By Bob Marshall

Notice to sportsmen who feel locked out of quality private hunting and fishing lands: Your state has 45 days to change that, courtesy of a $50 million incentive from America’s taxpayers. The program is called Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, a feature of the 2008 Farm Bill known as “Open Fields.” It provides $50 million for states to purchase public access for outdoor recreation on private lands.

The program is the culmination of a long drive by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership to address what research has long shown is major cause for the decline in hunting and fishing participation: Lack of access.

But the opportunities won’t come your way unless your state has a private lands initiative and submits a grant application to the USDA during the 45-day window that wins approval. Currently, only 26 states have such programs.

The agency said priority to grants that stressed these objectives:

• Maximize participation by landowners.

• Ensure that land enrolled in the program has appropriate wildlife habitat.

• Provide incentives to strengthen wildlife habitat improvement efforts on Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) land, if available.

• Supplement funding and services from other federal, state, tribal government, or private resources that are provided in the form of cash or in-kind services.

• Provide information to the public about the location of public access land.

The USDA also said a state’s grant amount will be reduced by 25 percent if opening dates for migratory bird hunting in the state are not consistent for residents and non-residents. In an interview with Field & Stream, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he expects the bidding process to be very competitive.

”I think we will get a good response to this, because states are interested,” he said. “They understand the power economically (of outdoor recreation), and we anticipate a robust round of applications.”

Those economic benefits are important in a depressed economy. Open Fields won congressional approval because supporters stressed its investment in improving the economies of rural areas. Vilsack pointed out that studies showed communities near national forests and grasslands--both managed by his agency--saw $14 billion in economic activity generated directly by people traveling to or through those national properties for recreation.

”There was $27 billion in economic activity because of hikers, bikers, hunters, and anglers through and around national forests and grasslands,” Vilsack said, adding that Open Fields is an effort to stimulate the same type of economic opportunities around private lands. Private lands initiative is an idea that has been struggling for decades. The two largest impediments have been getting legal immunity for landowners against liability for injuries that might take place on their property, and finding funding sources that make participation worthwhile. Supporters of Open Fields hope the $50 million investment will show non-participating states that there is a future for the idea.

Vilsack said grants can also be used by states with existing programs to mount advertising campaigns to recruit property owners and to let sportsmen know about the opportunities. More information on the program can be found at www.usda.gov. Grant applications can be found at www.grants.gov/

Comments (10)

from grant77 wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Thank you president Roosevelt

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from aferraro wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

WOW Government is great! 50 million dollars- that's one million dollars per state! How m uch did Bill Clinton take from hunters to buy an island in Arkansas. The federal government wastes about $20 billion every year on ethanol subsidies that keep marginal crop (hunting) land in production. They spent 700 Billion on "stimulus" since your hero Obama took office. You have the worst blog ever!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from R.U. Effingme wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Sorry, but this stinks to high Heaven. It sounds good on the surface, but we've got enough problems with available land, gun rights, hunting/fishing, and remaining "free" that we don't need to involve the federal government in yet another grant program that allows it to stick its nose where it doesn't belong. Once there, that nose will always be there.

$1 million per state is laughable...this is feel-good money designed to woo voters and does not represent any kind of legitimate effort to secure additional land available for hunting. Do a little research and see what happens with federally funded programs.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Mr. Creosote wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Grant77, Theodore Roosevelt is dead. Has been for a long long, time.

Aferraro, the depth of your astounding and petty ignorance is well-documented by virtually every comment you've left on this site so I won't even bother with you.

R.U. Effingme, yeah, federal boondoggles like the CRP program have been a huge bust and waste of time, haven't they? Let's just forget all this creeping socialist crap and focus on the real problems facing hunters in this country...scary liberals and their hidden gun-grabbing agendas.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from rock rat wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

I hope Colorado gets some of that moolah. The more land to hunt and fish on the better.

I'm a socialist hunter, own all that National Forest, BLM, Wilderness area, with all my fellow proletariat brethren. Those who don't care to use public land, he he he. Thanks Barack Hussien Obama. I know y'all love the full name.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from countitandone wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Private lands access. How many times have all of us been turned away from opportunities just to get to the river, or over there, where the wild apples and persimmon grow?

Sorry dude, I'm not biting on this one. One million fed
bucks ain't worth the increased government control you
will witness if your state adopts this Open Fields Farce
with participation. They want to control gun use...

