A Check for Wildlife

Hunters, fishermen and trappers have financially and politically supported the conservation of game and furbearing species since the early 1900s. But what about nongame wildlife and those species considered endangered or threatened? How are they managed and conserved, and who supports them financially?

Although Nebraska's Nongame Wildlife Program began in 1971, financial support was quite limited since hunter license monies could stretch only so far. Significant development of the program did not occur until the Nebraska Legislature passed the Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act in 1975. That act established the policy that the state shall conserve nongame species, and species determined to be endangered or threatened, for human enjoyment, for scientific purposes, and to ensure their continued existence as a part of our natural world. With the act came financial aid from general tax revenues that allowed the nongame program to take root and grow. Now the general public, not just the hunter or fisherman, was helping preserve a resource from which all of us receive benefit.

Since the nongame program involves a wide range of species and the problems and questions needing solutions are

Least tern

many and varied, financial aid from general tax revenues provided only a start toward the total effort needed. An additional source of funding had to be found. That came in 1984 when the Nebraska Legislature established the State Income Tax Check-off for Nongame Wildlife. A line on the state income tax form allows a taxpayer receiving a refund to contribute all or part of that refund to the Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Fund. It is also possible for anyone, including taxpayers not entitled to a tax refund, to contribute directly to the fund. Funding generated through the check-off is vital, for without it, critical conservation programs for nongame and endangered wildlife would not be possible.

• Reintroduction of the endangered river otter and peregrine falcon.
• A project to supplement the state's barn owl breeding population by releasing captive-propagated birds to the wild, and to conduct research on the status, distribution and habitat requirements of two existing breeding populations in southern Nebraska.
• Establishment of a natural heritage program that identifies and inventories rare and unique animals and plant species and natural communities, and determines priorities for preservation.
• Nongame Wildlife Cooperative Conservation Program provides funding to organizations, schools, clubs and similar entities that conduct projects for the benefit of nongame wildlife.
• Research projects that collect information on the status, distribution and life requirements of nongame and endangered wildlife and plants necessary to management and restoration efforts.
• Providing financial assistance to education and information programs, such as Project Wild, that promote values of nongame wildlife and conservation needs.
• Printing and distributing brochures, posters, signs, and magazine articles describing ongoing conservation projects and the value of nongame and endangered wildlife. Examples include: Winter Bird Feeding Techniques; Barn Owls in Nebraska; Is It a Whooping Crane?.
• More Checkoff Funded Projects in Nebraska