Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act Introduced in the Senate and House

February 25, 2025

Lawmakers have introduced the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act to boost a crucial Farm Bill program that creates public hunting and fishing opportunities on private land.

The Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act of 2025 has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Senator Marshall (R-Kan.) and in the House of Representatives by Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.). This bipartisan, bicameral bill would strengthen one of the most critical Farm Bill programs for America’s hunters and anglers: the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). VPA-HIP is the only federal initiative that helps to create public hunting and fishing opportunities on private land and this new legislation reauthorizes the program at triple its prior funding level. This reinforces the full Farm Bill that House Ag Committee Chairman GT Thompson’s (R-Pa.) introduced last Congress, which proposed a similar funding increase to this critical program. Bipartisan, bicameral bills like this are rare and show the value of this program to leaders across the political spectrum.

“State-led access programs are hurting this year without support from VPA-HIP, and including the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act in a 2025 farm bill would be a major positive development for hunters and anglers,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “We are thrilled to see such an influential, bipartisan group of leaders recognize the importance of increased hunting and fishing access by introducing this legislation. Thank you, Senators Daines, Bennet, and Marshall and Representatives Dingell and Johnson, for your leadership and support.”

The legislation would invest $150 million over the next five years in the VPA-HIP, which provides grants to states and Tribes to be implemented at the local level. This increased investment was among the recommendations made by TRCP’s Agriculture and Wildlife Working Group in its Farm Bill platform and has been echoed by groups across the hunting and fishing community.

What they are saying:

“On behalf of the nation’s recreational fishing industry, the American Sportfishing Association thanks Senators Daines, Marshall, and Bennet, as well as Representatives Dingell and Johnson for their leadership of the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act,” said Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “This legislation will support and enable landowners to provide fishing access on private lands, opening valuable waters to anglers. The reauthorization and expansion of VPA-HIP will strengthen a program that has allowed access to private lands since 2008, creating memorable days on the water for America’s anglers.”

“We greatly appreciate Senators Daines, Bennet, and Marshall and Representatives Dingell and Johnson introducing the House version of the VPA Improvement Act. As we entered discussions of the 2023 Farm Bill, extending and expanding the impact of VPA-HIP was one of Delta’s highest priorities,” said John Devney, chief policy officer at Delta Waterfowl. “As duck hunters across the country look for additional access, increased investments in VPA HIP can lead to new partnerships with private landowners to enhance habitat and also provide access. We hope that the effort by these leaders will lead to a broader bi-partisan effort to include an expanded VPA-HIP in the final Farm Bill.”

“There are dozens of state programs throughout country that help open public hunting access on private lands, but one common thread is that VPA-HIP is the unsung hero that makes much of that access possible,” said Ariel Wiegard, vice president of government affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “The economic returns for rural communities in VPA-HIP have been shown many times over, and increasing funding for the program is one of our top priorities in the next farm bill. Access is at the core of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s mission, and we thank Senators Daines, Bennet, and Marshall and Representatives Dingell and Johnson for their leadership and support for this very successful program.”

“Hunting access is one of the most significant barriers for both new and experienced hunters,” said Kellis Moss, Ducks Unlimited managing director of federal affairs. “The Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act is a win-win for sportsmen and landowners, and we thank Sens. Daines, Bennet, Marshall for leading this bipartisan effort in the Senate, as well as Reps. Dingell and Johnson for their leadership in the House.”

“We are proud to support Representative Dingell’s, and Representative Johnson and Senator Daines’, reintroduction of the Voluntary Public Access Improvement Act,” said Nick Pinizzotto, president and CEO of the National Deer Association. “Reauthorizing and strengthening the Act will ensure that landowners and sportsmen alike can continue to benefit from sustainable wildlife management and habitat preservation for generations to come.”

