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enthusiasts to contribute to fish and wildUfe conservation. While non-game wildlife 

 recreational expenditures contribute significantly to the economy, little if any of this money 

 supports any conservation effort. It has been estimated that Americans spend over $18 billion 

 annually to watch wildlife, of which more than $5 billion is spent on bird watching and 

 feeding alone, yet none of the proceeds of this economic activity support fish and wildlife 

 conservation. Recently the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (lAFWA) 

 has sought to bring greater attention to this funding disparity. I commend those efforts and the 

 efforts of lAFWA Executive Vice President, Max Peterson in particular. 



NFWF will continue to pioneer new conservation strategies for the benefit of both game and 

 non-game species. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Initiative is just one example 

 of NFWF's efforts to address often under-funded fish and wildlife conservation problems. 

 While we are making progress, we believe increased non-game and non-endangered species 

 funding will be critical to successful conservation of our nation's fish and wildlife resources. 

 For this reason, we support efforts to develop additional dedicated sources of funding for fish 

 and wildlife conservation, including "Teaming with Wildlife." Thank you for the opportunity 

 to comment on this important topic. 



