Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson) Act—1937

The same year Ducks Unlimited was founded, Congress passed and President Roosevelt signed into law the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, now called the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, which to this day fosters partnerships between federal and state fish and wildlife agencies, the sporting arms industry, conservation groups, and sportsmen and -women to benefit wildlife. Later, anglers and the fishing and boating industries established similar funding strategies through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act) in 1950 and its Wallop-Breaux amendment in 1984. Through this uniquely American system of conservation funding, more than $12 billion has been entrusted to agencies for fisheries and wildlife restoration and management; hunter, angler, and boater access; and hunting and boating safety education. Many Ducks Unlimited projects on state wildlife management areas have been partially supported by these funds.

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