DFG News Release

Remember Wildlife at Tax Time

Californians can receive tax credit from the Franchise Tax Board for helping wildlife -- really.

More than 300 species of California wildlife are currently listed as endangered or threatened with hundreds more at risk. California taxpayers can support the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Rare and Endangered Species Preservation program by donating a few dollars to this dedicated fund using Line 53 of the state tax form.

"The generous donations we receive from taxpayers are critical to our endangered species research and monitoring efforts,” said Dale Steele, DFG Wildlife Species Conservation Program Manager. “These funds have provided critical support for many state-listed endangered species such as the Swainson’s hawk, island fox, California condor, Bakersfield cactus, California tiger salamander and many more.”

California is one of 41 states that allow taxpayers to make a voluntary, tax-deductible contribution to one or more worthwhile causes in the Contributions section of their state return. Since 1983 the tax check-off fund for Rare and Endangered Species has raised more than $17 million and has supported numerous projects, including the identification of a previously-unknown population of the California black rail, a rare and elusive bird found in the eastern foothills of the Sacramento Valley. The discovery has allowed wildlife biologists to focus restoration attention on the rail’s foothill wetland habitat to help conserve the species.

Last year, a new tax check-off fund was created to specifically benefit the sea otter, which is both federally- and state-listed as threatened. The historically widely-hunted sea otter was once thought to be extinct in California, but a small population was rediscovered near Bixby Creek along the Big Sur coastline in the very early 20th century.

“This tax check-off program is the only fundraiser dedicated to researching the reasons behind prime-age adult sea otters deaths,” said Dave Jessup, senior wildlife veterinarian with DFG’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response. “We’ve already been able to determine it’s not a simple problem of one disease, one pesticide or issue. Now we’re looking at which contributing factors can be better controlled, reduced or regulated. The tax check-off funds allow us to keep the research program going.”

The California Department of Fish & Game has partnered with Defenders of Wildlife to help promote the recently established Sea Otter Fund, Line 60 on the state tax form. More information on the tax-check off programs can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/taxcheck and www.defenders.org; keywords “tax check off.”