Lottery to hold 12-hour Endangered Species Day Livestream to commemorate the Heritage Fund and its impact on wildlife and habitat conservation in Arizona

PHOENIX (May xx, 2020) – The Arizona Lottery and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Heritage Fund, a program funded solely by the Lottery that protects Arizona’s unique wildlife and habitat.

To honor this significant milestone, the Arizona Lottery, in partnership with AZGFD, is hosting a live stream on Endangered Species Day, Friday, May 15, 2020, featuring Arizona wildlife footage from sunrise to sunset. The livestream will be hosted on the Arizona Lottery’s Facebook page.

Livestream visuals will include footage of various species and habitats protected by the Heritage Fund, giving viewers the opportunity to appreciate Arizona’s incredible natural beauty from the comfort of their own homes and relax as the tranquil scenes float across the screen.

Each year, the Heritage Fund receives up to $10 million from the Arizona Lottery, which is important because neither the Heritage program nor AZGFD receives any general fund tax dollars. Under state law, Heritage Fund revenues are expended into the following five categories: protection of native and sensitive species and their habitats, urban wildlife, habitat evaluation and protection, public access, and environmental education.

“When you play the Arizona Lottery, you’re helping the Heritage Fund and the Game and Fish Department protect all of our state’s beautiful wildlife and habitats,” said Arizona Lottery Executive Director Gregg Edgar. “As part of the 30th anniversary, we encourage people to take a break from their day and enjoy Arizona’s beauty that will be showcased during our 12-hour livestream on Endangered Species Day.”

The Lottery has donated more than $423 million to the Heritage Fund to date, which has allowed Game and Fish to focus on the species that are not traditionally hunted or fished, as well as those that are threatened or endangered. These include bald eagles, black-footed ferrets, and many others.

“The Heritage Fund helped expand our conservation efforts to more species Arizonans care about,” said Josh Avey, Terrestrial Wildlife Branch Chief of AZGFD. “The most magnificent part of the last 30 years is that our state has been able to capitalize on conservation in ways that few other states are able to do thanks to the revenue generated from the Arizona Lottery for the Heritage Fund.” 

For more information on AZGFD, visit here.

About Arizona Game and Fish Department

 The mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department is to conserve Arizona’s diverse wildlife resources and manage safe, compatible outdoor recreation opportunities for current and future generations. The agency manages and conserves Arizona’s 800+ wildlife species with no Arizona general fund tax dollars. Funding comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and tags, federal excise taxes on certain hunting/fishing gear, and a few other sources such as the Heritage Fund (a portion of Arizona Lottery ticket sales). Learn more at www.azgfd.gov.