FROM THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages nature lovers to give back to nature by donating to Endangered Resources Fund on their Wisconsin income tax form.

Donations to the Endangered Resources Fund from your tax form are tax-deductible and matched dollar for dollar. Your gift will go directly to fund the conservation of endangered plants, animals and State Natural Areas, including many of those featured in the recent PBS Wisconsin special, Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas.

Look for the Endangered Resources Fund in the “donations” area on your Wisconsin income tax form. For tax year 2020, the Endangered Resources donation is found on Form 1, line 21a. For part-year/ non-residents filing Form 1NPR, it is on line 55a. You can also look for the donations section on your tax software or let your tax preparer know you want to make a donation to the Endangered Resources Fund.

“All year long, nature has lifted us up,” said Drew Feldkirchner, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Program Director. “Donating to Endangered Resources on your Wisconsin income tax form is a quick and easy way to give back and help make sure the nature you love is there to enjoy in the future. Gifts of any amount are doubled and make a big difference.”

Donations from thousands of people like you are fueling wildlife comebacks on the ground, in the air and in the water. Read our 2020 Field Notes to see how donations are making a difference. Sign up for email updates on endangered species news, events and volunteer opportunities, on the NHC Field Notes webpage.

“We’re grateful to everyone who has donated in past years,” Feldkirchner said. “We ask you to give again to help us do more great work together.”

Any Gift, Big Or Small, Makes A Difference

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. For more information on how donations benefit endangered species, review the “How Your Donation Doubles Your Impact for Nature” brochure. Donations to the Endangered Resources Fund do not pay for wolf depredations.

The Endangered Resources Fund helps Wisconsin provide important habitat for several species declining or absent in other parts of the country such as the Karner blue butterfly, wood turtle, rusty-patched bumble bee and eastern prairie white-fringed orchid.

Donations also help Wisconsin care for the nation’s oldest and largest set of State Natural Areas that protect unique ecosystems and natural features like the canyons of Parfrey’s Glen and old forests. Seventy-five percent of endangered and threatened wildlife species, and, 90% of endangered and threatened plant species, are found on these sites.