For the City-Times

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week it will distribute nearly $1.1 billion in excise tax revenues paid by sportsmen/women to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to fund fish and wildlife programs in the Midwest Region.

Wisconsin will be the recipient of $34 million.

“For over 75 years, hunters, shooters, anglers and boaters have supported the conservation of fish and wildlife resources and the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program,” said  Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Their support has left a lasting legacy in the Midwest – restoring fish and wildlife populations, improving access for recreational boaters and boosting conservation related education programs helping people to connect with hunting, shooting, fishing and boating.”

Wisconsin has been a recipient of user-generated funding from Fish & Wildlife for decades. This year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will receive over $34 million dollars in Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration dollars. The funding has been invested in restoring and conserving Wisconsin’s fish and wildlife natural resources.

Over the years, funding has supported important restoration projects including deer population research and fish hatchery renovations:

Estimating Deer Populations

Wildlife Restoration Dollars are supporting a collaborative project by the Wisconsin DNR and the University of Wisconsin – Madison to study the mortality of white-tailed deer. The purpose of the study is to provide
estimates of buck harvest rates, which will inform Wisconsin deer management and hunting policy. In addition to the buck project, the DNR and university are also partnering to study white-tailed deer fawn
survival and cause-specific mortality to help measure population dynamics. The data from these studies will inform deer management decisions and improve hunting opportunities for Wisconsin hunters.

Yellowstone Shooting Range
After nearly 20 years of construction, the Yellowstone Shooting Range in Southwestern Wisconsin reopened its doors on Sept. 14, 2013. The Wisconsin DNR had been remodeling the range for nearly 20 years to offer greater shooting opportunities and enhance safety precautions. The updated range now features a 100 yard range with eight shooting stations, a 50 yard range with six stations and a 25 foot handgun range with six stations. Berms
were added to separate the three ranges for safety. Hunter education and connecting people with natural resources is a priority for the Wisconsin DNR which was largely supported by Wildlife Restoration dollars.

Wild Rose Hatchery Renovation
The Wild Rose Hatchery was originally purchased by the Wisconsin DNR in 1908. With the support of Sport Fish Restoration funds, Wisconsin completed its renovation of the Wild Rose Hatchery in 2011. Wisconsin decided to renovate the hatchery due to its dated facilities and water supply problems. Wild Rose Hatchery is significant to the state’s $2.3 billion sport fishing industry because it produces over 60% of northern pike,
over 35% of trout and salmon as well as lake sturgeon and spotted musky for fish stocking in Wisconsin. The hatchery is now an efficient facility which enables Wisconsin to have a diverse and abundant fish
population increasing opportunities for anglers in the state and Lake Michigan.