CHArrER 2: AITIXTKl) ENVIRONMENT 



reservation boundaries. In Montana, FWP is the agency with the statutory responsibility to manage 

 resident wildlife. FWP's Wildlife Program is coordinated at the statewide level and implemented through 

 seven administrative regions. 



The Montana Legislature authorizes staffing with the numbers of Full Time Equivalent employees (FTEs) 

 being adopted with the state budget. Within those programs affected by the outcome of the EIS, current 

 staff includes 97 FTEs in the Wildlife Division, 22 FTEs in the Conservation Education Division, 99 

 FTEs in the Enforcement Division, 39 FTEs in Field Services, and 97 FTEs in Management and 

 Administration. Outside the Wildlife Division, staff time devoted to support and administration of the 

 wildlife program varies annually, with an estimated 35-40% .spent on wildlife related activities. Some of 

 these duties include: enforcement of game laws, licensing and inspection of game farms, responding to 

 game damage complaints and human/wildlife conflicts, meeting public education needs, hunter and bow 

 hunter education, publishing the FWP magazine Montana Outdoors, producing educational videos, 

 printing and distributing maps and regulations, conducting drawings for limited permits, issuing special 

 and nonresident licenses, negotiating land acquisitions, developing terms for conservation easements, and 

 tracking expenditures (FWP 1999). 



FWP Funding 



State law authorizes FWP to collect fees from hunters, trappers, and anglers (87-1-601, MCA). Most of 

 these revenues are channeled back into management of the resources generating it. The Montana 

 Legislature has earmarked about 20% of all license revenues for specific purposes, such as habitat 

 protection or hunter access. The remainder of these funds is deposited into one general license account 

 without regard to the species generating the revenue. Although license revenue could be considered as 

 state revenue, its use is limited to funding FWP programs by law. In order to maintain FWP's eligibility 

 to receive matching federal funding under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman- 

 Robertson), the Montana Legislature agreed to use hunting license revenue only for wildlife management 

 (87-1-708. MCA). Similarly, use of interest earned from cash balances on license revenue can only be 

 used to fund FWP programs. About two-thirds of the total license revenue collected by FWP is derived 

 from the sale of nonresident hunting and fishing licenses. 



The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act has helped fund FWP's wildlife management programs since 

 1941 (Kallman 1987). In 2002, approximately 26% ($15.1 million) of FWP's total revenue was obtained 

 from federal sources. Most of this funding is generated through excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, 

 archery equipment, and handguns. Federal funding matches state license revenue to fund wildlife 

 surveys, research, hunter education, and various support functions. Wildlife surveys and inventories and 

 other approved projects typically receive 75% federal funding and 25% state funding from license 

 revenues. Federal funding also was initially used to purchase winter range for big game. Federal law 

 requirements also protect the state's hunting-license revenue from being diverted to uses other than those 

 pertaining to wildlife under the as.sent acts passed by the Montana Legislature (87-1-708, MCA). Federal 

 law restricts some u.ses of matching federal funds to exclude some activities such as law enforcement that 

 in turn, must be funded entirely by state hunting, fishing, or trapping license revenue. 



Funding sources for the wildlife program include license dollars, matching federal funding. Bonneville 

 Power Administration mitigation trust funds, and private grants and donations. License sale revenues 

 account for approximately 65% of the wildlife program budget. The Wildlife Division received 19% 

 ($11.1 million) of FWP's FY 2002 total budget of $58.8 million. Conservation Education was budgeted 

 $2.5 million. Fisheries $9.6 million, Enforcement $6.4 million. Field Services $7.3 million, and 

 Management and Finance $1 1 .4 (FWP 2002). Budgets are developed internally, with authority to spend 

 funds coming from the Legislature. All budgets are reviewed by the legislative budget committee and 



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