March 15, 2013 as your opportunity to obtain a Heritage Tag!
Northern Nevada Chapter of SCI is honored and privileged to announce that it is auctioning one Nevada “Wildlife Heritage” elk tag and two Nevada “Wildlife Heritage” turkey tags during its 18th Annual Fundraising Banquet on March 15, 2013 at the Reno Ballroom for Nevada’s Wildlife.
In 1994, the Department of Wildlife’s Director, along with the Idea Team, put together the Wildlife Heritage Trust Account concept. The intent was to gather funds from various sources and create a grant program for projects not covered by license dollars and that would benefit wildlife in Nevada. The idea was blessed by the County Game Boards and then-Governor Bob Miller. It was formalized and submitted to the Nevada Legislature.
In 1996, NRS 501.3575 made it official. The amount allowed for granting that year was $16,539. Due to the generosity of its participants over the years, the account has now grown to more than $6 million. In fiscal year 2012, the Heritage Account funded 16 projects with total grant awards totaling $403,078, and for fiscal year 2013, funding has reached $525,796. The grant money is used for the protection, propagation, restoration, transplantation, introduction, and management of any game fish, game mammal, game bird or fur-bearing mammal and the management and control of predatory wildlife in this state. To date, more than $3.9 million dollars have been distributed.
Examples of some of the various projects that have been funded include:
- Big Game Capture, Transplant and Monitoring
- Wildlife Restoration
- Development and Maintenance of Water Guzzlers
- Scientific Data Analysis
- Habitat Enhancement
- Fencing
- Game Thief Educational Materials
- Riparian Protection
- Game Bird Population Studies
A major funding source for the program is the Heritage Tag program. Special tags offering a “unique hunting opportunity” are issued to Commission-approved vendors for auction during fundraising events. Tags include game animals such as mule deer, antelope, elk, bighorn sheep, and wild turkey. NRS 502.250 authorizes the Wildlife Commission to designate the number of Wildlife Heritage game tags auctioned each year. Tags fetched auction prices as high as $113,588 in 2010 for a Nelson bighorn sheep, and $93,000 in 2008 for elk. Since 1995, Heritage Tag auctions have brought in around $5,300,000 with an average auction price for a big game tag at around $50,000.
Join us on March 15, 2013 for your opportunity to participate in ful¬≠lling your Heritage Tag opportunity–Terrence Melby, NNSCI Director
