The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute more than $523 million in excise taxes paid by America's recreational shooters, hunters, anglers and boaters, to state fish and wildlife agencies to support fish and wildlife conservation and education programs. With this distribution, the nations preeminent wildlife management funding mechanisms will mark a major milestone. Both the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish and Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration accounts have passed the $5 billion mark, said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. That means that since establishment of these crucial programs in 1950 and 1937 respectively, anglers and hunters have paid more than $10 billion for fish and wildlife management. By supporting these excise taxes, sportsmen and women are contributing critical funds for maintaining and restoring our fish and wildlife resources. The Wildlife Restoration apportionment for 2006 totals more than $233 million, with nearly $42 million going for hunter education and shooting range programs.
