How Wetland Reserve Easements Benefit Farmers, Ranchers, and Outdoor Enthusiasts

September 22, 2025

Two new films highlight the value of wetlands and the Wetland Reserve Easement program

Acre for acre, wetlands are among the most important ecosystems in America. They filter water, mitigate flooding, recharge groundwater, and provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife. For generations of hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts, wetlands are synonymous with abundant ducks, thriving fisheries, and vibrant landscapes. For farmers and ranchers, wetlands conservation programs offer practical tools to manage land, improve water quality, and increase profitability.

That’s why the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program is so important. This voluntary, incentive-based conservation program works to restore and safeguard wetlands on private lands. Recently, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission partnered with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to produce two short films highlighting WREs and the broader value of wetlands. Through personal stories and testimonials, the films show how wetlands conservation benefits the landscape, strengthens local communities and agriculture, and sustains America’s sporting traditions.

The Films

Wetlands Legacies | WRE Program Overview

This short film explains how the Wetland Reserve Easement program works, highlighting its role in conserving wetlands while supporting agricultural production.

“When you look at that list of things that wetlands do and why they’re so important, the wildlife that they support, the fact that they provide a place for groundwater to recharge into the aquafer and for water quality to be improved. A really important thing is that wetlands help absorb flood flows.

And you think about the ability to go to a wetland, hear the frogs singing, see the birds there, just the intrinsic or the aesthetic value that many people have associated with wetlands. And so, it really provides a lot of service to our entire culture and our society. They’re pretty valuable.”
Ritch Nelson

Wetlands Legacies | Nebraska Landowner Stories

In this companion film, Nebraska farmers and ranchers share their personal experiences with the WRE program. Their stories highlight how wetlands conservation has improved their land, bolstered their agricultural operations, and enriched their communities. These landowners make clear that conservation and production can go hand in hand – and that when we invest in wetlands, we create lasting legacies for both people and wildlife.

“I just think it’s a great program to go in both financially and for the environment. It’s been a family affair and it’s really meaningful when you can be with your son and harvest that first deer. Just last year, my granddaughter caught her first fish right behind me here. Bringing that next generation in to experience the beauty of the agriculture and the wildlife and the environment is one of life’s greatest blessings for me.”
Jeff Eisenmenger

Why Wetlands Matter

Conservation solutions should work for everyone – producers, communities, and the sportsmen and women who depend on healthy habitat for their outdoor pursuits. As the films demonstrate, the Wetland Reserve Easement program benefits producers, hunters, anglers, and communities alike, building healthier landscapes for generations to come by:

Giving farmers and ranchers conservation options that work for them.
Creating and enhancing habitat for waterfowl, fish, and countless other species.
Supporting clean water for individuals and communities while mitigating flood risk.

Learn more about the Wetlands of Nebraska by visiting www.NebraskaWetlands.com

Top photo: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

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by: Noah Davis

posted in: Highlights

September 18, 2025

Hunters and Anglers Cheer House Introduction of MAP Roads Act

Bill would direct Department of Transportation to establish grant program to fund the digitization of county public roads

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership joins hunters, anglers, and all who drive rural, county roads in cheering House introduction of the Modernizing Access to Public Roads Act.

The bipartisan legislation is sponsored by Representative Blake Moore (R-Utah) and cosponsored by Representative Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Representative Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), and Representative Susie Lee (D-Nev.).

“The lack of publicly accessible and accurate county road map information is a key barrier for hunters and anglers trying to access public lands,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “The bipartisan MAP Roads Act will provide funding to address these mapping shortfalls and improve public access, resulting in reduced confusion for hunters and anglers trying to navigate rural road systems across America.”

The MAP Roads Act builds on the success of the MAPLand Act, MAPWaters Act, and MAPOceans Act by establishing a $20 million, 5-year pilot grant program through the U.S. Department of Transportation to:

⦁ Fund county road digitization by converting paper or outdated formats into standardized geospatial datasets.

⦁ Create publicly accessible statewide road data repositories that distinguish public and private roads, are compatible with third-party mapping platforms, and are updated annually.

⦁ Provide funds to support local capacity toward county subgrants, personnel training, or hiring contractors for data conversion.

The clarity and accessibility to this information for both the public and local municipalities would improve rural commerce, public safety, navigation, and access to public lands so more Americans can confidently access and enjoy their public roadways and the adventures beyond. The MAP Roads Act would not create any new road authority, or alter any legal status, ownership, or jurisdiction of roads.

“We appreciate Congressman Moore’s introduction of the Modernizing Access to Public Roads Act,” said Judy Camuso, commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “This legislation affords the opportunity for states and local governments to utilize technology to improve road access data that will ultimately help improve public access for our hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationalists.”

“Too often, outdoor recreationists are left guessing whether a rural road is public or private because county road records have not kept pace with modern navigation technology,” said Laura Orvidas, CEO of onX. “This uncertainty can restrict recreational access to public places and can cause conflicts between private landowners and the public. The MAP Roads Act will accelerate the modernization of these records, giving people the confidence to know where they can travel to reach public land. Not only will it expand recreational access, but it will also streamline county operations, all while preserving local authority over road networks.”

