Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced
yesterday the
distribution of more than $700 million to 56 state
and territorial fish and
wildlife agencies to fund fish and wildlife
conservation efforts, boat
access, shooting ranges and hunter education.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region
states, which include Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern
Mariana Islands, received
nearly $53 million of the total funds. Approximately
$22 million is the
combined state apportionment from Pittman-Robertson
wildlife restoration
programs. And over $30 million is the combined
apportionment from
Dingell-Johnson sport fish restoration programs.
The funding is made available to states and
territories through the
Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and
Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish
Restoration programs, which are administered by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. Funds are generated by federal excise taxes
on purchases of
firearms, ammunition, archery and angling equipment,
and boat motor fuels.
Over the past 71 years, hunters and anglers have
paid more than $11
billion through these landmark programs, providing
critical support for
wildlife conservation efforts across North America,
said Kempthorne in
making the announcement. Many of our most important
wildlife success
stories would not have happened without the
commitment of sportsmen and
women and industry leaders, who anticipated serious
conservation needs and
shouldered the burden of meeting those needs.
The Wildlife Restoration apportionment for 2008
totals nearly $310 million,
with more than $61 million tagged for hunter
education and shooting range
programs. The Sport Fish Restoration apportionment
totals more than $398
million. Federal Assistance funds pay up to 75
percent of the cost of each
eligible project of which the states are required to
contribute at least 25
percent.
Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act funding
is apportioned through a
formula based on land area and the number of hunting
license holders in
each state. State and territorial wildlife agencies
use the money to manage
wildlife, conduct habitat research, carry out
studies and surveys, acquire
lands for wildlife as well as public access, conduct
hunter education
programs and maintain shooting ranges.
More than 62 percent of the Wildlife Restoration
funds have been used to
buy, develop, or operate and maintain state wildlife
management areas.
Since the program began, 68 million acres have been
acquired through fee
simple purchase, lease agreements, or easements and
more that 390 million
acres have been operated and maintained using this
funding.
Numerous species of wildlife such as the wild
turkey, white-tailed deer,
pronghorn, American elk, and black bear have
increased in numbers due to
advances in research and habitat management funded
by the Wildlife
Restoration program. The state wildlife agencies
have also improved more
than 30 million acres of habitat and developed more
than 44,000 acres of
waterfowl impoundments. More than 9 million
landowners have been provided
with management assistance for fish and wildlife on
their lands. In
addition, the states have certified more than 8.9
million hunter education
and safety students, with more than 3 million
participating in live fire
exercises on a shooting range.
The Sport Fish Restoration Program is funded through
the collection of
excise taxes and import duties on sport fishing
equipment, motorboat and
small engine fuels, and pleasure boats. These funds
are allocated to the
states on a formula that involves the land and water
area, inland waters
and the Great Lakes and marine coastal areas if
applicable, and the number
of fish license holders. States use the funds to pay
for the stocking of
fish, acquiring and improving sport fish habitat,
providing aquatic
resource education and conducting fisheries
research. The funding is also
used for construction of boat ramps and fishing
piers, and for acquiring
and maintaining public access facilities for
recreational boaters.
Since the inception of the Sport Fish Restoration
program, states have
acquired 351,000 acres in fee simple, lease
agreements, or easements, and
have supported the operation and maintenance of more
than 15.5 million
acres. States have stocked over 6.5 billion fish and
developed more than
2,600 boating-related facilities and renovated or
improved over 6,200
boating access sites. More than 11.3 million people
have taken part in
aquatic resource education programs.
In the Service's Pacific Region the amounts
allocated to states are:
State Dingell-Johnson Funds
Pittman-Robertson Funds
Hawaii $3,983,378
$1,855,483
Idaho $6,822,919
$5,916,124
Oregon $9,103,974
$7,071,994
Washington $8,088,360
$6,062,171
Guam $1,327,792
$
515,686
Northern Mariana Islands $1,327,792
$
515,686
For additional information concerning these two
important fish and wildlife
conservation programs and a comprehensive list of
state-by-state funding
allocations, please visit the following website:
http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is
working with others to
conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants
and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. We
are both a leader and
trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation,
known for our scientific
excellence, stewardship of lands and natural
resources, dedicated
professionals and commitment to public service. For
more information on our
work and the people who make it happen, visit
www.fws.gov.
