Contact: Drew Feldkirchner, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau Director
Drew.Feldkirchner@wisconsin.gov or 608-235-3905
Help Protect Wisconsin's Endangered Resources This Tax Season
Make A Donation On Your State Tax Form
Trumpeter swans were removed from Wisconsin’s Threatened and Endangered Species List in 2009 and can now be found in many areas of the state.
Photo credit: Brian Collins
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages the public to give back to nature by donating to the Endangered Resources Fund on your Wisconsin income tax forms.
The Endangered Resources Fund provides critical support for many of Wisconsin's rarest plant and animal species in Wisconsin. It has helped protect and restore some of the last remaining populations of declining species and special habitats like remnant prairies and oak savannas found in Wisconsin's state natural areas. In other cases, the funds have helped support species for which Wisconsin may be an increasingly important stronghold, like the wood turtle and rusty-patched bumblebee.
The Endangered Resources Fund also helps Wisconsin care for the habitats these plants and animals call home, including Wisconsin's state natural areas that protect some of the nation's oldest forests along with undeveloped lakes, diverse wetlands and unique geologic features. Nearly 75% of endangered and threatened wildlife species and 90% of endangered and threatened plant species are found in these areas.
"Donations to the Endangered Resources Fund have been absolutely critical for our efforts to prevent the loss of species across our state," said Drew Feldkirchner, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau Director. "The majority of our work is done through grants and donations, and gifts to the Endangered Resources Fund have been involved in nearly all our conservation efforts over the years."
How To Donate
To make a donation, look for the Endangered Resources Fund in the "donations" section on your Wisconsin income tax form. For tax year 2022, the Endangered Resources donation is found on Form 1, line 23a. For part-year/non-residents filing Form 1NPR, it is on line 54a.
You can also look for the donations section on your tax software or let your tax preparer know you want to donate to the Endangered Resources Fund. Donations to the Endangered Resources Fund are tax-deductible and matched dollar for dollar.
Any Amount Helps
Tax-form donations have helped the DNR restore bald eagles, trumpeter swans and osprey to Wisconsin skies and have kept more than 400 other endangered wildlife species and 300 plant species from vanishing from Wisconsin. The funds are directed where they are most needed to support the highest priority conservation efforts to prevent species from being lost from the state forever. Donations to the Endangered Resources Fund are not used for wolf management purposes.
For more information on how donations benefit endangered species, review the How Your Donation Doubles Your Impact for Nature brochure.
Read about recent projects the Endangered Resources Fund has helped support in the winter 2022 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine.
Sign up for email updates on endangered species news, events and volunteer opportunities on the Natural Heritage Conservation Field Notes webpage.