“In an era where mobile apps and GPS are essential for navigating vast public lands to reach remote hunting grounds, accurate and up-to-date county road data is critical,” said Kurt Dyroff, Co-CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation. “The MAP Roads Act will reduce inadvertent trespass risks, enhance safety during hunts, and open safer, more reliable access to our nation’s public hunting opportunities.”

“Accurate and readily available maps are essential for ensuring access to our nation’s public lands and waters,” said Kaden McArthur, Congressional Affairs Director for Trout Unlimited. “We thank Representative Blake Moore for his leadership on the MAP Roads Act which would make it easier to find reliable routes to rivers and streams by bringing outdated road maps into the digital age. This legislation would allow anglers to spend more time on the water and less time worrying about how to get there.”

Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to public access HERE.

by: Aaron Field

posted in: Highlights

September 17, 2025

TRCP Joins Agriculture and Conservation Leaders in Calling for a 2025 Farm Bill

It’s time for Congress to make the Farm Bill a priority.

The Farm Bill is one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress considers, supporting agriculture producers and helping to ensure families have food on the table. Within this bill are also vital conservation programs that strengthen habitat, improve water quality, and promote more sustainable landscapes – providing a lifeline for fish and wildlife. Encompassing food, fiber, and fuel production, nutrition assistance, agricultural research and trade promotion, conservation, and forestry, this bill is a must-pass. Despite that, we are now nearly two years past the initial expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill. Congress has managed to limp these programs along by extending them for one year (twice), but we are once again nearing a September 30^th expiration of key Farm Bill programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program.

In recent years, Congress has used a process known as budget reconciliation to advance policy that would typically be part of a broader bipartisan Farm Bill. Although this has led to major investments in programs hunters and anglers care about, the budget reconciliation process has strict restrictions on policy changes, and its partisan nature tends to make accomplishments less durable.

That’s why the TRCP and hundreds of agricultural and conservation organizations from across the country sent a letter last week calling on Congressional leaders to prioritize the development, debate, and passage of a full, five-year, bipartisan Farm Bill.

“Good conservation work on agricultural and forest land in this country leads directly to improved fish and wildlife habitat and increased fish and wildlife populations,” said Aaron Field, TRCP’s director of private lands conservation. “Without a full, five-year Farm Bill, we miss our chance to improve how these programs operate, and we risk losing key conservation tools like the Conservation Reserve Program. It’s time for Congress to make the Farm Bill a priority.”

Read the letter here.

Want to learn more about how the Farm Bill impacts fish and wildlife? CLICK HERE.

We know it can be challenging to break through the alphabet soup of program acronyms to understand why the reauthorization and improvement of Farm Bill conservation programs is a top priority. In this short video series, we demystify the Farm Bill and the crucial conservations programs that sportsmen and women should care about.

by: Joel Webster

posted in: Highlights

September 12, 2025

Weigh in on Behalf of America’s Backcountry

Hunters and anglers can help shape the future of our national forests

Anyone who has spent time hunting and fishing on our national forests knows that success often depends on putting some distance between yourself and roads. Roadless areas—casually called the backcountry—are essential to America’s sporting traditions and wildlife management.

These roadless landscapes provide secure refuge for elk, mule deer, and other big game species, ensuring healthy herds and sustaining increasingly rare over-the-counter hunting opportunities. State wildlife agencies have long emphasized that blocks of secure habitat are critical for effective herd management and for preventing displacement of wildlife onto private lands.

For anglers, roadless areas conserve cold, clean headwaters that sustain wild trout and salmon, and roughly 70 percent of roadless areas contain habitat for native fish.

These qualities are why the sporting community values roadless areas and sees them as a crucial part of the future of hunting and fishing in America.

The Proposal to Rescind the Roadless Rule

On August 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a notice proposing to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule—a long-standing policy designed to maintain these backcountry values. The public comment period is open through September 19.

A primary argument for rescission is to allow more flexibility for wildfire suppression and forest management. Hunters and anglers understand this does not have to be an either/or choice. We can support proactive management to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health while maintaining safeguards that are critical for fish, wildlife, and our sporting traditions.

A Balanced Path Forward

Hunters and anglers support a middle ground approach to managing roadless areas. This approach respects backcountry values and provides flexibility where it’s needed. That means:

Conserving core backcountry habitat for fish and wildlife while allowing thinning, prescribed burning, and restoration projects to protect communities and improve habitat.
Limiting costly new road construction so that scarce agency funding can go toward maintaining the 370,000 miles of existing national forest roads that already provide access for hunters, anglers, and local economies.
Accommodating multiple uses, including livestock grazing and motorized and non-motorized recreation.

The Roadless Rule was designed to strike this balance. Rather than scrapping it altogether, the USDA should work with hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders to adapt and improve the rule to ensure it remains durable, practical, and true to the values we share. We have seen this approach work before with the Idaho and Colorado Roadless Rules, and we can apply that success to the rest of the National Forest System.

