States findings of the Legislature and calls on the federal government to protect Idaho citizens who file depredation claims.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE SENATE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 108 BY RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE A JOINT MEMORIAL1 TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESEN-2 TATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, THE CONGRESSIONAL3 DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED4 STATES, THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND THE UNITED5 STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.6 We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives7 of the State of Idaho assembled in the Second Regular Session of the8 Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:9 WHEREAS, the State of Idaho has abundant wildlife and open space and re-10 lies on the agricultural and livestock industries, which, in turn, rely on11 Idaho's open space. However, these industries are often negatively impacted12 by depredating wildlife such as wolves and grizzly bears; and13 WHEREAS, owners and operators of livestock operations within the State14 of Idaho often have federal livestock grazing permits to graze livestock on15 land managed by the United States Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Man-16 agement; and17 WHEREAS, Idaho residents and policymakers have been struggling for18 years to address the negative impact depredating wildlife has on the agri-19 cultural and livestock industries; and20 WHEREAS, even though Idaho law supports hunters helping control wolf21 populations, livestock is still being slaughtered by depredating wildlife,22 primarily by wolves and grizzly bears; and23 WHEREAS, livestock depredation directly and significantly harms the24 owners' livelihoods, the local community's morale, and the regional econ-25 omy; and26 WHEREAS, to help offset the loss of the livestock, the state has created27 the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board and the Idaho Depredating Wildlife28 Appeals Board, both of which oversee claims of depredation and distribute29 compensation; and30 WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the Idaho Legislature that own-31 ers and operators of livestock operations are not reporting claims of depre-32 dation to the state depredation boards for fear of federal retaliation in the33 form of materially modifying or revoking their federal grazing permits; and34 WHEREAS, the nation is reliant on the agricultural and livestock indus-35 tries, and the livelihoods of the owners and operators of such industries are36 persistently threatened by depredating wildlife, which state law attempts37 to redress but cannot when our citizens fear federal retaliation.38 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular39 Session of the Sixty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of40 Representatives concurring therein, that the Legislature hereby calls on41 the Trump administration and Congress to protect Idaho's agricultural and42 livestock industries by mandating that claims of depredation are not a basis43

2 for materially modifying or revoking federal grazing permits and directing1 the United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to promulgate2 rules protecting grazing permittees from the federal government modifying3 or revoking grazing privileges based on claims of wildlife depredation.4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is5 hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the6 President of the United States, the President of the Senate and the Speaker7 of the House of Representatives of Congress, the congressional delegation8 representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States, the9 United States Secretary of Agriculture, and the United States Secretary of10 the Interior.11