Sooner or later, you'll do them. The filing deadline is months away, but the W-2s are arriving. The filing software is on the shelves and appointments are being made with the accountants. It's tax time.

As you wade through the world of 'filing status,' 'health insurance deductions' and 'total amount due,' keep an eye peeled for the box that has been a major boost for wildlife protection in the last quarter century in Iowa. The 'chickadee' may be missing, but the 'checkoff' is still there.

Checkoff dollars earmarked through Iowa's Fish & Wildlife Protection Fund have gone toward otter releases, songbird research, classroom education and a variety of other projects designed to promote 'nongame' wildlife; those species not directly affected by hunting, fishing or furharvesting fees or excise taxes related to so-called 'consumptive' recreation.

In the early years, the 'Chickadee Checkoff' logo in the margin marked the spot for designating a few dollars to go toward the fund. As more checkoffs were added, though, the logo disappeared. So did a big chunk of the funding. "In the early years, it was around $220,000. When other checkoffs were added, though, it took a big drop for the next year or two," recalls Department of Natural Resources wildlife diversity coordinator Doug Harr. "It's leveled out at about $140,000, but we have worked closely with tax preparers and accountants to get the word out, so it doesn't drop any more. It seems to be at a stable level, now."

Deer and pheasants; bass and bluegill and the few dozen other game species get most of the attention from the outdoors crowd. License sales and excise taxes are the motor that drives that engine. Research and habitat management are most often geared toward them. A few 'nongame' animals; bald eagles, trumpeter swans and otters gain a foothold through their unique situation or showy physique. However more than 500 other critters; from snail darters to Indiana bats to salamanders, Henslow's sparrows and fox snakes have to eke out an existence between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, too. They are the species most reliant on the kindness of strangers, come tax time.

However, that kindness doesn't spread too far. Research on the Iowa checkoff shows an average $11.50 contribution from approximately 1 percent of us as we file income tax returns. Compare that with studies that show 45 percent of us engage in wildlife watching activities and you can see a discrepancy about the size of the Loess Hills. 'Nongame' contributions have helped pay for research and surveys on frogs and toads, wintering bald eagles, heron rookeries, bats, and Iowa's raptors in the past couple years. Funding for Bald Eagle Days and other public events also received a hand.

And while checkoff dollars are the backbone of the wildlife diversity program budget, there is help ahead. A boost in the fee for buying or renewing the 'natural resources' license plate; the custom plate featuring Iowa's goldfinch and wild rose, will be used as a match for federal dollars that bring a major infusion of wildlife help. Up to $800,000 hinges on the ability of Iowa to come up with one-to-one matches for the federal funding. The checkoff dollars still provide the day to day budget, but the increase in the custom plate fees means a stable source of funding-finally-for a program besieged by budget woes in the last quarter century.

"We hope to do more with reptiles, amphibians, songbirds, a new small fish survey conducted in southwest Iowa, along wadable streams," stresses Harr. "There are other areas we want to do more habitat protection in, especially in some of our Bird Conservation Areas across Iowa."

Like most sources from the federal government, though, that money is in hot demand. Not only does Iowa have to match it to get it; it has to go through the renewal fight every budget cycle. At present, there is no guaranteed source several years down the road. And that's something the outdoor crowd; 'nonconsumptives' as well as hunters, anglers and furharvesters will hear more about in the months ahead.

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