LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Wild-
life and Sport Fish Restoration Program, America's greatest conservation
story

WHEREAS, More than a century ago, hunters, anglers and trappers were
among the first conservationists who realized America's natural
resources were in peril and could not sustain unregulated harvest and
habitat destruction; and
WHEREAS, Hunters, anglers and trappers took it upon themselves to
support laws that stopped excessive harvesting of fish and wildlife;
established game and fish agencies to protect fish, wildlife and their
habitat; and supported special fishing and hunting license fees to help
fund the new agencies' efforts to provide for healthy natural resources
for future generations; and
WHEREAS, The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program began 75
years ago with the passage of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
Act in 1937; it was then bolstered with the passage of the Federal Aid
in Sport Fish Restoration Act in 1950, (further expanded with the
Wallop-Breaux amendment to the Sport Fish Restoration Act in 1984); and
WHEREAS, The combined contribution of the Wildlife and Sport Fish
Restoration Program to state fish and wildlife agencies has increased
significantly since 1939; this exceeds more than any other single
conservation effort in American history, adding numerous benefits to the
New York State economy; and
WHEREAS, Each year, more than one million anglers take to New York's
waters in the hope of catching one or more of the state's wide diversity
of fish species; among the fish species found are trout, salmon, large-
mouth and smallmouth bass, pike, walleye, muskellunge, catfish, panfish,
striped bass, bluefish, scup, black seabass, flounder and weakfish; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, numerous species, including the wild turkey,
white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, wood duck, beaver, black bear,
giant Canada goose, American elk, desert bighorn sheep, bobcat, mountain
lion, and several species of predatory birds, have rebuilt their popu-
lations and extended their ranges far beyond what they were in the
1930s; and
WHEREAS, A major source of funding for the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration; the wildlife
portion, known as the Pittman-Robertson Act (named after the congres-
sional sponsors of this federal legislation), provides funding for Wild-
life Conservation and Sportsman Education; and
WHEREAS, The fisheries portion, known as the Dingle-Johnson or
Wallop-Breaux Acts, provides funding for fisheries management and boat-
ing access; and
WHEREAS, The following New York State programs are funded by the Wild-
life and Sport Fish Restoration Program: Sport Fishery Management,
Aquatic Education, Sport Fishery Research, Fishing and Boating Access,
Freshwater Habitat Protection, and Marine Habitat Protection; and
WHEREAS, The cooperative partnership between industry, hunters,
anglers, trappers, boaters, recreational shooters, the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and state natural resource agencies has resulted in one
of the most successful model of fish and wildlife management in the
world, restoring populations from coast to coast, Alaska and Hawaii;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restora-
tion Program, America's greatest conservation story; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.