VPA-HIP is the single best federal tool for increasing recreational access on private lands by helping states create innovative ways of incentivizing private landowners to open their lands to the public for wildlife-dependent recreation. It also has a very special place in the hearts of TRCP’s staff and supporters, as it was championed by our inspirational co-founder, Jim Range, before his untimely death. The program was established and funded through the 2008, 2014, and 2018 Farm Bills—most recently at $50 million over five years—with its impacts felt across the country.

Apart from creating more outdoor recreation access, VPA-HIP funding is also utilized to provide technical and financial assistance to landowners for wildlife habitat improvement and enhancement projects. It is often layered with other Farm Bill programs that have habitat benefits, such as Conservation Reserve Program and Wetland Reserve Easements. And the program allows states to address liability, alleviating a roadblock for many landowners to open their lands to the public.

Studies estimate that the VPA-HIP has a more than eight-to-one return on investment in the form of outdoor recreation spending in rural communities.

Watch a video about some of the many benefits of VPA-HIP below.

The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

Do you have any thoughts on this post?

Click here to cancel reply.

by: Zach Bodhane

posted in: Farm Bill

January 13, 2025

How the 119th Congress Can Deliver for Hunters and Anglers

How lawmakers can build on recent conservation successes and deliver big wins for the hunting and fishing community

The 118th Congress was productive for hunters, anglers, and the TRCP community. Alongside our partners, we celebrated the passage of the EXPLORE Act, America’s Conservation Enhancement Act, and the Water Resources Development Act which all contained important provisions for habitat conservation and access, but there is still work to be done.

The 119th Congress officially began on January 3, 2025. Amid the uncertainty of navigating a presidential transition, new leadership in the Senate, and fresh faces sitting atop numerous committees, Congress has the potential to deliver big wins for fish and wildlife, habitat conservation, and hunting, fishing, and recreational access.

Below are a few ways the 119th Congress can advance conservation and access:

Pass a Farm Bill

Yet another Farm Bill expiration deadline came and went in late 2024 without a new bill being signed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still operating on the 2018 Farm Bill, leaving big opportunities on the table to expand support for voluntary access and habitat conservation programs on private lands. As Agriculture Committees return to work with new leadership, the TRCP will be pushing for a Farm Bill that supports wildlife, habitat, and hunters and anglers across the country.

Among the most impactful things that this Congress can do to bolster conservation and access is to invest Inflation Reduction Act funds into the Farm Bill baseline, making them permanent. Failure to do so would wipe out billions of dollars that go directly to farmers and ranchers through these popular, voluntary programs. The good news is there was bipartisan support last Congress among leadership of Agriculture Committees to roll these funds into the Farm Bill baseline.

Any new Farm Bill should also include a reauthorization and expanded funding for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, the only federal tool aimed at increasing hunting and fishing access on private lands. Additionally, Congress should use Farm Bill proposals from the 118^th Congress to conserve big game migratory habitat on private lands and improve forest health and fish and wildlife habitat in headwater environments.   

Unlock More Access Opportunities for Hunters and Anglers

Hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists had plenty to cheer about in the 118^th Congress with the passage of the EXPLORE Act, a first of its kind recreation-focused legislative package. However, Congress still has work to do in the 119^th to unlock more access opportunities on federal waterways and oceans.

Here are a few ways Congress can do this:

Pass the MAPWaters Act. The MAPWaters Act would require federal land management agencies to digitize water and fishing access and recreational use information on federal waterways and make those resources available to the public. The bill passed both the House and Senate last Congress on sweeping bipartisan margins, but minor differences in the two bills meant that the bill ultimately failed to cross the finish line in the 118^th Congress.

Pass the MAPOceans Act. Like the MAPWaters Act, the MAPOceans Act would require NOAA to create a publicly accessible database that outlines fishing restrictions and closures, boating restrictions and closures, and allowable methods of take in federal waters.

Reauthorize the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund. Established by the Great American Outdoors Act, the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund is set to expire. This fund provides federal land management agencies with resources to address the backlog of deferred maintenance projects. Congress should act to reauthorize this important source of funding to restore and expand access opportunities on public lands.

