Figure 4.7 



Sources of Funds for Fish and Wildlife Management— 1971 



state Taxes and 

 Miscellaneous 



Agency Land 

 Investments 



Boat and Motor 

 Fuel Taxes 



Federal Excise Taxes 



Fishing 

 Equipment 



Hunting 

 Equipment 



Commercial 

 Licenses 



responsibilities. Second-rank concerns of these biolo- 

 gists include the impacts on terrestrial and aquatic 

 habitats of urban and energy developments, decreas- 

 ing water quality (in spite of recent legislation), and 

 difficulties in maintaining the variety of habitat con- 

 ditions necessary to support a wide variety of animal 

 species. 



When considering particular species in particular 

 geographic areas, other problems are seen as most 

 critical. Illegal harvesting of black bears, mink, 

 panthers, turtles, and white-tailed deer in the South, 

 over-harvesting of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, 

 competition by exotics in Hawaii, and withdrawals of 

 water in the Rockies and on the West Coast are all 

 regionally significant problems for some wildlife and 

 fish species. 



Modifications of Terrestrial Ecosystems 



The major broad problem in maintaining or en- 

 hancing socially desirable animal populations and 

 communities of animals has been the conversion of 

 forest and range lands to lands used for agricultural 



and urban-related activities. The extremes are found 

 in Alaska, which is relatively untouched by develop- 

 ment, and in the Pacific and Caribbean Islands, 

 where the native ecosystems have been eradicated or 

 at least greatly modified. These changes have been 

 accompanied by changes in species occurrence and 

 population levels. 



In general, current conditions in the eastern United 

 States are more favorable for deer and farm-type 

 wildlife than were the mature forests in the time of the 

 first colonists. On the other hand, the available habi- 

 tat has been decreased for those large mammals that 

 require extensive blocks of vegetation, such as elk, 

 and for large birds of prey and cavity-nesting birds 

 that require (commercially) overmature trees. At the 

 extreme, particular populations have become geo- 

 graphic isolations that are unable to interbreed with 

 other populations. This is a major concern in the 

 management of a number of large mammals, includ- 

 ing the mountain lion, bighorn sheep, and wolf. 



By the early 1900's, most species requiring exten- 

 sive habitats, such as wolf and elk, were gone from 

 the eastern United States and there had been sharp 



134 



