While the recent public lands debate offered a vivid reminder of how highly people value their BLM and Forest Service lands in the West, it also made clear that not everyone has access to these wide swaths of public acreage. Millions of Americans around the country still do their hunting and fishing on private land that they either own or receive permission to use. Since more than ⅔ of the country’s acreage is privately held, many sportsmen and women are all too familiar with locked gates, high fences, and no trespassing signs. In recent years, this has contributed to a decline in the overall percentage of Americans who hunt, which has in turn reduced funding for wildlife conservation through Pittman-Robertson. Sen. Steve Daines’ (R-MT) Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act offered a solution to this problem by incentivizing landowners to grant sportsmen access to their land, and we at ConservAmerica applaud its recent passage through reconciliation.
First created in the 2008 Farm Bill, the Voluntary Public Access – Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) has opened up access to more than 950,000 private acres. VPA-HIP is structured to allow state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies to apply for funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that they can distribute to private landowners who want to participate in the program. Participation is completely voluntary and incentive-based, so the private property rights of those involved are respected and protected, and they get to work with their state representatives instead of bureaucrats in Washington. This doesn’t just preserve American values like conservation, community, and tradition, it also offers an incredible return on investment. According to data from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, “$9.1 million invested in just one year of the program created more than $73 million in direct and indirect spending,” an 800% return.
These dollars have a ripple effect throughout rural economies, benefiting guides, outfitters, retailers, and local businesses who enjoy the uptick in resulting visitation. Since 2008, VPA‑HIP has reached 30 states and one tribal nation, backed by just $40 million in federal funds. The latest reauthorization language, as written by Senator Daines, along with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), allocated $70 million over the next five years to meet application demand for program enrollment. In terms of economic development and conservation impact, these are some of the best dollars Uncle Sam can spend, since they strongly incentivize landowners to maintain wildlife habitat on their properties, rather than develop or sell them. This carrot exists in stark contrast to regulatory sticks that dictate what people can and can’t do on their private property.
It was encouraging to see lawmakers in Congress, and particularly conservatives looking to promote rural economic development and heritage, join Senators Daines and Bennet in championing this bill. VPA-HIP’s passage will help cement a legacy in which the next generation of sportsmen and women share in the experiences of their forebears, develop authentic connections to the land, and learn to conserve it in perpetuity.