Fish , Wildlife benefit from Federal Aid
What: Senator Ted Stevens will present Alaskans with a symbolic "check" representing the $18,283,771.00 the federal government paid this year to the State of Alaska in the Federal Aid for Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program during a brief ceremony. The aid program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When: 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, August 20, 1996
Where: Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage (west parking area)
(rain alternate: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor Rd)
Background: The Federal Aid program is built on two federal laws which established a "User-pay" philosophy to fund restoration and education activities for the nations sport fish and wildlife. anglers, hunters, shooters, archers, and recreational boaters pay a manufacturers excise tax on angling, boating, and hunting gear, motorboat fuel taxes, and import duties on sporting equipment and boats. Tax dollars are returned to states fish and wildlife management agencies by the Division of Federal Aid, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Since the program was established in 1932, more than $4.2 billion has been generated from these programs. Since statehood, Alaska has received nearly $1/4 billion.
The check presentation ceremony will be co-hosted by HJohn Rogers, Jr., Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Dave Allen, the Services Alaska Regional Director. Accepting the check on behalf of the State of Alaska will be Kevin Delaney, Director of the Sport Fish Division, Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Federal Aid in Alaska
Nationwide
- The Federal Aid program is built on two federal laws which implement a "user-pay" philosophy to fund restoration and education activities for sport fish and wildlife:
- Pittman-Robinson (PR) Act of 1937 ...for wildlife
- Dingell-Johnson (DJ) Act of 1950 ...for sport fish
- Anglers pay taxes on Angling
- Hunters pay taxes on Boating and Hunting gear
- Shooters pay taxes on Motorboat fuel
- Archers pay taxes on Sporting Equipment
- Recreational boaters pay taxes on Boats
- Taxes collected by U.S. Treasury, administered annually to state fish and game agencies by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid.
- Funds distributed back to states based on:
--Land area and number of hunting licence holders for PR funds
--Land and water area and number of fishing licence holders for DJ funds
--State population for hunter education funds
- Since 1932, more than $4.2 billion in sport fish and wildlife revenue has been generated from these programs.
IN ALASKA:
- In 1996, Alaska was one of the three states which received the maximum allotted in DJ funds, and Alaska received the 2nd most PR funds. With less that 1% of the nations licensed hunters, Alaska receives 4% of annual Federal Aid funds. For every dollar Alaska hunters contribute in taxes, nine dollars return to Alaska in Federal Aid funds.
- Since statehood, (1960-1996) nearly a quarter of a billion dollars ($245,869,000) has gone to Alaska in Federal Aid funds.
- In 1996, the combined PR-DJ funds for Alaska total $18,283,771.
- Some Federal-aid funded activities in Alaska include:
--Improved access at 63 fishing/boating sites: Better roads, parking, trails...and boat ramps: Little Susitna, Echo Cove, Talkeetna, Seward
--Fish stocking programs add nine million fish to Alaska waters per year. Federal -Aid has stocked Ship Creed (5,000 salmon caught in 1994), ...ans Westchester Lagoon
--Fish and Wildlife Management, Research... including the Kenai anglers in 1994.
FWS
