Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Cycle of Success Continues
with $146 Million to States for Fish and Wildlife Projects in Midwest
Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced yesterday eight Midwestern states will receive more than $146 million to fund fish and wildlife conservation, boater access to public waters, and hunter and aquatic education. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin will receive a total of more than $78.5 million for sport fish restoration and more than $67.8 million to benefit wildlife and hunter education. These Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program funds come from excise taxes and import duties on sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, sportfishing equipment, electric outboard motors, and fuel taxes attributable to motorboats and small engines.
"The funds raised under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs have helped conserve our fish and wildlife resources and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation for more than half a century. These investments, which help create jobs while protecting our nations natural treasures, are particularly important in these tough economic times," Salazar said. "All those who pay into this program -- the hunting and fishing industries, boaters, hunters, anglers, and recreational shooters -- should take pride in helping to conserve our land and its fish and wildlife and provide benefits to all Americans who cherish the natural world and outdoor recreation."
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds apportioned this year total more than $740.9 million, and will be distributed nationwide to the fish and wildlife agencies of the 50 states, commonwealths, the District of Columbia, and territories.
"In the Midwest, this program is a true cycle of success in conservation, management, partnership, and outdoor recreation. When a child purchases his or her first fishing pole, or when a bow and arrow distributor makes a sale, money is being set aside to fund on-the-ground projects that conserve and protect species and habitat, and sustain outdoor recreation as part of the Midwestern life," said Tom Melius, Midwest Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "This program is not about tax percentages or dollar amounts; it is about rejuvenating hunting and fishing for our future generations, and providing assistance to state agencies to ensure our natural resources are protected and conserved."
The Wildlife Restoration apportionment for 2009 totals nearly $336 million, with more than $64.7 million marked for hunter education and firearm and archery range programs. The Sport Fish Restoration apportionment for 2009 totals more than $404 million.
Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act funding is available to states, commonwealths, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies, and is used to manage wildlife populations, conduct habitat research, acquire wildlife lands and public access, carry out surveys and inventories, administer hunter education, and construct and maintain shooting ranges.
More than 62 percent of Wildlife Restoration funds are used to buy, develop, maintain, and operate wildlife management areas. Since the program began, state, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have acquired 68 million acres through fee simple, leases, or easements, and operated and maintained more than 390 million acres for hunting since the program began. In addition, agencies certified over 9 million participants in hunter education.
"This source of conservation funding is important not only measured by its dollar amount, but also by legislative safeguards preventing its diversion away from state fish and wildlife agencies," said Rowan Gould, acting Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "For states working to ensure a future for fish and wildlife -- and opportunities for people to enjoy them -- precious few programs offer this level of support and reliability."
Numerous species including the wild turkey, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, American elk, and black bears have increased in population due to improved research and habitat management funded by Wildlife Restoration. In the programs history, fish and wildlife agencies have assisted more than 9.2 million landowners on fish and wildlife management. States, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have improved more than 35 million acres of habitat and developed more than 44,000 acres of waterfowl impoundments.
Since the inception of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act, states, commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies have acquired 360,000 acres through fee simple, leases, or easements. They have operated and maintained more than 1.5 million acres annually and they stocked over8 billion fish and restored more than 1.7 billion fish throughout the country; renovated or improved 6,400-boat access sites; and had over 11.9 million participants in the aquatic resource education program.
Specific projects and programs funded by Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration grants in the Midwest include:
Archery Programs in Ohio
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) used $260,000 in WSFR funding over the past two years to support an international target archery program in public schools. The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is a nationwide school curriculum designed to teach archery skills to elementary, middle and high school students, and has been shown to positively influence student attendance, behavior, self-esteem and confidence.
Fish Hatchery Expansion in Wisconsin
The Sport Fish Restoration Program this year helped fund renovations at Wisconsins Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery to expand sport fishing and aquatic-education opportunities for citizens. Updating and expanding production at Wild Rose Fish Hatchery is critical to Wisconsins $2.3 billion sport fishery. More than 94 percent of fish that the hatchery raises are used to stock Lake Michigan.
Habitat Development in Illinois
One of the largest and longest running Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act projects in the Midwest is the Statewide Public Lands Wildlife Habitat Development Project in Illinois. The ongoing project headed by Illinois DNR creates wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities on public lands, including the Cache River State Natural Area. Encompassing more than 14,000 of unique bottomland forest and river ecosystems in southern Illinois, this Natural Area continues to be restored, managed and protected by the collaborative efforts of multiple conservation partners. WSFR funds have helped provide hunter access to more than 11,800 acres of prime squirrel, deer and duck habitat, and have provided the hiker, birder, photographer and nature enthusiast access to incredible sights and sounds of the river system.
Boating Access in Indiana
The Charlestown Land Boat Access Project, which created a $2.8 million boat launching facility on the Ohio River in Charlestown State Park was partially funded by Sport Fish Restoration boat access funds. The federal-state agency partnership also benefitted two endangered bat species known to inhabit the park by ensuring their habitat was protected and enhanced. The project was awarded the 2008 States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) Award for Outstanding Large Access Projects.
Private Landowner Assistance in Minnesota
In Minnesota this year, more than 6,500 private landowners and agency representatives were educated and assisted by Minnesota DNR on habitat restoration on private lands. WSFR also helped fund the management of more than 440,000 acres of wetlands, farmland and forest lands throughout the state.
Urban Fishing Access in Iowa
In an effort to make Iowa waters easily accessible for on-shore anglers, Iowa DNR has used WSFR funds from fishing license sales to improve access to trout streams, large rivers and urban fishing waters. In 2008, Iowa DNR used $2.25 million in Sport Fish Restoration funds to build a 350 acre reservoir for fishing and boating near Davenport. Partnerships have been formed with three Iowa cities to construct four fishing piers on urban waters.
Helping Endangered Species through Landowner Incentives in Missouri
Since 2004, the Missouri Department of Conservation has received WSFR grants totaling $2.66 million through the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP). This program provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners who are willing to partner with states and tribes to maintain and enhance habitat for at-risk species. In Missouri, LIP has helped reduce fragments of prairie landscapes that benefit grassland birds, including the federally endangered Greater Prairie Chicken. Landowner partnerships have also helped stop sedimentation of streams entering karst areas known to be inhabited by the endangered Ozark cave snail.
Fishery Management Research in Michigan
The Michigan DNR Fisheries Division continues to use Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) funding to make significant improvements in managing Great Lakes salmon, trout and white fish using research and survey work. Past research has focused on Chinook salmon natural reproduction in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron and an evaluation of stocking strategies that was recently recognized as an Outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Project of the Year by the American Fisheries Society.
Please visit the Services Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program web site at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/ for state, commonwealth, and territory funding allocations. To learn more about the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program in the Midwest, visit http://www.fws.gov/midwest/FederalAid/
