Saving All the Parts: Federal-State Cooperation in Wildlife Management

Abstract

"In theory the power of the American federal government over wildlife is considerable, but in practice the states have been allowed a great deal of latitude in regulating wildlife. This background paper describes the history of federal-state relationships in managing the nation's wildlife. It begins with the erosion of the state ownership doctrine and concludes with the passage of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson) Act of 1937 and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration (Dingell-Johnson) Act of 1950. These acts are the primary vehicles for contemporary federal-state cooperation in wildlife management and are the focus of the colloquium presentation."