A new year is here, and though there are so many wonderful things to look forward to in 2013, it’s also a time to look back on the year before.

     Fish and Game saw the completion of the I-15 deer fence south of Pocatello last March.

    Over 14 miles of fencing (seven miles per side) were converted to an eight-foot fence in the Blackrock area. A section of road that was seeing an average of 30 deer killed per year (and these are just those deer which were reported), is now safer for both animals and motorists.

    A huge thanks goes out to the various community partners who donated to this important project, such as Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), Southeast Idaho Mule Deer Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Farm Bureau Insurance, Element Outfitters (formerly Ace Hardware and Snake River Outdoor Sports), KZBQ radio, Sizzler restaurant and numerous private citizens that contributed funding to the project. You know who you are. You came to fundraisers, you stopped by the office with checks, you sent in donations with words of encouragement.

    Keene Hueftle of Pocatello gave $1000 personally to the project. And then there were the volunteers who gave of their time and energy to help with fundraising or the raising of the fence itself. Whatever your contribution, thank you!

    While on the subject of volunteers, Fish and Game celebrated its invaluable volunteers at the annual volunteer banquet in April, bestowing special recognition to organizations and individuals who had made exceptional contributions to the department and the wildlife resource.  The 2012 recipients were as follows:

• Hunter/Bowhunter Ed Instructor of the Year – Oscar Tracy of Pocatello

• Sportsman’s Group of the Year - Southeast Idaho Mule Deer Foundation

• Outstanding Landowner - Evan Hayes of Caribou County

• Volunteer of the Year - Sherry Mosher of American Falls

• Volunteer of the Year, Regional Supervisor’s Award - Paul and Stacie Gebo         of Pocatello

• Master Naturalist of the Year - Steve Timmerman of Malad.

    On June 9, 2012, Fish and Game held its very first Free Fishing Day celebration at the new community fishing pond at the Edson Fichter Nature Area in Pocatello.

    This was a long awaited dream of many — to not only have a community fishing pond — but to actually bring people together for a day of fishing right here in our own back yards. It was a tremendous success.

    I lost count after 350 anglers checked out free equipment and ate over 300 hot dogs and drank gallons of lemonade. We gave away dozens and dozens of worms and received 10 times the smiles in return. Thanks to all of you in Pocatello, Chubbuck and surrounding areas for making Free Fishing Day at the new pond so memorable. See you again this June!

    Of course, who can forget the Idaho Wildlife Summit held at the end of August?  This statewide event brought together several hundred sportsmen and women, wildlife watchers and other outdoors enthusiasts for a joint, interactive discussion on Idaho’s wildlife resource.

    As a result of the Summit, we hope that we all have a clearer understanding of the challenges facing wildlife management in Idaho, what we as Idahoans want for our wildlife resource and better ideas of how we can work together to ensure a lasting wildlife legacy for our state. If you haven’t done so yet, check out the Summit Report online at fishandgame.idaho.gov.

    In 2012, we said good-bye to two wonderful wildlife enthusiasts in our community, Richard Jeppson and Ed Bullock. Jeppson infused his love for wildlife and the outdoors into the minds of those he taught in his days as a high school teacher, and is probably best known for sharing the spirit of wildlife through his taxidermy talents. Bullock was president of the National Wild Turkey Federation, though, he didn’t shoot his first turkey until a couple of days before his passing. He loved being a part of habitat improvement projects and supporting youth hunt mentoring programs.

    Last year was also a year of routine. As always, we counted mule deer, planted bitter brush, stocked fish, caught poachers, released pheasants, improved habitat, worked on regulations, held public meetings, taught kids to fish and hunt and a myriad of other activities that are aimed at benefitting the wildlife resource and the public who values it.

    Routine is probably the wrong word to use — that implies a sense of boring repetition. Nothing could be further from the truth. The jobs we do at Fish and Game are filled with countless experiences that are interesting, exciting, important, invaluable and rewarding. Here is to another wild year in 2013!

    Jennifer Jackson is the Regional Conservation Educator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, southeast region.