Daily Reporter staff reports
INDIANA — You can help Indiana’s whooping cranes, spotted turtles, bats and other wildlife by donating to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Nongame Wildlife Fund when you file your 2019 state taxes.
The Nongame Wildlife Fund supports the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife’s nongame management programs. “Nongame” means species that are not hunted, trapped or fished. There are more than 750 nongame and endangered wildlife species in the state. No state tax dollars are used to manage nongame wildlife.
Habitat management and conservation efforts for nongame and endangered wildlife are supported through the generosity of Hoosiers and supplemental grants from the federal government. For every $5 donation to the Nongame Wildlife Fund, Indiana is eligible to receive an additional $9 in federal funds. Recent projects have included research on endangered turtles, an outreach campaign to conserve whooping cranes and surveys of summer bat populations at state fish and wildlife areas. Complete program details are at wildlife.IN.gov/2356.htm.
Donate all or a portion of your state tax refund to the Nongame Wildlife Fund by marking the appropriate boxes on your 2019 Indiana tax forms or when filing electronically. To donate, enter the donation amount on Line 1 of the Schedule 5/Schedule IN-DONATE form and 200 as the 3-digit code for Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund. A video of this process is at bit.ly/34QMWlO.
Direct donations can also be made anytime online at on.IN.gov/nongamewildlifefund or by mail to: Nongame Wildlife Fund; 402 West Washington Street, Room W273; Indianapolis, IN 46204.
