Regional Roundup
Magic Valley — May 2009

As reported by Regional Conservation Officer Gary Hompland.

Natural Resource Management:

• RCO Gary Hompland (Jerome) and Regional Wildlife Biologist Regan Berkley assisted DCO Tim Ferguson (Gooding) and SCO Greg Milner (Shoshone) cutting back and laying the right-of-way fence down along I-84 near Bliss. Two pronghorn antelope eagerly escaped the interstate right of way through the hole in the fence.
• SCO Clint Rogers (Jerome) assisted Idaho Power fisheries research personnel in the Bell Rapids area with sturgeon sampling using set lines and marking fish with PIT tags.
• SCO Clint Rogers (Jerome) assisted regional fisheries staff with a standard lowland lakes survey in the Bell Rapids area along the Snake River. Numerous carp were captured in trap nets.
• CO Chad Wipperman (Burley) assisted regional fisheries staff with a walleye exploitation study at Oakley Reservoir. Walleye were captured in trap nets and tagged with reward and non-reward floy tags.
• SCO Lee Garwood (Hailey) set bait for a wolf capture and collaring for Carter Neimeyer resulting in one trap night, with successful trapping and collaring of one Phantom Hill pack member. Another member of the Phantom Hill wolf Pack is now collared.

Education and Youth Activities:

• SCO Steve Roberts (Fairfield) assisted the Camas Chamber of Commerce with a youth fishing day at the “Kids Pond.” Forty five (45) children under age 13 participated. This activity was held in conjunction with the annual Camas Lilly Days celebration in Fairfield.
• SCO Rich Holman gave a fisheries and wildlife law presentation to several groups of 4H students touring the Hagerman Fish Hatchery. Hagerman Hatchery hosted the 4-H wildlife day camp for the North side District of 4-H (8 counties). It turned out very well, and received a lot of positive feedback.
• SCO Jim Stirling (Twin Falls) taught a hunter education class in Twin Falls and received an attaboy from a woman who attended his class with her daughter. She said she initially dreaded the thought of sitting through the class but agreed to do it with her daughter. She said she was completely surprised how entertaining, interesting and informative Stirling’s class was. She said she liked the way he taught with respect for the students and she really learned a lot.
• DCO Tim Ferguson (Gooding) assisted with the Idaho Fish and Game booth at the Outdoor show in the College of Southern Idaho’s Expo-Center.
• RCO Gary Hompland (Jerome) assisted Regional Hunter Education Coordinator Clayton Nielson ready his mule pack string for the annual Twin Falls Western Days Parade. The pack string carried Fish and Game logos on the pack boxes on one mule and an “Access Yes” banner on another mule.

Enforcement:

• CO Doug Meyer (Rupert) and SCO Scott Wright (American Falls) conducted a plain-clothes boat patrol of the American Falls Dam area. After some time, they noticed a group with a large stringer of bass. While watching them, they observed a third party come to their location and place multiple fish in a white plastic bag and leave the area. After seeing this, we decided to quickly load the boat and contact the group on the bank. They had 17 bass on a stringer and three live at their location on the bank, this did not include the fish left with the other individual. The officers later contacted that man, retrieved the fish, and wrote citations for multiple over limits. After this violation contact they also broke up a fight in American Falls followed by a short night patrol again of the dam area.
• SCO Jim Stirling (Twin Falls), Clint Rogers (Jerome), and CO Doug Meyers (Rupert) conducted a plain-clothes angler compliance project at Dierkes Lake near Twin Falls. They contacted 29 anglers and issued three citations and one warning for license and littering violations.
• SCO Rob Morris (Bellevue) organized an intensive enforcement effort targeting violations on Silver Creek during the opening weekend of the trout fishing season. Plain-clothes and uniformed patrol was used to verify reports of violations from organized angling groups such as Trout Unlimited. No violations were detected.
• SCO Meghan Roos conducted two check stations at the boat ramp near the dam at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir to monitor live fish transport in boat live wells. No violations were detected.
• SCO Rich Holman (Wendell) and Jim Stirling (Twin Falls) conducted a plain clothes compliance efforts at Derkie's Lake near Twin Falls resulting in 12 contacts, four citations, and two warnings for fishing without licenses.