Challenge:

Dwindling access to quality hunting and angling opportunities is a trend that slowly is pulling apart the American sporting tradition. Urban sprawl and other factors are making it more difficult for the average sportsman to access hunting land and fishing waters, which has lead to a decline in the number of American hunters and anglers in the field. How can we tackle the access problem and simultaneously encourage better wildlife habitat management?

Strategy:

The TRCP and many of its partner organizations helped develop the "Open Fields" bill, officially titled the "Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program of 2007." This legislation, which has the potential to make millions of additional private lands available for hunting and fishing, by providing funding to bolster existing state access programs and encourages the establishment of new "walk-in" programs, as they are often called. Through these programs, states offer rural landowners small per-acre payments to voluntarily open their acreage, improve habitat and expand huntable land. These walk-in programs have succeeded not only because they expand opportunities for sportsmen, but also because they deal effectively with landowner liability, provide local community benefits and promote better wildlife management.

Action:

"Open Fields" was included in the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. Successful passage of Open Fields is within reach, but in this tight budget climate we must remind our senators and representatives just how important this bill is to hunters and anglers. Contact your members of Congress today expressing your support for "Open Fields."

For more information about our access initiative, contact Geoff Mullins.