This is a followup to the message Dennis Paulson posted yesterday (which
was forwarded from birdchat).

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 11:00:48 MST
From: Craig Faanes <faanesca at MAIL.FWS.GOV>
To: Multiple recipients of list BIRDCHAT <BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Subject: Excise Taxes

Someone recently brought up a good point about excise taxes on
non-consumptive recreational items that could be applied to "nongame"
conservation activities. The vehicle to implement a program based on
such a tax exists but it has never been implemented.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act ("Nongame Act") (16 U.S.C.
2901-2911) was approved on September 29, 1980, and authorized $5
million for each fiscal year 1982-1985 for "grants for development and
implementation of comprehensive State nongame fish and wildlife plans
and for administration of the Act." It also required the Fish and
Wildlife Service to study potential mechanisms for funding these
activities and to report to Congress by March 1984.

Later, Public Law 99-375 approved on August 7, 1986, authorized
appropriations of $5 million for fiscal years 1986, 1987, and 1988.
Still later, Public Law 100-653, approved November 14, 1988, extended
authorization of appropriations through fiscal year 1990, and amended
the Act to require the Service "to monitor and assess migratory
nongame birds, determine the effects of environmental changes and
human activities, identify those species likely to be candidates for
endangered species listing, identify appropriate actions, and report
to Congress one year from enactment." Section 106 of Public Law
101-593, signed into law on November 16, 1990 (104 Stat. 2955)
reauthorized appropriations for the Nongame Act through fiscal year
1992.

So, the mechanism is there for some serious work on conserving
"nongame" wildlife. "Why" you might ask, has nothing happened?
The kicker to all this verbiage is that the Act and its various
amendments *authorizes* the activities, but the Congress has yet to
*appropriate* the funds to carry out the work.

Craig Faanes
FaanesCA at mail.fws.gov