Take Action

This comment period is our chance to ensure that the future of America’s backcountry reflects hunting and fishing values. By speaking up, we can help secure lasting hunting and fishing opportunities for future generations of sportsmen and women.

Hunters and anglers can make a difference by commenting before September 19.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS HERE BY SEPTEMBER 19!

Here are some important talking points to include in your comments:

Roadless areas are critical to America’s sporting traditions. They provide secure habitat for elk, deer, and other big game, and conserve headwaters that sustain native trout and salmon. These landscapes ensure that future generations of hunters and anglers will have the same opportunities we enjoy today.
Hunters and anglers know that flexibility can be added to the rule to reduce wildfire risk while also improving forest health and maintaining conservation safeguards that are critical for fish, wildlife, and sporting traditions.
The Forest Service should work with hunters, anglers, and other stakeholders to adapt and improve the rule so it remains durable, practical, and true to the values we share.
A balanced approach will ensure our forests remain healthy, our communities are safer, and our sporting traditions persist.

SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS HERE BY SEPTEMBER 19!

by: TRCP Staff

posted in: Highlights

September 10, 2025

Congressional Review Act Risks Long-Term Dysfunction of Public Land Management

What could be seen as victories in the short term, would make for lasting problems in the future

From balancing a variety of multiple uses and the growing demands on those uses, to invasive species and increased risk of wildfire, America’s 640 million acres of public lands face legitimate management challenges. Many stakeholders, including lawmakers, are understandably frustrated with the often-slow pace of management planning, and sometimes the ultimate outcome of a land-use plan is controversial.

However, instead of following established procedures to work through controversy, some federal lawmakers are turning to an obscure tool called the Congressional Review Act to revoke a few specific Bureau of Land Management land-use plans that were recently completed. This tactic would have far-reaching consequences for industry, land managers, and the millions of Americans who rely on these public lands by crippling the BLM’s ability to adjust future land management, ultimately adding to frustrations and limiting solutions to future management challenges. The good news is that Congress and the administration can address their concerns without resorting to such drastic measures.

A Better Approach Already Exists

The BLM manages 245 million acres of public lands, located primarily in the West. Managing all these federal public lands for multiple uses is complex and often contentious. Thankfully, the BLM has clear legal authority to amend or revise Resource Management Plans through established administrative processes. These procedures are designed to address shortcomings in existing plans while accepting input from stakeholders, state and local governments, and the public.

Lawmakers can work with the administration to address their concerns through the BLM’s established revision process, which doesn’t trigger the harmful, long-lasting consequences that would accompany use of the CRA.

Application of the Congressional Review Act

Since its passage in 1996, the CRA has not been applied to federal land-use plans. That changed in June 2025 when the Government Accountability Office, responding to a request from Congress, issued a nonbinding report asserting that a few specific BLM RMPs qualified as rules under the CRA.

Our 21st century landscapes would be stuck with 20th century management, meaning everything from land sales and disposal lists to grazing and mineral permits would remain at their old quotas. This would leave energy and mineral industries, ranchers, and public land hunters and anglers in the lurch.

Following the report, resolutions of disapproval were introduced for the Central Yukon RMP (Alaska), Miles City RMP Amendment (Montana), and North Dakota Field Office RMP. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on September 3 to approve those resolutions, and the U.S. Senate now may choose to take action on them. Final passage of these resolutions would rescind the land-use plans.

A Short-Term Win for Long-Term Losses

Using the CRA to rescind a controversial land-use plan might gain short-term benefits for some interests, but those will be outweighed by the negative long-term consequences to public lands and local communities.

For one, if a revised land-use plan is disapproved through the CRA, the BLM would return to managing lands under the previous plan. In many cases, these land-use plans are decades old and likely wouldn’t address today’s multiple use needs.

Our 21st century landscapes would be stuck with 20th century management, meaning everything from land sales and disposal lists to grazing and mineral permits would remain at their old quotas. This would leave energy and mineral industries, ranchers, and public land hunters and anglers in the lurch.

Another significant factor in the CRA is the “substantially the same” clause. Once a land-use plan is disapproved, the agency would need to show that any future revisions to that plan are not “substantially the same” as the plan that was disapproved. If this bar cannot be met, revisions would need to be “specifically authorized by a law” through an act of Congress. It seems unlikely that members of Congress will spend time authorizing future updates to public land management plans, which would leave the BLM stuck with outdated plans.

A Scalpel, Not a Hammer

Land-use plans often require a scalpel and not a hammer to work through conflict and controversy. Fortunately, the BLM already has the authority and processes in place to make specific changes.

The current administration has sufficient time to complete meaningful updates to controversial RMPs through their normal planning process; some of these have already been initiated.

TRCP encourages Congress to work with the administration to resolve controversy through established processes that also preserve the BLM’s ability to responsibly manage public lands for the future. The CRA is the wrong tool for this job.