Mountain-Prairie Region

State Projects | State Wildlife Action Plans | Fiscal | Lands

Photo Credit: FWS

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Mountain-Prairie Region Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFRP) works with states, insular areas and tribes to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, their habitats, and the hunting, sport fishing and recreational boating opportunities they provide.

The grant programs are administered through the Regional Office in Denver, Colorado. The Mountain-Prairie Region includes Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah.

Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs are the most successful conservation programs in our nation’s history and have a long history of success.

The Pittman – Robertson Act of 1937 and the Dingell – Johnson Act of 1950 gave rise to the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs. These Acts empowered progressive hunters, conservationists, and manufacturers of certain hunting and fishing equipment, to join forces with State Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect America’s wildlife.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs are based on a “user pay- user benefit” principle and we like to think of the programs as having a cycle of success. The cycle of success starts with the manufacturers and the excise taxes that are paid on certain hunting and fishing equipment items and also through fuels taxes.

After the taxes are collected, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awards the program funds out to our State partners to fund their fish and wildlife conservation efforts and to provide boating access opportunities to the public. In turn, the State’s efforts result in more and better opportunities for our hunters, anglers, and boaters to enjoy the resource and ultimately purchase products that start the cycle all over again!

The grant programs are now approaching almost $1 billion annually in funds that are awarded out to State agencies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their conservation and recreational boating programs.

Projects and Activities made possible by this immensely successful State/Federal Partnership include:

• Hunter Education
• Aquatic Education
• Fish and Wildlife Education
• Research
• Fish and Wildlife Management
• Upland, Riparian, and Aquatic Habitat Restoration
• Land Acquisition
• Conservation Easement Acquisition
• Water Rights Acquisition
• Land Acquisition for Hunting, Fishing and Boating Access
• Endangered Species Conservation
• Fish Hatchery Operations and Maintenance
• Wildlife Management Area Operations and Maintenance

NEWS: Fiscal Year 2013 Apportionments

2013 Apportionments

How Do I Apply for a Grant?