Given the demonstrated, broad support, the 119^th Congress should move quickly to send these common-sense bills to the President’s desk.

Streamline Permitting for Restoration Projects

Despite a compromise deal emerging from the Senate, the 118^th Congress ultimately failed to pass a comprehensive permitting reform legislative package. Permitting reform talks have largely focused on expediting environmental review for energy and transmission projects, but Congress must also address the issue of overly cumbersome and excessive delays on approving ecosystem restoration and other environmentally beneficial projects. Currently, these projects go through the same approval process as other development and infrastructure projects, which creates unnecessary hurdles and complicates on-the-ground habitat restoration work. These projects help support recreational access and sustain the $1.1 trillion annual outdoor economy.

TRCP worked with our partners to develop common-sense recommendations to cut through the “green tape” that delays conservation and restoration projects. By developing a categorical exclusion specific to the Department of Interior for restoration actions and simplifying, and scaling, mitigation as a component of permitting, Congress can help get more conservation and restoration work on the ground and reduce the amount of money spent on environmental analysis without diminishing protections under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other bedrock environmental statutes.

Conserve Big Game Migration Corridors

The Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act, introduced in the 118^th Congress, would formally authorize existing federal programs initiated by the Department of the Interior during the Trump Administration through Secretarial Order 3362, signed by then-Secretary Ryan Zinke, to conserve big game migration corridors through voluntary financial and technical assistance to states, Tribes, and private landowners.

These programs have been supported and expanded by the Biden Administration but remain discretionary, meaning that they rely on federal agencies setting aside funding each year to continue implementing these programs. Congressional action to formalize these discretionary programs would guarantee that the work persists regardless of administration changes. This is important because the annual budgets of state and Tribal wildlife agencies are unable to meet the full demand for resource management. The financial and technical assistance from these federal programs would help to bridge that funding gap.

The Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act gained momentum in the 118^th Congress having hearings in both the House and Senate which presents a strong jumping off point for swift consideration in the 119th Congress. Passing this bill would represent the culmination of nearly a decade of work by the hunting and fishing community while building upon the success of existing big game habitat conservation efforts.

Support Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Public Access in the Highway Bill

*Photo by Colorado Department of Transportation.*

Congress passed a comprehensive surface transportation and infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), in 2021. The IIJA included numerous conservation investments championed by TRCP and our partners including generational investments in wildlife crossing infrastructure, fish passage, public land access, and natural infrastructure solutions. Many of these programs funded under the IIJA are set to expire in fiscal year 2026, handing the 119th Congress an opportunity to build on the success of these programs that benefit fish and wildlife habitat, reduce costs, create jobs, and enhance public safety.

 For example, the IIJA allocated $350 million to the Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program, a first-of-its-kind grant program to construct wildlife-friendly roadway infrastructure to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity for big game and other wildlife. IIJA has also provided investments in aquatic connectivity, which have addressed barriers to fish passage and improved aquatic habitat and have similarly spurred innovation and collaboration across numerous federal and state agencies and other partners and should be prioritized in a surface transportation bill.

Simply put, the Wildlife Crossings Pilot is successful partnership-based program that leverages expertise and funds across numerous federal and state departments and Congress should seek to permanently authorize this program and allocate additional funds to better meet demand.

The 119^th Congress should also seek to enhance access opportunities for hunters, anglers, and recreationists through a surface transportation bill. Despite a surface transportation reauthorization bill being colloquially called a “Highway Bill,” there’s an opportunity to improve access to remote, rural public lands through partnerships with counties. Congress could establish a pilot program to make grants available to counties to digitize records and make information publicly available on the location and status of county-maintained roads. 

Develop Tax Policy Updates that Fund Conservation

Republican leadership in the House and Senate are widely expected to prioritize a broad tax reform package in 2025. This provides an opportunity for the 119th Congress to close tax loopholes that divert funds away from conservation.

