Annual Meeting / THAW Update

1. Per Board of Directors Vote, the in-person Annual Meeting and Thaw Gala are cancelled.
    
   • Survey results from the membership indicate less than 50% of members would attend an in-person meeting, and our agency partners are under meeting/travel bans. The Board concluded that moving to a virtual/hybrid meeting format allows participation of agency partners, as well as a broader swath of our membership, while reducing otherwise significant costs.  
      
2. Instead of the in-person conference, there will be zoom meetings November 29 -December 3, with the primary member meeting December 2. See agenda below.
    
3. We need the support of our members to carry us through.
    
   • The Annual Meeting and THAW are key events— to address Association business, industry issues, and concerns— as well as an important source of annual operating revenue for IOGA.  
      
   • As a starting point, if you haven’t already, I hope you will take a couple of minutes to renew your membership. 
      
   • Beyond membership dues,  I hope you will consider making an additional [voluntary] contribution to IOGA this year. An additional $200 contribution by most, if not all, IOGA members would cover the expenses and offset the revenue we will lose from the Annual Meeting.

Consider just a snapshot:

• From our work responding to COVID-19 protocols and closures, without which outfitters and guides would have been shut down or else drastically limited;
• Our success in passing amending legislation to the laws governing outfitted hunt tag allocation and increasing the outfitter set-aside;
• Negotiating important updates and changes to IOGLB rules;
• Representation and advocacy for Idaho’s salmon and steelhead;
• Reinvestment in our members and industry in East and North Idaho;
• The strength of our relationships with the Governor’s office, elected representatives, and industry partners;
• Monitoring and engagement of agencies and management authorities.

• Changes to IOGLB rules and statutes;
• Working with the State and IOGLB on the Board's incorporation into the new Division of Occupational Licensing;
• Hunt tag allocation and outfitted hunt tag restrictions;
• SNRA Outfitter Management Plan;
• Rule and enforcement issues for East Idaho fishing outfitters;
• Idaho Department of Lands outfitter lease agreements;
• Idaho Salmon and Steelhead recovery actions;
• Completion of the first industry economic impact study for Idaho since 1993;
• Industry marketing and promotion using funds awarded by the Idaho Travel Council;
• Statutes regarding outfitter liability;
• National issues affecting the industry (minimum wage, overtime, motor carrier, SOAR, etc.).

Virtual Meeting Schedule

Nominations