“The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or policies of the Wild Sheep Foundation”

The Nez Perce Tribe is pulling out of a collaborative working group on bighorn and domestic sheep after the Idaho Legislature passed a law dictating the way the species will be managed along the Salmon River and in Hells Canyon.
Last year, Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter convened the Idaho Bighorn/Domestic Sheep Working group to come up with solutions to a long running dispute about the threat domestic sheep grazing on federal land pose to their wild cousins. Most wildlife researchers believe domestic sheep carry pathogens that are deadly to bighorns and call for the two species to be kept separate.
To that end, the Payette and Nez Perce national forests are in the midst of reviewing where domestic sheep will be allowed to graze. A draft grazing plan written by the Payette National Forest calls for domestic sheep grazing to be dramatically reduced in bighorn sheep habitat along the Salmon River upstream of Riggins and in Hells Canyon. A final version of the plan is expected later this year.
But Sen. Jeff Siddoway, a Republican sheep rancher from Terreton, introduced a series of bills aimed at protecting the domestic sheep industry. One of the bills passed by the Legislature and signed by Otter calls on the state to come up with management practices to keep the two species separate, while preserving domestic sheep grazing on federal land.
The law calls for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to work with domestic sheep producers to come up with methods to ensure the two species will not mix. According to the law, those methods are to be finalized by Aug. 6, and it calls for the director of the department to certify any risk of disease transfer remaining after the plan is put in place as acceptable.
Tribal chairman Samuel N. Penney said the law cuts the collaborative process off at the knees.
"We appreciated Gov. Otter’s efforts to convene the Idaho Collaborative, but we are frustrated that Sen. Siddoway’s legislation has undermined the governor’s effort by legislating a political fix instead of allowing the collaborative process an opportunity to work."
Brooklyn Baptiste, vice chairman of the tribe’s executive committee said the bill "kind of left us in a tough situation. We felt the collaboration had come to a standstill."
The tribe is particularly interested in seeing domestic sheep grazing ended or greatly reduced along the Salmon River, where the wild sheep populations have not been augmented with relocation of wild sheep from other states.
The collaborative group’s meetings were called off indefinitely last week to give the state time to come up with the best management practices dictated by the law.
Despite the new law, domestic sheep grazing could still be reduced, or it could end all together in bighorn sheep habitat. Grazing on federal land is controlled by the Forest Service and not state law. That means the Forest Service could reject the best management practices if the agency feels they do not protect wild sheep.
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Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273.