NEAFWA 2018

AUTHORS: Chris Spatz, President Cougar Rewilding Foundation; John Laundré, Western Oregon University

ABSTRACT. An emerging problem regarding wildlife funding is dwindling financial resources to support the state agencies designated to manage wildlife. Having traditionally tied the support of these agencies mainly to hunting related revenues, decreasing numbers of hunters has led to concurrent decreases in funding bases. Most recent data indicate the number of hunters continues to decrease (down to 5% of U.S. population over 16 years old) with even further declines in revenues for state agencies. Non-hunting citizens who watch wildlife (wildlife watchers, 35% of the population) greatly exceed numbers of hunters and spend billions of dollars more on pursuing their activities. However, the revenues generated related to these activities (equipment, trip- related expenses, jobs and wages, federal and state taxes) do not directly fund state wildlife agencies. Thus, many discount and marginalize the immense economic potential wildlife watching revenues represent. Because hunting can no longer provide the primary source for funding state wildlife agencies, and a significant percentage of the wildlife watching public are demanding that these agencies support their use of wildlife, states need to develop ways for wildlife watchers to contribute directly to state wildlife agencies. We propose that state wildlife funding can best be supplemented by what we term wildlife reinvestment: dedicating a small percentage of existing state taxes on wildlife watching revenues back into state wildlife agencies. Wildlife reinvestment does not require new or tax increases. We use New York State as an example of how the reinvestment of a small percentage (15 cents per $100) of the total state spending, providing over $190 million dollars to New York State’s wildlife agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation. Because research has demonstrated that every $1 spent on wildlife generates from $7-$21 in return revenue, wildlife reinvestment will increase state tax revenues.