County wants drought declared

DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) -- The Teton County Board of Commissioners has drafted a letter asking Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter to make a drought declaration for the county.

Lynn Bagley of the Teton County Soil Conservation District said snowpack is extremely low.

He said most farmland in the county is uphill from reservoirs and county growers won't have access to water.

Measurements by the Natural Resources Conservation Service show snow depths in the region to be the third lowest on record for this time of year.

Spuds donated to Air Force base

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) -- Some Idaho farmers have decided to donate 42,000 pounds of potatoes to Hill Air Force Base in Utah rather than watch the surplus spuds go to waste.

Farmer Tom Holm said that rather than sell his potatoes for a low price, he thought it would be better to send them to servicemen and their families. Holm said Snake River Plains Produce of Ucon agreed to join in his effort, and Idaho Falls-based Doug Andrus Distributing agreed to transport the load.

Holm said there are still plenty of Idaho potatoes waiting to be eaten, and next he hopes to arrange for spud donations to people in Haiti and Chile.

Officials count 843 wolves

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) -- A count by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game show that Idaho's wolf numbers remained largely unchanged in 2008 and 2009.

Wildlife biologists with the department estimated a minimum of 843 wolves lived in Idaho in 2009. That compares to the estimate of a minimum of 856 wolves in 2008.

The Spokesman-Review reported that Idaho has 94 documented wolf packs between the Canadian border south to Interstate 84. Another 20 packs roam across territories that straddle boundaries with Washington, Montana and Wyoming.

Biologists said 65 packs in Idaho produced about 204 pups last year, and there were 275 confirmed wolf deaths in 2009. That includes 135 wolves killed by hunters, 94 killed because they preyed on livestock and 48 deaths from poaching, human causes or unknown causes.

Protest takes aim at wolves

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Hunting outfitters plan a rally on the town square in Jackson to call attention to declining elk herds and hunting opportunities around Yellowstone National Park that they blame on wolves.

Jackson area outfitter B.J. Hill is an organizer of the March 20 Wolf Impact Rally. Hill said he expects hundreds of people to attend.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is cutting cow elk permits north and east of Jackson for the coming season. A department biologist said wolves preying on elk calves are a factor.

Auction benefits wildlife program

BOISE (AP) -- The Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation reined in several dozen bidders with an online auction advertising everything from fly fishing trips to a three-night stay in the Idaho backcountry.

The foundation, which was created in 1990 to raise money for state Department of Fish and Game projects, brought in nearly $17,000 during in last month's auction.

The money will go toward the department's Watchable Wildlife Program, which works to promote appreciation for the Idaho outdoors through observation and other methods.