If they come for my guns, they'll get the bullets first.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ricefarm wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Sorry, but every time I hear "We're from the government and we're here to help!" I get an artic chill down my spine. Right at this moment I would pull the plug on every new conservation program and some of the existing ones and focus on cleaning up the damage from this oil spill. Work on collecting from BP later but every day spent pointing fingers and standing around talking about what to do will lead to another week - or month - cleaning up on down the line.
If our government is capable of getting something done, now is the time to show us. We won world wars, put a man on the moon and invented REAL football. We can do this, the question is will we?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from AJMcClure wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Hell, 50 million dollars on signs that read "You can hunt here!" would be more helpful. The National Forrest share unmarked signs with state land, and between calling "everyone", scouring google earth, and driving around in circles I have had about a 50/50 chance that I am legally hunting National Forrest-whose parking lots are on the State park side ie no gun side. We own more than we know, but signs could be helpful to a world of people that use the same password for 10 applications. Simplify-put a sign out-thank you Uncle Sam.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from GregMc wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Hunters, anglers and the groups that represent them have been asking for this kind of thing for decades.
It's not as much as we all wish it was, but my state could buy some fine hunting access with $1 million. Maybe even enough to make a difference in protecting hunting long-term.
We need to stop the fear mongering and move forward with positive steps to protect hunting and fishing.
This is one small step.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from JOHN ANDERSON wrote 1 year 44 weeks ago

Id sure like to see more lands opened up.Most generaly any time the govt gets a scratch my back we'll scratch yours program goin it wont be long afore youll hear em wisperin in your ear that its raining.If you get my drift.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

from grant77 wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Thank you president Roosevelt

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Mr. Creosote wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Grant77, Theodore Roosevelt is dead. Has been for a long long, time.

Aferraro, the depth of your astounding and petty ignorance is well-documented by virtually every comment you've left on this site so I won't even bother with you.

R.U. Effingme, yeah, federal boondoggles like the CRP program have been a huge bust and waste of time, haven't they? Let's just forget all this creeping socialist crap and focus on the real problems facing hunters in this country...scary liberals and their hidden gun-grabbing agendas.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from rock rat wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

I hope Colorado gets some of that moolah. The more land to hunt and fish on the better.

I'm a socialist hunter, own all that National Forest, BLM, Wilderness area, with all my fellow proletariat brethren. Those who don't care to use public land, he he he. Thanks Barack Hussien Obama. I know y'all love the full name.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from AJMcClure wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Hell, 50 million dollars on signs that read "You can hunt here!" would be more helpful. The National Forrest share unmarked signs with state land, and between calling "everyone", scouring google earth, and driving around in circles I have had about a 50/50 chance that I am legally hunting National Forrest-whose parking lots are on the State park side ie no gun side. We own more than we know, but signs could be helpful to a world of people that use the same password for 10 applications. Simplify-put a sign out-thank you Uncle Sam.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from GregMc wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Hunters, anglers and the groups that represent them have been asking for this kind of thing for decades.
It's not as much as we all wish it was, but my state could buy some fine hunting access with $1 million. Maybe even enough to make a difference in protecting hunting long-term.
We need to stop the fear mongering and move forward with positive steps to protect hunting and fishing.
This is one small step.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from aferraro wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

WOW Government is great! 50 million dollars- that's one million dollars per state! How m uch did Bill Clinton take from hunters to buy an island in Arkansas. The federal government wastes about $20 billion every year on ethanol subsidies that keep marginal crop (hunting) land in production. They spent 700 Billion on "stimulus" since your hero Obama took office. You have the worst blog ever!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from R.U. Effingme wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Sorry, but this stinks to high Heaven. It sounds good on the surface, but we've got enough problems with available land, gun rights, hunting/fishing, and remaining "free" that we don't need to involve the federal government in yet another grant program that allows it to stick its nose where it doesn't belong. Once there, that nose will always be there.

$1 million per state is laughable...this is feel-good money designed to woo voters and does not represent any kind of legitimate effort to secure additional land available for hunting. Do a little research and see what happens with federally funded programs.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from countitandone wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Private lands access. How many times have all of us been turned away from opportunities just to get to the river, or over there, where the wild apples and persimmon grow?

Sorry dude, I'm not biting on this one. One million fed
bucks ain't worth the increased government control you
will witness if your state adopts this Open Fields Farce
with participation. They want to control gun use...

If they come for my guns, they'll get the bullets first.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ricefarm wrote 1 year 45 weeks ago

Sorry, but every time I hear "We're from the government and we're here to help!" I get an artic chill down my spine. Right at this moment I would pull the plug on every new conservation program and some of the existing ones and focus on cleaning up the damage from this oil spill. Work on collecting from BP later but every day spent pointing fingers and standing around talking about what to do will lead to another week - or month - cleaning up on down the line.
If our government is capable of getting something done, now is the time to show us. We won world wars, put a man on the moon and invented REAL football. We can do this, the question is will we?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from JOHN ANDERSON wrote 1 year 44 weeks ago

Id sure like to see more lands opened up.Most generaly any time the govt gets a scratch my back we'll scratch yours program goin it wont be long afore youll hear em wisperin in your ear that its raining.If you get my drift.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.