The following account was forwarded by Peter Rauch who received it from
Jeff Price of USFWS on BIRDCHAT. It underscores some of the discussion on
hunters, hunting, and paying for wildlife that has appeared in this forum
in the past. Now how will we find out if the $3.3 million received by
Washington state (sorry to be statocentric, all you out-of-state tweeters)
for Wildlife Restoration will in fact be effectively used for that purpose?
And, and was asked but not answered, now how do we birders and nature
lovers contribute our share?

>Fish and Wildlife Service
>
>For release February 28, 1995 Hugh Vickery 202-208-5634
>
> STATE WILDLIFE AGENCIES TO RECEIVE $411 MILLION
> FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROJECTS
>
>State wildlife agencies will soon receive a record $411 million
>collected from Federal excise taxes paid by hunters, anglers, and
>boaters to support fish and wildlife restoration and recreation
>projects in 1995.
>
>The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will
>distribute the funds under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and
>Wildlife Restoration programs, helping to pay for thousands of
>conservation and recreation projects throughout the United States
>and its territories.
>
>"Recreational anglers and hunters are among the unsung heroes of
>this country's conservation movement," Interior Secretary Bruce
>Babbitt said. "The hundreds of millions of dollars they pay each
>year in taxes on sporting equipment have provided the foundation
>for conservation for more than 60 years."
>
>Since the 1930s, these excise taxes have been largely responsible
>for the recovery of popular species of wildlife, including white-
>tailed deer, wood duck, and wild turkey, and the restoration of
>fisheries and aquatic ecosystems. In addition, the funds have
>helped pay for hunter education programs and boating access to
>rivers and lakes.
>
>"There probably isn't a person in America who hasn't benefitted
>in one way or another from the contributions of sportsmen and
>sportswomen to Federal Aid, even if it's simply having more
>wildlife around to see and enjoy," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife
>Service Director Mollie Beattie.
>
>A total of $211 million will be apportioned to the states under
>the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, commonly referred to
>as the Pittman-Robertson program after its Congressional
>sponsors. This compares to $182.1 million in 1994. Part of the
>increase is due to improved collection of taxes by the Treasury
>Department.
>
>The money is derived from an 11-percent excise tax on sporting
>arms and ammunition, a 10-percent tax on pistols and revolvers,
>and an 11-percent tax on certain archery equipment. One-half of
>the tax on handguns and archery equipment is made available for
>state hunter education programs.
>
>Projects include acquisition and improvement of wildlife habitat,
>introduction of wildlife into suitable habitat, research of
>wildlife problems, surveys and inventories of wildlife,
>acquisition and development of wildlife-related recreational
>facilities, and hunter education programs, including construction
>and operation of public shooting ranges.
>
>Another $199.9 million will be passed along under the Federal Aid
>in Sport Fish Restoration Act, often called the Dingell-
>Johnson/Wallop-Breaux program. This compares to $174.6 million
>in FY 1994. Overall deposits increased in FY 94 as a result of
>improved collections and record-keeping.
>
>This funding results from a 10-percent excise tax on fishing
>equipment and a 3-percent tax on electric trolling motors and
>sonar fish finders. The "Wallop-Breaux" legislation of 1984
>increased the tax base for sport fish restoration to include a
>portion of the Federal motorboat fuels tax and import duties on
>fishing tackle and pleasure boats.
>
>Projects funded under this program include acquisition and
>improvement of sport fish habitat; stocking of fish; research
>into fishery resource problems; surveys and inventories of sport
>fish populations; and acquisition and development of boat ramps,
>fishing piers, and other recreational facilities.
>
>In the past 60 years, the two Federal Aid programs have raised
>more than $4.5 billion for fish and wildlife conservation,
>management, and recreation projects. This year's $411 million
>total represents the highest annual total ever.
>
>Distribution of sport fish restoration funds to the states is
>based on the land and water area and the number of fishing
>license holders in each state. Wildlife restoration funds are
>made available based on land area and the number of hunting
>license holders in each state. Distribution of hunter education
>funds is based on the relative population of each state.
