The U.S. Department of Interior is allocating $1.1 billion in grants to state wildlife agencies for state-led wildlife and fish conservation efforts in 2018.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke made the announcement Tuesday while touring New England to meet with local officials and visit the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The monument is scheduled for review under President Donald Trump’s executive order to reevaluate all national monument designations over 100,000 acres.
The department grants are funded through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration acts. The acts funnel money from excise taxes collected on hunting and fishing gear such as firearms, archery equipment and motorboats.
“For nearly eight decades, the nation’s hunters and anglers have generated billions of dollars to protect wildlife and habitat simply by purchasing items that help them engage in the outdoor activities they enjoy,” Zinke said in DOI press release. “Their support has helped state wildlife agencies protect our country’s environmental legacy for future generations of hunters, fishers, recreationalists, and conservationists.”
TU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute the grants. Congress will decide the amount of funds devoted to each state will be, however.
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