Oregon Public Broadcasting

People in Idaho who hunt wildlife, not with guns, but with binoculars and cameras, might have to pay for that privilege on state lands.

Some lawmakers in Boise want wildlife viewers to buy so-called "conservation licenses." The money raised would help the state manage fish and game.

Reaction from the people who would pay the new fee isn't exactly what you might expect, as Doug Nadvornick found out.

The view from Ed Buchler's deck in the hills east of Coeur d'Alene is stunning. You can see the city, the mountains beyond it and parts of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Ed Buchler from the Audubon Society in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho says he wouldn't object to paying $10 per year to view wildlife on Idaho state lands.

Along the side of the deck, Buchler and his wife put up several feeders to satisfy the steady stream of birds that visit during the wintertime.

Ed Buchler: "Pygmy nuthatches, red-breasted nuthatches, chestnut-back chickadee...."

Buchler is the president of the Coeur d'Alene chapter of the National Audubon Society.

Ed Buchler: "...oh, hairy woodpeckers. Last week, I had a Cooper's hawk sitting right in this tree here."

Under a proposal just introduced in the Idaho legislature, folks like him would pay $10 a year for a license to see wildlife on certain Idaho state lands. This doesn't apply to federal or local lands.

I expect Buchler to be outraged, but he's more matter-of-fact.

Ed Buchler: "It's not a bad idea, really. I wouldn't object to paying $10 to -- this is to go into wildlife management areas...."

There are 35 of those wildlife management areas in Idaho and limited places where the state can get money to run them.

State Fish and Game Director Cal Groen says his agency gets nothing from the state's general fund. Its main sources of revenue are specialized license plates and hunting and fishing licenses.

Cal Groen: "The concern we have as a user fee outlet is that only 20-percent are paying and those are the sportsmen, the hunters and fishermen and trappers who buy licenses and there are a lot of people benefitting who are not paying."

Those are the people like Ed Buchler, says Republican state Representative Judy Boyle.

Judy Boyle: "So, in order to make this fair, we've now decided on a license."

She's leading the charge in the legislature for the $10  fee.

Judy Boyle: "In addition to just supporting the Fish and Game properties for the operation and the maintenance of it, they're also supporting wildlife in general in Idaho."

Fish and Game Director Cal Groen is all for the idea.

Cal Groen: "We had a survey and 91-percent of Idahoans say that wildlife is very important to them. And two-thirds of our populace participate in wildlife activities."

That may be why there isn't much opposition to the fee.

One of those participants is Loren Albright. He's the former Idaho state president of Trout Unlimited. He says the state is in a quandary when it comes to funding fish and game programs.

Loren Albright: "It seems to be unfair that hunters and fishermen pay for non-game species, things that aren't hunted or fished for, out of their licenses. And yet it seems to be unfair to charge people money to go on public lands, especially to view wildlife."

Albright says the biggest problem with imposing a wildlife viewing fee: how do you enforce it?

Loren Albright: "Is a state patrol person going to be out there checking these people? Is it going to cost more for enforcement than it is what they're going to gain in these stickers? I don't know."

Back on Ed Buchler's deck overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene, the birdlover points to a solitary tree in the distance.

Ed Buchler: "See that leaning larch there? That's a frequent perch for a pair of bald eagles that are nesting around the corner of the point there."

For Buchler and his wife, watching birds is one of the great joys of their life. And, he says, it's still pretty cheap. But with lawmakers looking to people like them to help pay for fish and game programs, their access to some of their favorite viewing places may come with a price.