The rise of online marketplaces that facilitate direct-to-consumer sales from overseas manufacturers has created a growing loophole that is undermining the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The federal excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment established under Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson is not being collected on foreign-made fishing tackle and archery equipment sold direct from overseas to U.S. consumers, and online marketplaces are not currently responsible for collecting the excise tax on archery and fishing tackle imports. Any comprehensive legislative package on tax policy must close this loophole that accounts for an estimated annual loss of $17 million dollars that would otherwise go to fund state fish and wildlife management agencies.

Conservation is, and should be, a shared priority regardless of party affiliation or ideology. Congress needs to hear that conservation is important to you. For more information, and to take action in support of critical conservation priorities in the year ahead, visit the TRCP Action Center.

by: Aaron Field

posted in: Farm Bill

December 23, 2024

A Last-Minute Farm Bill Extension Fails America’s Hunters and Anglers

TRCP urges Congress to pass a Farm Bill in 2025

After years of partisan gridlock, Congress once again missed an opportunity to do right by hunters and anglers, not to mention farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and rural communities. We at the TRCP have spent over two decades demonstrating the value of Farm Bill conservation programs. There are simply no better federal tools to encourage conservation on private lands, and for years, around four times as many agricultural producers have been trying to use them than funding allows. Congress had a chance to meet more of this demand and just plain blew it.

In August 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act using the budget reconciliation process. It was admittedly a partisan bill at the time, but the funds it allocated to Farm Bill conservation programs have since gained bipartisan support, especially among representatives of rural states and Congressional districts. In fact, both versions of the Farm Bill introduced this year this year (by House Ag Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) and Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), respectively) would have brought those funds into the Conservation Title baseline, making them permanent.

As late as last week, Ag Committee leadership from both parties had reached an agreement to incorporate these funds into the baseline as part of a one-year Farm Bill extension. As the week went on, this deal fell apart, jeopardizing a generational opportunity to invest in agricultural conservation. Congress did pass a last-minute farm bill extension as part of a larger continuing resolution package, but one without a boost to conservation programs and without any funding at all for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program.

There is plenty of blame to go around, and we won’t parse it out here, but this was a clear example of partisan politics and unwillingness to negotiate causing a widely supported, bipartisan proposal to fail. The hunting and fishing community should be disappointed, as has been articulated by our partners, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever here, and The Nature Conservancy, here.

But as our namesake, Theodore Roosevelt, said: “Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is called whining.” It’s too late to get this done this Congress, so what can legislators do now?

Pass a Farm Bill Now.

It’s now been six years since Congress completed a comprehensive update of our nation’s ag policy. In 2025, the Ag Committees will be working with new leadership, new members, and a new budget, but both Republicans and Democrats put forward Farm Bill text in 2024, so we don’t have to start from scratch. Congress can get a practical, bipartisan Farm Bill that invests in conservation done quickly if they can find a way to work together. If they don’t, we will see another year of partisanship and missed opportunities. Both habitat and access will pay the price.

In the face of gridlock, conservation is, and should be, a shared priority regardless of party affiliation or ideology. Congress needs to hear that this is important to you. Stay up to date at trcp.org/farm-bill.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: Farm Bill

December 20, 2024

Looking Ahead: Our Top Conservation Priorities in 2025

Breaking down the most pressing needs for habitat, access, and our sporting traditions in 2025.

The year ahead provides hunters, anglers, and the conservation community with significant opportunity to further advance America’s legacy of conservation, habitat, and access.

Working alongside our partners, here’s what we want to get done in 2025.

Keeping Public Lands in Public Hands

Loss of access to the places where we hunt and fish is one of the biggest threats to the future of conservation and our outdoor recreation opportunities. Americans’ access to the outdoors is unparalleled in all the world, but there are more competing demands on our natural resources than ever before. Sportsmen and sportswomen can’t afford to get edged out.

In order to guarantee quality places to hunt and fish, TRCP will work to stop efforts to sell or transfer public lands, while simultaneously striving to expand access and improve the management of public lands for the benefit of hunters and anglers.

