ALASKA TO RECEIVE ALMOST $30 MILLION FOR SPORT FISH AND WILDLIFE RESTORATION AND HUNTER EDUCATION

Interior Department Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced today that more than $600 million will be distributed to 56 state and territorial wildlife agencies to fund conservation efforts, shooting ranges and hunter education. This funding results from an excise tax paid by firearm, ammunition, archery and angling equipment manufacturers as well as boat motor fuels through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration programs. This year the State of Alaska will receive a total of almost $30 million in grants for sportfish and wildlife restoration and hunter education programs.

Since establishment of these federal programs more than a half century ago, manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, archery, fishing and boating equipment have paid more than $10.5 billion in excise taxes, which has been used by state wildlife agencies to maintain and restore fish and wildlife resources, educate hunters and fund sport shooting ranges nationwide," said Kempthorne. "By paying these excise taxes, the manufacturers and sportsmen and women continue to provide critical funding for wildlife conservation in North America."

The Wildlife Restoration apportionment for 2007 totals nearly $267 million, with more than $50 million tagged for hunter education and shooting range programs. The Sport Fish Restoration apportionment for 2007 totals more than $349 million. Federal Assistance funds pay up to 75 percent of the cost of each eligible project while the states are required to contribute at least 25 percent.

th anniversary in September, it's an ideal time to take stock of the extraordinary accomplishments of these two programs," Hall added.

Wildlife Restoration Act funding is made available to states through a formula based on land area, including inland waters and the number of hunting license holders in each state. States use the money to manage wildlife populations, conduct habitat research, surveys and inventories, and administer hunter education programs.

Sport Fish Restoration is funded by the collection of excise taxes and import duties on sport fishing equipment, motorboat and small engine fuels, and pleasure boats. Sport Fish Restoration funds are allocated to the states based on a formula that includes the land and water area, inland waters and the Great Lakes and marine coastal areas where applicable, and the number of fishing license holders. States use the funds to pay for stocking fish; acquiring and improving sport fish habitat; providing aquatic resource education opportunities; conducting fisheries research; and the construction at boat ramps, fishing piers, and other facilities for recreational boating access.

States have bought about 150,000 acres for public fishing areas and maintained more than 15 million acres since the program began.

Please visit the Services Division of Federal Assistance Website at <http://federalaid.fws.gov">> for detailed state-by-state funding allocations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices, and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.