The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking those Iowans who haven’t yet filed their state taxes to remember the “Chickadee Checkoff.” The checkoff allows you to donate money via your tax return to a fund that helps pay for projects involving non-game wildlife. DNR Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator, Doug Harr, says the checkoff has been on Iowa tax forms for 20 years. He says people have used it less in recent years. He says the average donation to the checkoff has gone down the past few years. Harr says the checkoff has averaged $135,000 dollars. He says they’ve been able to do some good things with the money. He says the restoration of trumpeter swans, peregrine falcons, osprey, and river otters are a few of the projects the money’s funded. Harr says these are key links in the wildlife chain. He says they’re doing their best to restore rare species to Iowa and also working to keep some of the less well-known wildlife viable in the state. The checkoff, officially known as the “Fish and Wildlife Protection Fund,” can be found on line 59A of the Iowa tax form.
