St. Paul, MN -(AmmoLand.com)- Q: Now is the time of year when Minnesota residents can contribute to the DNR’s Nongame Wildlife checkoff fund on their tax forms. What is this money used for and how does it help wildlife?
A: Donations made to this fund are used by the DNR’s Nongame Wildlife Program for a number of statewide efforts to help protect and manage more than 800 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, butterflies and selected invertebrates that are not traditionally hunted or harvested. This includes conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species.
Specifically, the species that have benefited from these efforts are bald eagles, trumpeter swans, peregrine falcons, eastern bluebirds, Blanding’s turtles, bats, timber rattlesnakes, great blue herons and other colonial water birds like egrets and grebes. The money also helps to acquire land and easements that protect habitat; manage prairies, forests and wetlands; create buffer zones along lakeshores; assist private landowners and local governments with habitat management; fund educational programs; and much more – including the DNR EagleCam.
Contributions can be made on your Minnesota tax form or online at www.mndnr.gov/eco/nongame/checkoff.html. These donations provide 80 percent of funding for the Nongame Wildlife Program and are matched with funds from conservation license plates.
Carrol Henderson, DNR Nongame Wildlife Program supervisor
About Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:
The mission of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) is to work with citizens to conserve and manage the state’s natural resources, to provide outdoor recreation opportunities, and to provide for commercial uses of natural resources in a way that creates a sustainable quality of life.
For more information, visit: www.dnr.state.mn.us.