The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program has its origins in the late 1800s/early 1900s with the establishment of wildlife conservation efforts. The program evolved in the 1920s-1930s with the realization that science could be used as a tool to manage wildlife populations. The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950 provided dedicated funding sources for state wildlife agencies which transformed them into science-based professional organizations. The acts have generated over $6.4 billion for fish and wildlife conservation efforts in the United States since 1937.