Learn more about our commitment to public access HERE

Farm Bill Conservation Programs

Most of the land in the continental United States is privately owned and managed by farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. Farm Bill conservation programs give these landowners tools and incentives to manage their land with conservation in mind. Landowners use these programs create and enhance wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and even provide hunting and fishing access. Taken together, Farm Bill conservation programs are the single largest investment in conservation that we make in the United States.

To our disappointment, and despite years of work, Congress has been unable to find compromise on an updated Farm Bill. The upcoming year will be critical for the conservation programs we cherish as hunters and anglers. The TRCP, and our partners, are working with decision makers in Congress, especially the House and Senate Ag Committees, and USDA to keep hunter and angler priorities top of mind, both in the writing of the next Farm Bill and in the interim.

Learn more about Farm Bill Conservation Programs HERE

Forage Fish Conservation

If you want great sport fishing, you need healthy forage fish. Like other small but critically important forage fish, menhaden and herring play a central role in marine food webs. These tiny, oily baitfish are an essential food source for some of the most economically important sportfish: striped bass, redfish, bluefin tuna, bluefish, speckled trout, weakfish, tarpon, summer flounder, and sharks.

TRCP will continue to elevate the voices of sportsmen and sportswomen as we call upon regional fisheries managers to change their approach to managing forage fish like menhaden and herring in 2025.

Learn more about forage fish conservation HERE

Investments to Curb the Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic wasting disease has spread rapidly among deer and elk populations, particularly in the last ten years. If you don’t have CWD where you hunt, you don’t want it. This disease is 100% fatal, highly contagious, and can remain in an infected environment for years. Wildlife managers need the resources to deal with this disease, as well as more and better science on the best ways to manage its spread.

In 2025, TRCP, our partners, and the hunting community will continue to advocate for investments in disease response and research, as well as greater education and awareness for the hunting community, to ensure the future of our deer and elk herds and hunting opportunities.

Learn more about chronic wasting disease HERE

Safeguard Conservation Investments

The historic investments in the restoration and renewal of our nation’s public lands through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act started to hit the ground in 2024, providing benefits to hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationalists.

In 2025, TRCP, our partners, and the sporting community will focus on ensuring that these investments, and their implementation, continue to restore and protect wetlands, manage upland habitat, and build resilience to drought and wildfires so habitat for fish and wildlife are safeguarded and that the recreational opportunities for the next generations of hunters and anglers are protected.

Learn more about our commitment to habitat and clean water HERE

Conserving Big Game Migration Corridors

In recent years, big game migration has taken center stage at the intersection of science, policy, and management. We’ve known for decades that these animals migrate, but recent research and technology have helped to define the exact locations of migratory corridors and stopover areas, and how animals use these habitats. As a result, it is imperative that efforts to conserve these habitats advance on both public and private lands in 2025.

TRCP, and our partners, aim to ensure that public land management plans on BLM and USFS land continue to conserve the most sensitive big game habitats and will work towards passage of the Wildlife Movement Through Partnership Act to formalize migration conservation programs that provide financial and technical assistance to states, Tribes, and private landowners.

Learn more about big game migration corridors HERE

Keeping Hunters and Anglers Informed in 2025

Stay connected in 2025. The TRCP is your resource for all things conservation. In our weekly Roosevelt Report, you’ll receive the latest news on emerging habitat threats, legislation and proposals on the move, public land access solutions we’re spearheading, and opportunities for hunters and anglers to take action. Sign up now.

by: TRCP Staff

posted in: Farm Bill

Our Top Conservation Wins of 2024

Your support helped make these conservation successes possible

As the year draws to a close, we’re pleased to highlight some of our top conservation wins of 2024.  We’re proud to say that hunters and anglers continue to speak out meaningfully on the issues that matter most to them. Thanks to you, and the actions of our 63 partners and 25 corporate partners, TRCP secured key victories for sporting access, conservation funding, and fish and wildlife habitat.  Below, you’ll find our top achievements to date in 2024. 

