Idaho § 22-5501 - Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board

§ 22-5501. Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board

(1) There is hereby created the Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board in the office of the governor. The purpose of the board is to provide an appeal option for individuals who have suffered losses or damages from depredating wildlife but received a determination that such depredation could not be confirmed following the initial investigation. For purposes of this section, depredating wildlife includes grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, and wolves. The Idaho state department of agriculture, in consultation with the department of fish and game, is authorized to carry out the purposes of this section. The Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board shall consist of three (3) members representing the following executive agencies and professional expertise:

(a) The director of the Idaho state department of agriculture or the director’s authorized designee;

(b) The director of the Idaho department of fish and game or the director’s authorized designee; and

(c) A large animal veterinarian appointed by the governor.

(2) The office of species, minerals, and energy coordination shall receive appeal requests from appellants and coordinate meetings with the Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board.

(3) The board shall consider all forms of evidence submitted by the appellant related to the depredation event, including but not limited to:

(a) Testimony of the affected individual;

(b) Testimony of the initial investigator;

(c) The initial investigator’s report;

(d) Eyewitness testimony;

(e) Telemetry data;

(f) Photographs and video footage;

(g) Trapping and hunting reports from the past six (6) months;

(h) Previous depredation incidents in the area; and

(i) Expert analysis.

(4) The board shall make a ruling based on submitted evidence and, if justified, amend the original determination based on a majority vote of the board. The decision of the board shall be final and binding for the purpose of receiving compensation for depredation.

(5) Any ruling made by the Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board of confirmed depredation shall be counted toward official counts of depredation incidents.

(6) The board shall be considered a state authorized investigator but shall only serve as an appeal to the initial investigation.

(7) Meetings of the board shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter 2, title 74 , Idaho Code.

(8) Initial investigators of depredation incidents from depredating wildlife shall inform individuals of their right to appeal any ruling to the Idaho depredating wildlife appeals board in writing.

[22-5501, added 2025, ch. 54, sec. 1, p. 263; am. 2026, ch. 66, sec. 4, p. 276.]