The Waterfowl Association of Iowa would like to propose that the state legislature

allocate a 1/8 th cent sales tax to be evenly divided between REAP and the Fish and

Wildlife trust fund and to protect that allocation from reversion to the State

General fund.

This would create a stable, secure and somewhat inflation protected funding source

for conservation

funding in a state that ranks very low in such funding.

The Fish and Wildlife trust is the funding stream for the Fisheries, Wildlife and

Law Enforcement Bureaus of the DNR and has traditionally been funded solely by

sportsmen’s dollars. Declining numbers of active sportsmen in recent years, due in

part to lack of sufficient land upon which to pursue their pastimes, has left the

Fund insufficient to cover the costs of proper maintenance of public lands and

enforcement of wildlife laws throughout the state.

When the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) legislation was passed in 1989

it was recognized as one of the nations most responsive and progressive

environmental programs and has since been copied in several other states. REAP has

been tremendously successful but it’s annual funding has been unpredictable. This

allocation would provide a much more stable funding source.

All citizens of and visitors to the State of Iowa benefit from plentiful and well

maintained public recreation areas as well as the environmental benefits of projects

designed to improve water quality, reduce erosion, and beautify our state.

The economic impacts of these area’s is also significant.

“REAP’s investment in outdoor Iowa has been responsible for continually improving a

large part of the state’s quality of life through recreation, diverse landscapes and

environmental health,” said Jeff Vonk, director of the DNR. “But often overlooked is

that this natural resource investment also

yields high economic return,” Vonk said.

Just considering hunting, Vonk explained that public hunting lands generate about

$340 per acre per year to the economy of the region. The values escalate when

camping, hiking, and other recreational uses of the land are added to hunting.

High-use lakes, like Clear Lake in northern Iowa and Lake Ahquabi in southern Iowa

yield staggering economic impacts in the neighborhood of $20,000 per acre per year,

he said.

“It makes sense that we consider both the quality of life and economic return when

we make decisions on natural resource developments,” Vonk said.

The sportsmen and women of Iowa can no longer bear the financial burden alone.

Please Support our Proposal.