Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Funding
Wildlife conservation in Texas is funded by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, (Pittman-Robertson, P-R). The funds allow TPWD's Wildlife Division to offer many services, including the following:
•technical guidance to private landowners (who control 94% of wildlife habitat in Texas)
•TPWD surveys and research for development of hunting regulations
•operation and management of WMAs in Texas
•conducting research and developing techniques for managing wildlife populations and wildlife habitat
Most of the work done by the Wildlife Division is eligible for reimbursement under the P-R Act. For every dollar spent by the Wildlife Division on approved P-R projects, about 75 cents is returned to the Department for wildlife conservation. This amounts to approximately $9 million annually. By law, funding is limited to wildlife management, related public use, and hunter education. Pittman-Robertson funds collected from federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers (an 11% excise tax on sporting rifles, shotguns, ammunition, and archery equipment and a 10% tax on handguns) are distributed to states based on number of hunters and land area. Texas receives the maximum distribution allowable under the program.