Given all that we’ve accomplished this year to guarantee Americans quality places to hunt and fish, we hope you’ll consider stepping into the arena and supporting TRCP during this season of giving.   From now until January 1, 2024, every donation you make will be matched by a TRCP Board member up to $500,000, doubling your impact for conservation.

DONATE TODAY

Here are our top achievements to date in 2024.

Enhancing Access to Public Lands

As blessed as American hunters, anglers, and other recreationists are with public land and water resources, we are not free from difficulties and confusion when it comes to public access. That’s why the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership continued to work hard in 2024 as we strive to solve the most pressing public land and water access challenges.  

Below are a few public access wins from 2024: 

The Passage of the Bipartisan EXPLORE Act to Improve Access to Outdoor Recreation

The EXPLORE Act is a first of its kind recreation package that would improve access to the outdoors and modernize recreation infrastructure.  This comprehensive legislative package would expand access opportunities to a variety of public land users, streamline permitting processes for businesses focused on providing recreation opportunities, and modernize outdoor infrastructure.  Learn more

The MAPWaters Act to Enhance Access to Public Waters

The MAPWaters Act builds on the success of the MAPLand Act—and would direct federal agencies to digitize water and fishing access and recreational use information on federal waterways such as restrictions on motorized propulsion, horsepower, or gasoline fuel; types of watercraft permitted on certain waters; the location and boundaries of fishing restrictions, and more. This bill is one step away from the President’s desk. Learn more

Public Lands in Public Hands Act Introduced in the House of Representatives

 Public Lands in Public Hands Act would maintain valuable hunting and fishing access for sportsmen and women. This bipartisan legislation would require congressional approval for the sale and transfer of public lands to non-federal entities in most instances. Learn more

Introduction of MAPOceans Act in the Senate

This bill will enhance and expand recreation opportunities through investment in technology commonly found in smartphone applications to provide anglers, boaters, and other users with the information they need to safely and legally enjoy offshore waters and federal saltwater fisheries.  Learn more

Advancing Conservation Funding

Conservation depends on robust funding for research, management, and restoration at the federal, state, and local levels. Any increase to conservation funding is a good thing for America’s public lands, fish and wildlife resources, and hunters and anglers, and that’s why TRCP continued to represent the voices of hunters and anglers with decision-makers in 2024 to secure wins for investments in conservation.

Below is a significant 2024 win for conservation funding:

The Passage of the Bipartisan ACE Reauthorization Act

The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act will benefit fish and wildlife while enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for millions of hunters and anglers. TRCP applauds the House and Senate passage of this important bipartisan legislation and looks forward to building on the success of these crucial conservation programs that will benefit hunters and anglers for generations to come. The bill now awaits the president’s signature. Learn more

Prioritizing Big Game Migration  

Across the West, hunters and anglers saw states invest in big game migration conservation in 2024. From Wyoming taking the first steps to identify another mule deer migration, to Idaho building over and under passes to promote habitat connectivity, to Colorado establishing public land management plans on BLM and USFS land to conserve the most sensitive big game habitats, these conservation measures will enhance hunter opportunity as herds will be able to more easily move daily and seasonally across the landscape. 

Below are a few big wins for big game migration conservation from 2024:

Securing a Responsible Approach to Solar Energy Development on Public Lands

The refinements made by the BLM to the Western Solar Plan will help maintain seasonal habitats that are crucially important for the West’s big game herds. Learn more

Formalizing USDA’s Commitment to Wildlife Migration Conservation

The signing of a Memorandum from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recognized the importance of USDA’s role in conserving wildlife movement and migration habitats across public and private lands. The memo formalized and expanded the USDA’s commitment to migration conservation and enhanced benefits for wildlife habitat connectivity and corridors in partnership with public land managers, state agencies, Tribes, private landowners, and NGOs. Learn more

BIL and IRA Funding Hits the Ground for Conservation

The historic investments in the restoration and renewal of our nation’s public lands through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act hit the ground in 2024, providing benefits to hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationalists. 

