Access

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 program was successfully included in the final passage of the 2008 Farm Bill and funded at $50 million over the next four years. Open Fields funding has the potential to make millions of additional private lands available for hunting and fishing, by augmenting existing state access programs and encouraging the establishment of new "walk-in" programs. 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:

Now that Open Fields is law, TRCP and our partners are working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make sure it is implemented quickly so states can begin taking advantage of these new resources. TRCP is organizing a summit in October 2008 to bring various state agencies, hunting and fishing organizations, and representatives from the USDA together to discuss the new rules and guidelines for Open Fields.

TRCP and our allies also remain vigilant against potential threats to the funding guaranteed to this program. In August 2008, the president released a supplemental budget request for FY 2009 in which funding for Open Fields would be zeroed-out before it even gets off the ground. The sportsmen and conservation community quickly sent a letter of support for the program to leaders in Congress who will review the request and we will continue to monitor the situation.