• Sea Otter: 1907 — Nearly extinct; a few survivors in Alaska's Aleu- 

 tian chain and in coastal California. Today: Minimum of 50,000; success- 

 fully restored to waters of mainland Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and 

 British Columbia, Increasing and extending range in California. 



Since 1938, state fish and wildlife agencies have used sportsmen's 

 license fees and special taxes under the Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife 

 Restoration Acts to: 



• Acquire, develop, or manage 2,900 wildlife refuges and management 

 areas totalling nearly 40 million acres. These lands protect vital habitat 

 of a wide range of wildlife and are heavily used by bird watchers, nature 

 students, and other outdoor enthusiasts. 



• Construct or restore more than 300 lakes for fish and wildlife with a 

 total surface acreage of 35,000. 



• Acquire or develop more than 3,000 public access areas that open 

 nearly a million otherwise inaccessible acres and 2,000 miles of stream 

 to outdoor recreational use. 



• Livetrap and transplant to unoccupied habitat more than 50,000 

 deer, 16,000 antelope, 2,000 elk, 1,000 mountain sheep, 18,000 fur 

 animals, 20,000 wild turkeys, 22,000 waterfowl, and 130,000 quail. 



• Conduct extensive research on wildlife habitat needs, diseases, 

 population trends, predator-prey relationships, and wildlife crop-damage 

 abatement. 



• Assist hundreds of thousands of landowners with wildlife habitat 

 improvement projects. 



• Conduct public conservation education programs for school 

 teachers and students and promote understanding of wildlife needs and 

 habits through articles and television shows. 



• Protect both hunted and nonhunted wildlife by apprehending con- 

 servation law violators. Many state conservation law enforcement offi- 

 cers also enforce laws against polluters, whose activities impose serious 

 threats to wildlife and its habitats. But, as in all resource management 

 efforts, public support is essential. 



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