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Contact: Edie Smith, Spokesperson
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
284 State Street
41 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333


Telephone: work (207) 592-4348

Fax: (207) 287-6395

February 5, 2010

Residents Encouraged to Make Donation to Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund
“Chickadee Check-Off” on State Tax Forms a Great Option

Augusta, Maine - While filling out their 2009 tax forms, Maine residents are encouraged to make a donation to the state’s Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund by marking the “Chickadee Check-Off” box.

“Chickadee Check-Off” is located on Schedule CP 2009, a separate form that is included in the 1040-ME short form booklet and 1040ME long form booklet.

Residents’ donations are greatly needed to fund nongame wildlife programs that have been experiencing a decline in revenues, according to Richard Dressler, supervisor of MDIFW’s Wildlife Resource Assessment Section.

“Stable funding to address these wildlife programs is desperately needed,” according to Dressler. “Contributions to the Chickadee Check-Off, Maine Outdoor Heritage funds, and the purchase of conservation registration license plates (loon plates) provide the core ‘state’ funding for Maine’s endangered and nongame species programs. However, the many conservation needs exceed the funds being contributed … and contributions continue to decline. We must reverse this trend to protect species that are a vital part of Maine’s outdoors.”

Contributions to the Chickadee Check-off have declined from $129,122 contributed by 29,200 Maine givers in 1984 to $34,929 contributed by 2,757 givers in 2008. The average donation has increased from $4.57 to $12.67.

“If 30,000 Maine people contributed $5 each, the total contribution would exceed the 1984 amount,” Dressler said.

All money donated, whether through the Chickadee Check-off, conservation license plate sales, grants or direct gifts, are deposited into the Maine Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund -- a special, interest-bearing account from which money can only be spent for the conservation of Maine’s nongame wildlife, which includes rare, threatened or endangered species.