blake
Life Member
Habitat, Hunter Access Highlight New "Open Fields" Program
Saint Paul, Minnesota - Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever today praised a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release $50 million in 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.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement this afternoon at a national press conference, at which other speakers included Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever National President and CEO, and representatives from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Open Fields was authorized by Congress for the first time in the 2008 Farm Bill following support from a TRCP-sponsored coalition that included Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. 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 wildlife. Landowners can receive a financial incentive in exchange for opening lands to the public for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation. The Open Fields funding can now be used to enhance the 26 existing state public access programs, and establish programs in states where such programs are currently absent. There will be an application process for states to apply for funding.
"American sportsmen are deeply invested in the Open Fields program," said Vincent, who praised the program on both its wildlife habitat and hunter access merits. "We appreciate the federal government's willingness to expand public access to hunting and other recreational activities by assuring its implementation. Sportsmen now speak together in urging our nation's decision makers to continue this record of support by retaining and funding Farm Bill conservation programs in 2012."
"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. "Today's announcement by the federal government is an unqualified victory for fish and wildlife conservation and our hunting and fishing traditions."
"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."
The conservation title of the Farm Bill is the nation's single-largest source of federal funding for private-lands conservation programs, and previous iterations of the bill have allocated billions of dollars toward landowner activities that sustain critical habitat and bolster fish and wildlife populations important to sportsmen.
Saint Paul, Minnesota - Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever today praised a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release $50 million in 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.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement this afternoon at a national press conference, at which other speakers included Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever National President and CEO, and representatives from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Open Fields was authorized by Congress for the first time in the 2008 Farm Bill following support from a TRCP-sponsored coalition that included Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. 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 wildlife. Landowners can receive a financial incentive in exchange for opening lands to the public for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation. The Open Fields funding can now be used to enhance the 26 existing state public access programs, and establish programs in states where such programs are currently absent. There will be an application process for states to apply for funding.
"American sportsmen are deeply invested in the Open Fields program," said Vincent, who praised the program on both its wildlife habitat and hunter access merits. "We appreciate the federal government's willingness to expand public access to hunting and other recreational activities by assuring its implementation. Sportsmen now speak together in urging our nation's decision makers to continue this record of support by retaining and funding Farm Bill conservation programs in 2012."
"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. "Today's announcement by the federal government is an unqualified victory for fish and wildlife conservation and our hunting and fishing traditions."
"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."
The conservation title of the Farm Bill is the nation's single-largest source of federal funding for private-lands conservation programs, and previous iterations of the bill have allocated billions of dollars toward landowner activities that sustain critical habitat and bolster fish and wildlife populations important to sportsmen.