Tennessee’s wildlife supports public health, outdoor access and a multi-billion-dollar economy. Relying almost entirely on hunters and anglers to fund it is neither fair nor sustainable.
Bill Frist, MD
| Guest Columnist
As a physician, I have spent much of my career focused on prevention. Long before illness requires treatment, the environments we live in shape our physical and mental health. In Tennessee, few environments matter more than our outdoors, and in the outdoors, nothing is more therapeutic than our fish and wildlife.
Public lands, waterways and wildlife are not just recreational assets. They are places where Tennesseans walk, fish, hunt, paddle and spend time with family. Access to these spaces supports physical activity, reduces stress and strengthens mental health. These benefits reach communities across the state and contribute directly to overall public health.
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There is also a clear economic and fiscal connection. Outdoor recreation and wildlife-related activity supported by responsible management generate billions of dollars in income each year, support well over 200,000 Tennessee jobs and return nearly $2 billion annually in state and local tax revenue. These jobs span tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality, retail and small businesses that rely on well-managed land and water. A healthy environment supports healthy people and a healthy economy. When wildlife management is underfunded, the economic and public health consequences follow.
The consequences of a funding imbalance
Maintaining these benefits requires steady and responsible management. Wildlife populations must be monitored. Habitat must be conserved. Public lands and access points must remain safe and usable. These responsibilities exist regardless of economic cycles or inflation and require consistent funding to be carried out effectively.
Today, the way wildlife management is funded no longer reflects how widely these resources are used. Hunters and anglers currently provide 81 percent of the funding through license fees and federal excise taxes, even though they represent a minority of users. Sportsmen have carried this responsibility for decades and remain deeply committed to conservation. But asking one group to shoulder nearly the entire cost of a public resource that benefits all Tennesseans is neither fair nor sustainable.
This imbalance also places pressure on hunting and fishing access. Relying solely on license fees risks pricing that can discourage participation in activities that promote physical health and connection to our wildlife resources. It also fails to recognize that wildlife management benefits everyone, including families seeking to be active outdoors.
A fiscally responsible path toward sustainability
A dedicated general fund support offers a sustainable approach. It will help safeguard hunting and fishing access, reduce pressure for repeated fee increases and protect one of Tennessee’s most reliable economic engines. Just as importantly, it will provide stability so wildlife management can focus on long-term planning rather than short-term budget constraints.
It is also important to address a common misconception. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been fiscally disciplined. It is not overspending and has taken concrete steps to manage its budget responsibly. However, sound management alone cannot overcome structural funding challenges.
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Over the past four to five years, the situation has been further complicated by more than $18.5 million in mandated expenses imposed without any offsetting revenue. Other state departments faced similar requirements but received general fund support to cover them. Wildlife management did not. Shifting these unrelated costs onto hunters and anglers through higher fees is neither fair nor fiscally sound. Inflation has increased operating costs by more than 30 percent. We have felt the impact on the prices of vehicles, fuel, equipment, materials and maintenance. At the same time, revenues tied largely to license sales have not kept pace.
Dedicated funding represents a fiscally responsible approach. It prioritizes stability over uncertainty, long-term planning over short-term fixes, and shared responsibility over shifting costs from one group to another. It avoids selling public assets or deferring maintenance that only creates larger expenses in the future.
Prevention, stewardship and Tennessee’s future
From a public health perspective, this is also about prevention. Healthy land supports healthy people. Updating how wildlife management is funded reflects Tennessee’s long tradition of stewardship and fiscal discipline while ensuring our communities remain strong, active and resilient for generations to come.
Sen. Bill Frist, M.D., is a nationally recognized heart and lung transplant surgeon and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a founding partner of Frist Cressey Ventures, special partner and chairman of the Executives Council of the health service investment firm Cressey & Company and current chair of the Global Board of The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation organization.
