The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is asking taxpayers to think “wildlife conservation” when filling out their North Carolina state tax income form this year.

Whether they hunt, fish or simply watch wildlife, taxpayers can help conserve North Carolina’s nongame wildlife and their habitats by donating a portion of their refund to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund by checking on line 30 of their state income tax form.

Nongame wildlife includes all the birds, mammals, fish, mollusks, reptiles, amphibians, and crayfish that do not have a designated hunting or fishing season.

Although tax check-off donations target projects benefiting nongame animals and their habitats, game species such as deer, turkey and bear also benefit because they share many of these same habitats.

The commission uses tax-check off donations to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund to support nongame wildlife research, conservation and management, including monitoring populations of red-cockaded woodpeckers and peregrine falcons, managing habitat to benefit bog turtles, surveying for gopher frogs, developing captive breeding techniques for mussels, and for research and future restoration efforts.

Donations make up the largest and most significant source of non-federal funding to help these animals, so donations – no matter how small – are critical to the continuation of many projects.

“Any amount people donate helps us to match federal and other grants, pay for educational activities and programs, such as the N.C. Birding Trail and Green Growth Toolbox, and conduct research on nongame and endangered animals,” said Allen Boynton, Wildlife Diversity Program coordinator with the commission. “By matching grants, we can increase the dollars that are available to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. A $100 donation results in at least an additional $185 that we have to use to help protect these species.”

Current work includes surveys to determine the abundance and distribution of many species throughout the state, such as sea turtles along the coast, robust redhorse in the Piedmont and golden eagles in the mountains. Through surveys, biologists collect data that help them determine the most effective ways to manage wildlife and their habitats, ensuring that species not only survive, but thrive, in a state where habitat continues to disappear at an alarming rate.

The Tar Heel state is home to more than 1,000 nongame species. Many of them, such as box turtles, green anoles and cardinals, are common and can be found in many backyards, fields and woods. Others, such as sea turtles, many freshwater mussel species and several bat species, are endangered or threatened and need conservation to prevent them from disappearing entirely from our state’s landscape.

Online tax preparation software, such as TurboTax, does not have numbered lines, so e-filers will be asked if they would like to make a donation to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund. Other tax filers can also tell their tax preparer they would like to donate.

Tax season isn’t the only time or way to contribute to wildlife conservation. Other ways to help North Carolina’s wildlife and their habitats year-round are by registering a vehicle or trailer with a N.C. Wildlife Conservation license plate or donating online at www.ncwildlife.org/give.

More information about the Wildlife Diversity Program, including projects and quarterly reports, is available on the Commission’s website, ncwildlife.org/Conserving/Programs/WildlifeDiversityProgram.aspx.

Since 1947, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been dedicated to the conservation and sustainability of the state’s fish and wildlife resources through research, scientific management, wise use, and public input. The commission is the state regulatory agency responsible for the enforcement of fishing, hunting, trapping and boating laws and provides programs and opportunities for wildlife-related educational, recreational and sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.ncwildlife.org.

– Submitted by Jodie B. Owen