Since 1950, it’s been the perfect reason to buy even more fishing gear: Whenever an Illinois angler buys a lure or rod and reel at a local outdoors retailer, he or she has directly invested in projects that help support fish and wildlife resources in our state. Directly and indirectly, anglers provide almost 100 percent of the funding for fisheries activities within DNR.
The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program has generated more than $12.9 billion in federal funding since 1939 for state fish and wildlife agencies across the U.S. In 2012, this user-pay, user-benefit program will celebrate conservation successes over three quarters of a century, 75 years since the program’s original inception in 1939.