>
>The attached tables show the allocation of the final
>apportionment for fiscal year 1995.
>
>FINAL APPORTIONMENT OF FEDERAL AID IN WILDLIFE
>RESTORATION FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1995
>
> WILDLIFE HUNTER
>STATE RESTORATION EDUCATION
>TOTAL
>
>ALABAMA 2,836,700 930,400
>3,767,100
>ALASKA 8,569,933 396,014
>8,965,947
>ARIZONA 3,966,904 843,972
>4,810,876
>ARKANSAS 3,063,854 396,014
>3,459,868
>CALIFORNIA 6,178,120 1,188,040
>7,366,160
>COLORADO 4,432,392 758,582
>5,190,974
>CONNECTICUT 856,993 756,906
>1,613,899
>DELAWARE 856,993 396,014
>1,253,007
>FLORIDA 2,578,442 1,188,040
>3,766,482
>GEORGIA 3,419,306 1,188,040
>4,607,346
>HAWAII 856,993 396,014
>1,253,007
>IDAHO 3,567,018 396,014
>3,963,032
>ILLINOIS 3,203,527 1,188,040
>4,391,567
>INDIANA 2,702,582 1,188,040
>3,890,622
>IOWA 2,805,006 639,388
>3,444,394
>KANSAS 3,146,565 396,014
>3,542,579
>KENTUCKY 2,693,934 848,592
>3,542,526
>LOUISIANA 2,716,589 971,710
>3,688,299
>MAINE 2,009,549 396,014
>2,405,563
>MARYLAND 1,110,354 1,101,002
>2,211,356
>MASSACHUSETTS 856,993 1,188,040
>2,045,033
>MICHIGAN 7,541,281 1,188,040
>8,729,321
>MINNESOTA 5,217,290 1,007,429
>6,224,719
>MISSISSIPPI 2,667,559 592,520
>3,260,079
>MISSOURI 4,253,543 1,178,280
>5,431,823
>MONTANA 5,348,230 396,014
>5,744,244
>NEBRASKA 2,965,028 396,014
>3,361,042
>NEVADA 3,235,088 396,014
>3,631,102
>NEW HAMPSHIRE 856,993 396,014
>1,253,007
>NEW JERSEY 856,993 1,188,040
>2,045,033
>NEW MEXICO 3,851,620 396,014
>4,247,634
>NEW YORK 5,287,561 1,188,040
>6,475,601
>NORTH CAROLINA 3,285,639 1,188,040
>4,473,679
>NORTH DAKOTA 2,471,632 396,014
>2,867,646
>OHIO 3,869,231 1,188,040
>5,057,271
>OKLAHOMA 3,119,168 724,316
>3,843,484
>OREGON 4,255,397 654,485
>4,909,882
>PENNSYLVANIA 7,358,560 1,188,040
>8,546,600
>RHODE ISLAND 856,993 396,014
>1,253,007
>SOUTH CAROLINA 1,926,392 802,864
>2,729,256
>SOUTH DAKOTA 3,010,064 396,014
>3,406,078
>TENNESSEE 4,123,700 1,123,042
>5,246,742
>TEXAS 8,569,933 1,188,040
>9,757,973
>UTAH 3,349,335 396,014
>3,745,349
>VERMONT 856,993 396,014
>1,253,007
>VIRGINIA 3,030,608 1,188,040
>4,218,648
>WASHINGTON 3,298,158 1,120,626
>4,418,784
>WEST VIRGINIA 2,128,923 396,014
>2,524,937
>WISCONSIN 5,688,036 1,126,400
>6,814,436
>WYOMING 3,690,312 396,014
>4,086,326
>PUERTO RICO 856,993 0
>856,993
>GUAM 285,665 66,000
>351,665
>VIRGIN ISLANDS 285,665 66,000
>351,665
>AMERICAN SAMOA 285,665 66,000
>351,665
>N. MARIANA ISLANDS285,665 66,000
>351,665
>TOTAL 171,398,660 39,601,340
>211,000,000
>
>

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416