The Arizona Heritage Fund is ready to dole out more than $400,000 dollars for wildlife protection programs. Lawmakers tried to raid the fund’s coffers during the recession, but they ended up taking money away from other state programs that preserve wilderness areas.
Arizona Lottery ticket sales provide revenues for the Heritage Fund along with a few other state agencies and programs. Spokeswoman Robyn Beck said the fund is using its share of money to provide grants to non-profit conservation groups that preserve endangered wildlife species. She said there’s an educational component, too.
"We also have schoolyard habitat funding," Beck said. "We also do wildlife studies and one of the programs is to send kids on field trips to wildlife properties."
During the economic downturn, state lawmakers threatened to cut revenues for the Heritage Fund, but there were public protests and the program received the money it was promised. However, state parks didn’t fare so well and lawmakers took millions of dollars in lottery revenues away from that agency.