Nevada anglers, hunters and shooters soon will see some real benefits from paying taxes when the state gets its annual share of allocations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced more than $740 million will be distributed to the fish and wildlife agencies of the 50 states, commonwealths, the District of Columbia, and territories to fund fish and wildlife conservation, boater access to public waters, and hunter and aquatic education.

"The funds raised under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs have helped conserve our fish and wildlife resources and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation for more than half a century," said Salazar.

"These investments, which help create jobs while protecting our nation's natural treasures, are particularly important in these tough economic times," Salazar said. "All those who pay into this program -- the hunting and fishing industries, boaters, hunters, anglers, and recreational shooters -- should take pride in helping to conserve our land and its fish and wildlife and provide benefits to all Americans who cherish the natural world and outdoor recreation."

These Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds come from excise taxes and import duties on sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, sportfishing equipment, electric outboard motors, and fuel taxes attributable to motorboats and small engines.

In 2009, Nevada will receive $5,911,481 in Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Funds and $5,941,215 in Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Funds.

The money goes to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, which in the past has used the funds for wildlife and fisheries research, wildlife restoration, purchasing lands, developing fish hatcheries and boating access, and fishing and hunting education programs.

"Not only are the dollars allocated by these acts critical, but the legislative safeguards that deliver them prevent diversion of our sportsmen's and women's dollars to anything but programs for them," said Ken Mayer, director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. "Few programs offer this level of support and reliability to ensure a future for fish and wildlife," he continued.

Funds are shared among the states according to a formula that takes into account such things as total land and water area, number of fishing and hunting license holders and the amount of excise tax collected. Both of these programs are held up as successful examples of "user fee" programs, because those who use the resource are the ones who pay.

Sportsmen continue to support these self-imposed taxes, though there has been a push in recent years to get more users, particularly non-license buyers, to pay a share. In Nevada, 97 percent of the NDOW's funding is from federal grants, license and permit sales, gifts, and donations. Only 3 percent of the funding comes from the state general fund.

Among the uses of these funds in Nevada is preservation of land in Wildlife Management Areas. Nevada owns or has long-term leases on over 117,000 acres of land incorporated into Wildlife Management Areas across the state. Emphasis is on the protection of wetlands and waterfowl, and to preserve areas for hunting.