Here are just a few examples from 2024 on how this funding contributed to safeguarding our sporting traditions: 

Unprecedented Private Lands Conservation

The TRCP worked to ensure Inflation Reduction Act funding stayed in conservation and was used in ways that directly benefit fish and wildlife. This meant unprecedented work was done through several Farm Bill conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Through these programs, wetlands were restored and protected, upland habitat was enhanced, and water quality was improved, benefiting both hunters and anglers while improving agricultural producers’ bottom lines. Learn more

Increasing the Pace and Scale of Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration

TRCP helped to secure more than $50 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds to increase the pace and scale of fish and wildlife habitat restoration on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. These historic investments in restoring wildlife habitat and fisheries, improving hunting and fishing opportunities, and building resilience to drought will safeguard habitat for fish and wildlife, and ensure recreational opportunities for the next generations of hunters and anglers.   The impacts of this funding can be seen across the nation, in places like Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Arizona’s Sky Islands, and Southeast Oregon’s Sagebrush-steppe landscape, among many other places. Learn more

Securing Widespread Wins for Hunters and Anglers 

All hunting and fishing opportunities depend on quality habitat, from clean water and healthy wetlands to winter and summer habitats and the migration corridors that connect them. But the expansion of human development across the landscape—in our cities and towns, of our highway system, and from energy development and distribution—is threatening these habitats. TRCP drove a number of significant wins in 2024 that will benefit hunters and anglers for years to come.

Here are just a few widespread wins for hunters and anglers in 2024:  

BLM Decision Prevents Proposed Ambler Road in Alaska’s Brooks Range

In June, the BLM filed a Record of Decision to deny construction of the Ambler Road industrial corridor that would have sliced 211-miles across the southern foothills of Alaska’s Brooks Range. Over 14,000 hunters and anglers took action to support the BLM’s decision.  Learn more

Louisiana No-Fishing Buffer May Be Preventing Fish Spills

In February 2024, before the commercial pogy fishing season began, Louisiana’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a half-mile coastwide buffer prohibiting pogy boats from netting in near-shore Louisiana waters. After the half-mile buffer was enacted, 2024 saw the second-lowest number of fish spilled since records were made available. Learn more

The Passage of the Water Resources Development Act

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is a biennial piece of legislation that was passed by the United States Senate on December 18^th and now awaits the president’s signature. This year’s WRDA has numerous TRCP- led provisions that advance funding for fish and wildlife habitat improvements, enhancing aquatic connectivity and water-based recreation, and updating recreational access information for hunters and anglers. Learn more

Wyoming Agrees to Sell the Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park

The Kelly parcel contains a section of the longest known pronghorn migration route in the world, numerous elk migrations, winter range for bighorn sheep and moose, and native cutthroat trout habitat. In November, Wyoming’s State Board of Land Commissioners agreed to sell the Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park for $100 million – maintaining its outstanding wildlife resources and the ability to hunt and fish on the parcel in perpetuity.  Learn more

The Defeat of Colorado Proposition 127

In a win for science-based wildlife management and the hunting community, regulated mountain lion and bobcat hunting and trapping will continue in Colorado. Colorado Proposition 127 was counter to science-based wildlife management led by expert wildlife professionals and its defeat, thanks to the voices of TRCP partners and supporters, helps keep wildlife professionals engaged in wildlife management decisions.  Learn more

Step into the Arena

Given all that we’ve accomplished this year to guarantee Americans quality places to hunt and fish, we hope you’ll consider supporting TRCP during this season of giving. You can help TRCP continue its mission, allowing you to keep enjoying your favorite outdoor pursuits. Whether those pursuits are on the water or in the field, TRCP has your back, but we can’t do it alone. We invite you to step into the arena with us and donate today!   