NEAFWA 2018

AUTHORS: Steve Gomez, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

ABSTRACT. In 2015, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department launched a voluntary Habitat Stamp to raise funds for habitat conservation. Modeled after the success of the Federal Duck Stamp, the Habitat Stamp is our attempt to broaden our base of support for conservation funding, and to give non-consumptive users an avenue to financially support the work of the department by purchasing an alternative to a hunting or fishing license. The stamp has seen some success in the first three years since its launch, with several hundred thousand dollars raised, allowing the department to hire additional staff to work on habitat management and to put funds directly towards the purchase of state wildlife management areas. But it has also not broadened the funding tent as much as we were hoping, with over 90 percent of the program income coming from hunters and anglers who purchase the stamp as an add-on to their license. We’ll discuss our approach to the Vermont Habitat Stamp, the program’s successes and failures, and where we hope to take it in the future.