Issue: Funding

Providing Dependable Conservation Funding

Conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats depends on many factors - one of the most fundamental of all is adequate funding. Traditionally, hunters and anglers have provided the lion's share of conservation funding through excise taxes on hunting and fishing gear, license fees, duck stamps, etc. In the majority of cases, state fish and wildlife agencies receive very limited, if any general tax revenue. As the issues and challenges in conservation efforts mount, state and federal management agencies are seeing declining budgets. Members of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners work to ensure that there these agencies that are charged with the management of fish and wildlife and their habitats have adequate dependable funding.

Partner efforts:

October 2007 - Funding for wildlife conservation in climate change legislation (pdf)

June 2008 - Dear Colleague letter on arms and ammunition excise tax legislation (pdf)
Members of the AWCP worked with the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus to introduce legislation that would change Pittman - Robertson Wildlife Restoration Fund payments from bi-weekly to quarterly.