March 9, 2016

Even $1 at tax time helps Arizona’s wildlife

Taxpayer donations help bald eagles, tortoises, Sonoran pronghorn and others


PHOENIX – Did you know that your state taxes do not support the conservation of Arizona’s wildlife, but your donations do? Taxpayers can help the state’s wildlife at tax time by “making a mark” on their state income tax form. The Arizona Wildlife Fund is a voluntary program that allows Arizona taxpayers to make a donation specifically to help imperiled and endangered wildlife, including majestic bald eagles, black-footed ferrets, California condors, Apache trout, Mexican wolves and desert tortoises, among other nongame species.

“Since Game and Fish does not receive any general fund dollars, the Arizona Wildlife Fund provides important support for managing and conserving some of the state’s most iconic native species,” says Josh Avey, terrestrial wildlife branch chief for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

“The fund goes only to nongame species that are not hunted or fished, and the cumulative effect of even a dollar can have a tremendous impact on conserving one of Arizona’s greatest natural treasures – its wildlife.” Since Arizona started the program more than 25 years ago, taxpayers have donated more than $5 million to the conservation of nongame wildlife.

For the 2014 tax year, the average donation was nearly $26. The Arizona Wildlife Fund box can be found on line “64” of the state’s long income tax form, or line “33” of the short tax form.

To learn more about the conservation and reintroduction efforts the fund supports, visit www.azgfd.gov/nongame.