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Sportsmen Praise USDA Decision to Release Open Fields Funds
The TRCP praised a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release funding for the “Open Fields” Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, a new effort to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch and forest lands to provide public access to their lands for wildlife-dependent activities such as hunting and fishing.
Open Fields was authorized by Congress for the first time in the 2008 Farm Bill following tenacious support by members of a TRCP-sponsored coalition. The TRCP has been frustrated by delays in the USDA finalizing the regulations but is optimistic that the program now can be implemented expeditiously so sportsmen and landowners can benefit beginning this year.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement at a July 8 national press conference, at which other speakers included representatives from the TRCP, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Pheasants Forever.
“Open Fields is the first federal landowner incentive program of its kind to enhance access for hunting and fishing – and has been a flagship issue for the TRCP since our group’s inception,” said TRCP President and CEO Whit Fosburgh, who spoke at the event. “This announcement by the federal government is an unqualified victory for fish and wildlife conservation and our hunting and fishing traditions.”
“America’s union sportsmen, led by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, endorsed the Open Fields hunter-access program,” Fosburgh continued. “Many national unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO joined together to push for Open Fields, as did scores of rank-and-file union members from across the country. They have seen the declines in sporting opportunities in their backyards and did something about it.”
Open Fields provides states $50 million in federal monies to create or enhance voluntary hunter-access programs on private lands and encourages landowners who enroll their properties to employ best-management practices for fish and wildlife. Landowners can receive a financial incentive in exchange for opening lands to the public for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.
“This administration is committed to preserving and enhancing the great conservation legacy of our nation’s hunters and anglers to benefit current and future generations,” said Vilsack. “This program will not only help achieve conservation goals, but also increase opportunities for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation by providing greater access to privately held lands for wildlife-dependent recreation.”
Open Fields is a competitive grants program available to state and tribal governments. Funding applications may be made through the federal government’s grants portal.
Read frequently asked questions about Open Fields.
Learn more about the TRCP’s work on the Farm Bill.
Read the TRCP report “Growing Conservation in the Farm Bill.”
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