Wildlife Management

* A letter from Michael Markarian (March 28) claims that America’s wildlife is only managed for the benefit of the 7% of the population that hunts.

According to the Wildlife Management Institute in Washington, licensed hunters provided $422 million in state funds for licenses, stamps and fees just for the 1990-91 hunting season. Taxes imposed by hunters on hunting-related equipment produced more than $160 million in 1991. Many other funding programs developed by hunters exist to benefit wildlife. Some of these programs date back to the mid-19th Century.

In addition, many conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited provide more funding and volunteer hours to keep animal populations healthy for future generations of hikers, photographers and, yes, hunters.

However, out of the 1,150 species of animals in North America that benefit from these programs, only 145 (12.5%) are legally hunted. This hunting is strictly regulated by the state and is usually only attempted by hardy individuals who thereby gain a true appreciation of nature’s balance.

DAN PRIEST

Mission Viejo