00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 25                                                                   
01 Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.                                    
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS, more than a century ago, hunters and anglers were among the first                                      
04 conservationists to realize that the natural resources of the country were in peril and could not                       
05 be sustained without regulated harvests and habitat preservation; and                                                   
06       WHEREAS hunters and anglers have historically supported legislation to stop                                     
07 excessive harvest of fish and wildlife, establish fish and game agencies to protect fish,                               
08 wildlife, and habitat, and assess special fishing and hunting license fees to help fund agency                          
09 efforts to conserve natural resources for future generations; and                                                       
10       WHEREAS the Alaska State Legislature recognizes that the primary authority to                                   
11 protect and manage fish and wildlife in the state lies with the state's fish and wildlife agencies;                     
12 and                                                                                                                     
13       WHEREAS, when hunters and anglers realized that licensing fees were insufficient to                             
14 restore and sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations, they supported placing excise taxes                          
15 on firearms, ammunition, and archery, hunting, and fishing equipment to raise funds to                                  
16 support fish and wildlife restoration and enhancement efforts by state agencies; and                                    

01       WHEREAS the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program in the United States                                    
02 Fish and Wildlife Service, which began 75 years ago with the passage in 1937 of the Federal                             
03 Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and later expanded with the passage in 1950 of the Federal                              
04 Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, represents an effective "user pay, public benefit" system;                           
05 and                                                                                                                     
06       WHEREAS, since 1939, contributions to state fish and wildlife agencies by the                                 
07 Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program have exceeded $13,000,000,000, representing                                 
08 the greatest single conservation effort in the history of the United States and the nation's                            
09 primary means of funding conservation; and                                                                              
10       WHEREAS manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and hunting, fishing, and boating                                
11 equipment have collected excise taxes in firearms, ammunition, archery equipment,                                       
12 manufactured fishing tackle, electric trolling motors, marine electronics, and motorboat fuel                           
13 that have been distributed to the states through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;                           
14 and                                                                                                                     
15       WHEREAS manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and hunting, fishing, and boating                                
16 equipment have supported wildlife and sport fish restoration programs and continue to exhibit                           
17 a spirit of cooperation with federal and state fish and wildlife agencies; and                                          
18       WHEREAS the cooperative partnership between industry, hunters, anglers, boaters,                                
19 and recreational shooters, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and state natural                               
20 resource agencies is the most successful model for fish and wildlife management in the world                            
21 and has resulted in the restoration of fish and wildlife populations from Alaska to Hawaii;                             
22       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature, on the 75th anniversary of the                                
23 nation's greatest conservation story, recognizes the leading roles of hunters, anglers, boaters,                        
24 recreational shooters, industry, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the United States Fish and                       
25 Wildlife Service in restoring healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and other natural resources,                       
26 both game and nongame, to the abundance enjoyed today.                                                                  
27       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the                                 
28 Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative,                                 
29 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.