More Hunting and Habitat Coming to 17 States Thanks to Open Fields Program
PF longtime supporter of effort to improve access and wildlife habitat on private lands
Not only finding places to hunt, but quality places to hunt, are the top concerns for many wingshooters. Credit: (Pheasants Forever)
Source: pheasantsforever.com
Published: Oct. 05, 2010
At the first meeting of the newly-formed Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced "Open Fields" funding grants for 17 state public access programs yesterday. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, which pushed for Open Fields inclusion in the last federal Farm Bill, call it the nation's best effort to date to simultaneously bolster hunting opportunities and improve wildlife habitat.
Formally called the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP), Open Fields was authorized by Congress for the first time in the 2008 Farm Bill following coalition support that included Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. Howard K. Vincent, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's National President and CEO, serves on the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council that advises the federal Agriculture and Interior Departments on hunting and conservation issues, and praised the Open Fields program. "Ask any hunter anywhere in the country, and they'll tell you two things concern them most. One, there's not enough public hunting opportunity; and two, it's got to be quality public hunting opportunity. With its wildlife habitat improvement component, Open Fields addresses both concerns."
A total of 17 state public access programs will receive grants totaling $11.76 million through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program. This includes a mix of states developing new programs and states enhancing existing public access and habitat incentive programs. VPA-HIP incentivizes owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch and forest land to voluntarily give hunters, fishermen, hikers, bird watchers and other recreational outdoor enthusiasts access to land for their enjoyment. State programs that ensure land enrolled is viable wildlife habitat and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) lands were given priority.
"Some states in the pheasant range already have phenomenal public hunting access programs," Vincent said, citing Nebraska's CRP-Management Access Program, Kansas' Walk-in Hunting Access, South Dakota's Walk In Areas and North Dakota's Private Land Open to Sportsmen. "Through Open Fields, those programs can be even better. But it's equally important to expand the reach of hunting opportunities. Minnesota and Iowa have 100,000 pheasant hunters, respectively. Wisconsin has nearly 60,000. Illinois has 40,000 upland hunters. To date, those states haven't had 'walk in' programs, but not for a lack of trying. Thanks to Open Fields, such programs will finally become a reality across much of pheasant country."
The 17 states and their VPA-HIP grant amounts are:
* Arizona - $600,000
* Colorado - $445,318
* Idaho - $400,000
* Illinois - $525,250
* Iowa - $500,000
* Kansas - $1,500,000
* Kentucky - $651,515
* Michigan - $457,449
* Minnesota - $582,367
* Nebraska - $1,091,164
* North Dakota - $300,000
* Oregon - $786,795
* Pennsylvania - $1,500,000
* South Dakota - $558,325
* Utah - $84,837
* Washington - $836,999
* Wisconsin - $936,040
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