About the Heritage Fund

Arizona voters created the Heritage Fund in 1990, designating up to $10 million a year from lottery ticket sales for the conservation and protection of the state’s wildlife and natural areas.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department spends its Heritage Fund dollars to recover threatened and endangered species, to help urban residents appreciate and coexist with our unique wildlife, to educate children about the environment, and to create new opportunities for outdoor recreation.

California condor

The reintroduction of the California condor in Arizona is helping to bring the species back from the brink of extinction. More than 40 of these magnificent birds now soar in the Vermilion Cliffs area and in the Grand Canyon, the result of efforts begun in 1987.

Black-footed ferrets

Black-footed ferrets now reproduce in the wild in Arizona, following their reintroduction in 1996.

Arizona’s reintroduction method now serves as a model for other states.

Apache trout

The Apache trout, a threatened species unique to our state, is being restored in the White Mountains.

The Apache trout may eventually become a cornerstone for recreational fishing, generating jobs and income for communities in eastern Arizona.