Wildlife Restoration ACT (WRA) http://www.delawareenvirothon.org/2016%20Web%20Updates/Wildlif e%20-%20Mar%204%202016/WRA%20Funding%20Presentation.pdf

Wildlife Management The Early Years

Early Settlers Reported - “incredible numbers,” of deer, beaver, turkey, hares, and fowl… “millions of millions,” of passenger pigeons Large mature forests Clearing of land only by Native Americans, beavers, or lightning caused fires Deer were hunted mercilessly for their meat and hides By 1639, regulations on deer hunting imposed Connecticut and Massachusetts also imposed limits But it was to late, deer herds were almost gone!

New York Sporting Club 1844 New York Sporting club members hunted for sport Promoted restrictions against market hunters Massachusetts (1865) – created 1st state administered game and fish commission Instrumental in getting laws passed for game species conservation

Stop Market Hunting!! Sports hunters worked to stop the unethical hunting practices of the market hunters….

Mid-1870s of a pile of American bison skulls waiting to be ground for fertilizer

Market Hunters Market hunters killed birds and animals to sell their feathers, furs, and meat…… Hunted all year long Killed passenger pigeons during nesting season One such hunt recorded the slaughter of 1.5 million passenger pigeons in a single hunt Read more at http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1114- tina_butler_pigeon.html#hCkypMX45bIVIdrQ.99 Slaughtered waterfowl on their breeding grounds http://www.fws.gov/news/historic/1941/19410121.pdf

1st Federal Act Passed Dealing with wildlife The Road Back 1st Federal Act Passed Dealing with wildlife

Lacey Act of 1900 Doom of large-scale market hunting Saved fish and wildlife species from destruction Forest and Stream American Field Audubon Society The League of American Sportsmen The Boone and Crockett Club “Ban the interstate transportation and sale of most wildlife and wildlife products, such as feathers” – Federal Crime!

1858-1919 1900 – VP to McKinley 26th President (42 years old) Term in office -1901 - 1908

His Conservation Efforts March 14, 1903 - Pelican Island, in Florida's Indian River First Federal Wildlife Refuge Less than four acres Roosevelt...created fifty more bird reservations 150 National Forests 4 Game Preserves 5 National Parks 18 National Monuments http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/conNatlForests.htm

Washington Post- Clifford Berryman political cartoonist President Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear while hunting in Mississippi e

Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act 1916 Signed by? U.S. and Great Britain 1st effective legislation protecting migratory waterfowl Why have a federal regulation to protect these birds? Waterfowl are migratory and cross international boundaries Breed in Canada and fly yearly across the U.S. to Central and South America

Aldo Leopold “Father of Game Management” Professor of game management at the Univ. of Wisconsin 1933 – published Game Management Still used today as the basis for wildlife management taught in school and managing wildlife http://books.google.com/books?id=Qz4GzWL4kgQC&lpg=PP1&dq=Aldo%20Leopold&pg=PR19#v=onepage&q=&f=true

Duck Stamp Act Passed in 1934 Required waterfowl hunters to purchase a $1.00 stamp Sale of “duck stamps” produced $600,000 in its first year With the increase to $3.00, income from sales generated $6 million a year Income helped to finance many federal waterfowl projects

Birdbanding!! 1920 - first birds banded 1 million birds per year banded 50,000 bands recovered each year bands help to determine: migratory routes, distribution within types of habitats, breeding age, other life histories Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel, Md. (records maintained- over 45 million birds)

They Also Administer Federal Aid…. 1939 -Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act – “Pittman-Robertson Act” excise tax on sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment 1952- Federal Aid in Sport Fisheries Restoration Act – “Dingell-Johnson Act” excise tax on sport fishing tackle 1984 - Wallop- Breaux Amendments – tax motorboat fuel, pleasure boats

Benefits of the “Pittman-Robertson Act” Act - Increase in wild turkey populations from 100,000 to 4,500,000 Pronghorn Antelope was 13,000 now over 950,000 pronghorn antelope Elk was 40,000 now > 1,000,000 Trumpeter swan was 73 now 25,000 and thriving White-tail deer below 500,000 now 20 million Wood Ducks was RARE now 5,500,000 - the most common duck Canada Goose was 1.1 million, now >3,7 million

Economic impact of hunting: hunters spend $$$millions each year licenses and tag fees (resident & nonresident) federal & state waterfowl stamps air fair, hotels, meals, gas, clothing leasing of land from farmers

Benefits from private conservation organizations

Benefits from private conservation organizations