The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is distributing more than $1 billion this year to support increased outdoor access and wildlife habitat conservation across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The funds are generated through excise taxes on hunting, shooting, fishing equipment and boat fuel.

Authorized by Congress through the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, these dollars support critical state conservation and outdoor recreation projects. They are administered through the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program, which is long considered the foundation of fish and wildlife conservation in the United States.

To date the Service has distributed more than $21 billion in apportionments for state conservation and recreation projects. The recipient state wildlife agencies have matched these funds with approximately $7.3 billion throughout the years, primarily through hunting and fishing license revenues.

For more information about the WSFR program, visit http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/.