From the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:
You can help Indiana’s warblers, bats, salamanders, and other wildlife by donating to the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund when you file your 2020 state taxes. For every $5 donation, Indiana is eligible to receive an additional $9 in federal funds.
This dedicated fund supports Indiana’s nongame and endangered wildlife. “Nongame” means species that are not hunted, trapped, or fished for. Endangered wildlife are those in danger of disappearing from the state. No state tax dollars are used to manage nongame and endangered wildlife.
You can donate all or a portion of your state tax refund to the Nongame Wildlife Fund by marking the appropriate boxes on your 2020 Indiana tax forms or when filing electronically.
A video of this process is at https://bit.ly/3ua1JpZ.
To donate, fill out Line 1 of Schedule 5/Schedule IN-DONATE form with “Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund”, enter the three-digit code “200”, and then enter donation amount on Line 17 of the main IT-40 form.
Direct donations can also be made at any time online or by mail: on.IN.gov/nongamewildlifefund.
Habitat management and conservation efforts for nongame and endangered wildlife are supported through the generosity of Hoosiers and supplemental grants from the federal government. Donations have funded recent projects to provide nesting habitat for loggerhead shrikes, identify previously unknown populations of green salamanders, and track lake sturgeon movements.
Find out more about Indiana’s nongame and endangered wildlife: wildlife.IN.gov/2356.htm.
Featured photo by Yuri Meesen from Pexels