Take Action to Support Wildlife Conservation Funding
- Brian Posewitz
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
A bill that would make major improvements in Oregon's wildlife conservation funding will be reintroduced this year when the Oregon Legislature convenes for its 35-day "short session" starting February 2.
House Bill 4134 would add a 1.25 percent charge to "transient lodging" (hotels, motels and other short-term rentals) to help pay for a variety of wildlife programs. One percent would go to help carry out the state's wildlife action plan to protect and recover Oregon's imperiled wildlife and their habitats. The additional 0.25 percent would go to a variety of programs, including a "wildlife stewardship" program to promote humane responses to human-wildlife conflict, enforcement of anti-poaching laws, and preservation of wildlife migration corridors. The proposed additional charge would increase Oregon's total transient lodging tax from 1.5 percent to 2.75 percent and would raise an estimated $40 million per year for wildlife conservation.
Currently, most of the state's work on wildlife conservation is done by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which gets a large share of its money from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. That leads to a focus on animals targeted for hunting and fishing and the interests of people who hunt and fish. A dedicated funding source for wildlife conservation that is not tied to hunting and fishing would free Oregon's wildlife programs to better consider the welfare of all wild animals and the interests of all Oregonians, 80 percent of whom do not hunt or fish.
For more information about the bill and reasons to support it, see this fact sheet.
Here's what you can do now to support HB 4134:
Contact your legislators (you have one senator and one representative) and urge them to support House Bill 4134, "the 1.25% for wildlife bill." Be sure to say you are a "constituent," meaning you live in their district and vote on whether they are elected. Phone calls get the most attention, but an email works too. To see who your legislators are and get their contact information, enter your address here.
Join us for a "Wildlife Day of Action" in Salem Wednesday, February 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a rally to show support for the bill and meetings with legislators - plus wildlife t-shirts, snacks, and refreshments. Sign up here, February 2 if possible, to reserve your sport and get updates and additional information.
Thank you for helping us support wildlife conservation!
