Help Support Funding for Wildlife Conservation - Comment by 3 p.m. May 10
- Brian Posewitz
- May 7
- 2 min read
The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill to fund wildlife conservation with a one percent charge on hotel/motel stays in Oregon.
Also known as "1% for Wildlife," House Bill 2977 would increase the state transient lodging tax from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent and dedicate the new funds (an estimated $30 million per year) to implementation of the Oregon Conservation Strategy and Nearshore Strategy, and to leveraging federal funds for wildlife and habitat recovery. At 2.5 percent, Oregon’s state transient lodging tax would remain one of the lowest in the country, only higher than Alaska and California.
Humane Voters Oregon supports HB 2977 because the money raised would lead to more effort to protect and recover all wildlife for the benefit of all Oregonians. Currently, wildlife conservation competes for state general funds and a portion of revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. This makes the funding unstable and leads to a focus on wildlife targeted for hunting and fishing. A dedicated funding source for wildlife conservation would make Oregon’s conservation programs more effective and allow those programs to focus on all wildlife for all Oregonians.
The House Committee on Revenue is holding a hearing on HB 2977 at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 8 and is accepting written comments on the bill until 3 p.m. Saturday, May 10.
Please consider submitting written comments in support of HB 2977. Every short note is helpful and can be submitted quickly here. You can type your comments in the online form or upload a PDF document from your computer. It's best to use your own words and personal experience, but here is a template you could use:
Chair Nathanson, Vice Chairs Reschke and Walters, and Members of the Committee:
Please support HB 2977. Oregon needs more funding for wildlife conservation, especially funding that does not come from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. Funding conservation through a small additional tax on hotel and motel stays in Oregon would help ensure that wildlife conservation in Oregon focuses on all wildlife in Oregon for the benefit of all people in Oregon. An additional charge on hotel/motel stays also makes sense as a way to fund wildlife conservation because healthy wildlife populations are a draw for travelers, which will benefit the short-term lodging industry.
Thank you for considering my comments.
In addition, it never hurts to contact your own state legislators directly to let them know what legislative proposals you support and oppose. If you don't know who your legislators are, you can find out and get their email address by entering your home address here.
Thank you for helping us advocate for animals!
