HORICON, Wisc. March 20, 2018 Today U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke traveled to Horicon, Wis., where he announced more than $1.1 billion in annual national funding for state wildlife agencies from revenues generated by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration (PRDJ) acts.

The Secretary presented a ceremonial check to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for $34,966,603 while visiting the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area. State-by-state listings of the final Fiscal Year 2018 apportionments of Wildlife Restoration Program fund can be found here and the Sport Fish Restoration Program fund here. Allocations of the funds are authorized by Congress. To date, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has distributed more than $20.2 billion in apportionments for state conservation and recreation projects.

American sportsmen and women are some of our best conservationists and they contribute billions of dollars toward wildlife conservation and sportsmen access every year through the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts, said Secretary Zinke. For nearly eighty years, states have been able to fund important conservation initiatives thanks to the more than $20 billion that has generated nationwide. Every time a firearm, fishing pole, hook, bullet, motor boat or boat fuel is sold, part of that cost goes to fund conservation. The best way to increase funding for conservation and sportsmen access is to increase the number of hunters and anglers in our woods and waters. The American conservation model has been replicated all over the world because it works."

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources manages over 11,000 acres of the Horicon Marsh and almost every habitat project they complete includes PRDJ dollars, including prescribed burning, invasive species treatments, wetland berm maintenance, prairie seeding and restoration and timber stand improvement.

The funds, which are distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, support critical state conservation and outdoor recreation projects. They are derived from excise taxes paid by the hunting, archery, shooting, boating and angling industries on firearms, archery equipment, ammunition, sport fishing equipment and a portion of gasoline tax attributable to motorboat fuel and small engines.

Wisconsin boaters generate $1.18 billion of economic impact annually, while hunting contributes to $2.5 billion in yearly economic impact. Angling creates more than 21,000 jobs while impacting the economy to the tune of $2.3 billion each year.

These funds are integral to our ability to provide hunting and fishing access, restore habitat and manage species at the state level, said Daniel L. Meyer, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. We greatly value the partnership we have with the Service and the Department of Interior.

STATE

TOTAL SPORTFISH RESTORATION-9510

TOTAL - ALL WILDLIFE FUNDS (FY18)

TOTAL - ALL FUNDS (FY18)

ALABAMA

$6,151,179

$19,360,421

$25,511,600

ALASKA

$17,595,874

$33,455,771

$51,051,645

AMERICAN SAMOA

$1,173,058

$1,328,563

$2,501,621

ARIZONA

$7,154,503

$22,080,003

$29,234,506

ARKANSAS

$5,348,981

$13,221,723

$18,570,704

CALIFORNIA

$16,513,733

$26,037,993

$42,551,726

COLORADO

$9,143,673

$19,872,123

$29,015,796

CONNECTICUT

$3,519,175

$5,901,190

$9,420,365

DELAWARE

$3,519,175

$4,785,824

$8,304,999

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

$1,173,058

$0

$1,173,058

FLORIDA

$12,236,611

$14,351,398

$26,588,009

GEORGIA

$8,041,424

$23,213,465

$31,254,889

GUAM

$1,173,058

$1,328,563

$2,501,621

HAWAII

$3,519,175

$4,785,824

$8,304,999

IDAHO

$6,430,284

$15,474,320

$21,904,604

ILLINOIS

$6,593,209

$16,335,080

$22,928,289

INDIANA

$4,577,731

$13,573,699

$18,151,430

IOWA

$4,513,130

$11,515,178

$16,028,308

KANSAS

$4,981,927

$14,646,057

$19,627,984

KENTUCKY

$5,198,763

$14,127,290

$19,326,053

LOUISIANA

$6,908,171

$15,884,383

$22,792,554

MAINE

$3,519,175

$8,055,283

$11,574,458

MARYLAND

$3,519,175

$7,754,551

$11,273,726

MASSACHUSETTS

$3,519,175

$7,986,372

$11,505,547

MICHIGAN

$10,692,452

$24,296,525

$34,988,977

MINNESOTA

$12,500,370

$23,400,370

$35,900,740

MISSISSIPPI

$4,009,209

$12,144,757

$16,153,966

MISSOURI

$7,677,750

$21,117,103

$28,794,853

MONTANA

$8,648,987

$21,131,270

$29,780,257

N. MARIANA ISLANDS

$1,173,058

$1,328,563

$2,501,621

NEBRASKA

$4,483,366

$12,833,330

$17,316,696

NEVADA

$4,974,601

$13,948,153

$18,922,754

NEW HAMPSHIRE

$3,519,175

$4,785,824

$8,304,999

NEW JERSEY

$3,519,175

$7,986,372

$11,505,547

NEW MEXICO

$6,244,495

$15,787,434

$22,031,929

NEW YORK

$7,820,180

$20,862,345

$28,682,525

NORTH CAROLINA

$10,344,499

$21,338,737

$31,683,236

NORTH DAKOTA

$4,130,618

$11,377,784

$15,508,402

OHIO

$6,898,966

$16,457,632

$23,356,598

OKLAHOMA

$7,695,368

$19,907,732

$27,603,100

OREGON

$7,820,246

$17,690,588

$25,510,834

PENNSYLVANIA

$8,571,622

$28,157,633

$36,729,255

PUERTO RICO

$3,519,175

$3,452,263

$6,971,438

RHODE ISLAND

$3,519,175

$4,785,824

$8,304,999

SOUTH CAROLINA

$4,899,188

$10,678,793

$15,577,981

SOUTH DAKOTA

$4,490,053

$13,775,104

$18,265,157

TENNESSEE

$7,457,271

$22,544,767

$30,002,038

TEXAS

$17,595,874

$36,656,319

$54,252,193

UTAH

$6,405,939

$14,616,342

$21,022,281

VERMONT

$3,519,175

$4,785,824

$8,304,999

VIRGIN ISLANDS

$1,173,058

$1,328,563

$2,501,621

VIRGINIA

$5,204,846

$14,176,335

$19,381,181

WASHINGTON

$7,112,530

$15,120,458

$22,232,988

WEST VIRGINIA

$3,519,175

$8,209,596

$11,728,771

WISCONSIN

$11,424,513

$23,542,090

$34,966,603

WYOMING

$5,329,957

$13,861,148

$19,191,105

TOTAL

$351,917,483

$797,160,652

$1,149,078,135

The recipient state wildlife agencies have matched these funds with approximately $6.7 billion throughout the years, primarily through hunting and fishing license revenues.

For more information about the WSFR program visit http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/.