Population Segment of the Gray Wolf," Federal Register, Volume 70,
29 Number 4, Pages 1285-1311 (January 6, 2005) (to be codified at 50 C.F.R. part
30 17), scheduled to go into effect in February of 2005, gives the states of
31 Idaho and Montana more authority to manage wolves inside a federally desig-
32 nated recovery area. The regulation will afford citizens more latitude to kill
33 wolves that are about to attack livestock, including dogs that guard or herd
34 livestock, on private land or public grazing allotments; and
35 WHEREAS, federal regulations do not allow citizens to protect their pet
36 dogs or sporting dogs unless the dog is on private land owned or leased by the
37 citizen, even though wolves do not tolerate any other canines in their vicin-
38 ity, and citizens should be authorized to protect their pet dogs and sporting
39 dogs in the same manner as provided for livestock, including dogs that guard
40 or herd livestock; and
41 WHEREAS, the Defenders of Wildlife compensates citizens for livestock
42 losses due to confirmed or probable wolf related incidents. In 2003, the Idaho
43 Wolf Depredation Compensation Plan was established for the purpose of compen-
44 sating citizens for unconfirmed livestock losses with annual funding provided
2
1 through federal grants. Funding, however, has not always been sufficient to
2 cover all claims; and
3 WHEREAS, wolf related losses of all dogs constitute the loss of private
4 property and compensation should be provided in the same manner as provided
5 for the loss of livestock. Additional funding is necessary to cover the full
6 payment of all claims for loss of livestock and for the loss of all dogs. The
7 state of Idaho reiterates its expectations relating to the commitment of the
8 federal government to provide the state with funding pursuant to 7 U.S.C. sec-
9 tion 426b, provisions of the ESA, all other applicable laws, and the Idaho
10 Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.
11 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the First Regular Session
12 of the Fifty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Representa-
13 tives concurring therein, that we urge Congress to support broadening the fed-
14 eral regulation, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulation
15 for Nonessential Experimental Populations of the Western District Population
16 Segment of the Gray Wolf," Federal Register, Volume 70, Number 4, Pages
17 1285-1311 (January 6, 2005) (to be codified at 50 C.F.R. part 17), to author-
18 ize citizens to protect their pet dogs and sporting dogs in the same manner as
19 provided for livestock, including dogs that guard or herd livestock.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge Congress to support the continued
21 funding through federal grants of Idaho's Wolf Depredation Compensation Plan
22 and the broadening of compensation criteria to provide compensation for wolf
23 related losses of all dogs in the same manner as provided for the loss of
24 livestock.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is
26 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the Pres-
27 ident of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Con-
28 gress, and the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the
29 Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 14703C2
The purpose of this memorial is to petition the Congress of the United States to
authorize citizens to protect their pet dogs and sporting dogs in the same manner as
provided for dogs that guard or herd livestock and to support continued funding
through federal grants of Idaho's Wolf Depredation Compensation Plan and the
broadening of compensation criteria to provide compensation for wolf related losses
of all dogs.
FISCAL IMPACT
None
Contact:Senator Gary J. Schroeder, 332-1324
Senator Don Burtenshaw, 332-1315
Senator Skip Brandt 332-1326
Senator Monty Pearce 332-1339
Representative Lenore Barrett 332-1247
Representative Cliff Bayer 332-1250
Representative George Eskridge 332-1270
Representative Dick Harwood 332-1210
Representative Mike Moyle 332-1244
Representative JoAn Wood 332-1212 SJM 102