BLM reverses decision on permit for predator derby

The Bureau of Land Management has reversed its decision on allowing a permit for a predator derby in Salmon.

Earlier this month, the BLM had approved the derby after fielding about 40,000 comments. The event was to be a competition for hunters killing wolves, coyotes, raccoons and skunks.

However, in a legal document released to the media Tuesday, the BLM said it will not issue a special recreation permit as planned.

The agency said Idaho for Wildlife, the organizer of the event, had approached the BLM’s Salmon field office Thursday with modifications to the derby rules and participation criteria, such as eliminating the participation fee and how certain prizes were to be awarded.

“These material and substantive informal modifications to the IFW proposals are examples of the sorts of factual uncertainties that prevent BLM from being able to determine whether to issue (a permit),” according to the document.

The BLM said ambiguity about derby rules and the changing of IFW’s plans over time made it difficult to determine if issuing the permit was appropriate.

The derby was supposed to take place Jan. 2 to 4.

IFW said the agency caved in to environmental groups but that the event will still be held on U.S. Forest Service land and private ranches in the Salmon area.

The BLM faced two federal lawsuits from environmental groups contending the agency violated environmental laws in issuing the permit.