Tax Check-off Supports Nongame Species

Anyone getting ready to file an Idaho tax return might consider supporting Idaho fish and wildlife not managed as game with a voluntary contribution through the state income tax check-off. Fish and Game has always managed nongame species to some degree, but the nongame program - now part of the Conservation Sciences Program - became a reality in July 1982, following legislation that established the state's first income tax check-off on the 1981 income tax form. The check-off continues to be a critical source of program income today. The number of Idaho residents participating in wildlife related activities, such as bird and wildlife watching, wildlife photography, bird feeding and conservation education, continues to rise. While this constituency continues to grow, the problem of how to fund nongame programs and meet ever-increasing demands continues. More than 80 percent of Idaho's wild creatures - 523 species including songbirds, water birds, raptors, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians - are classified as "nongame." Adding invertebrates and plants, the list grows to about 98 percent of Idaho's biological diversity - close to 4,000 species. Nongame programs rely on the income tax check-off, donations, grants and federal funds in addition to the sale of wildlife specialty vehicle license plates. Approved by the Idaho Legislature in 1992, the bluebird plate became available in 1993. The elk plate was added in 1998 and the cutthroat trout plate in 2003. The wildlife plates now provide about 95 percent of state-based funding for nongame wildlife programs, which include annual bald eagles counts and the new Idaho Birding Trail, as well as Project WILD and Wildlife Express for teachers and students. The money also provides critical matching dollars for federal grants and partnerships with federal natural resource agencies.