PrintThe trail to identifying and obtaining access to federal hunting lands can sometimes be like hiking out of camp in the Rockies after a snowstorm. The trail is strewn with slippery slopes and unseen deadfalls. As rural lands across the country continue to disappear, access to federal lands will become increasingly important.
ISSUE: ACCESS TO FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS - Two main factors impacting access to federal land:
- Making information on access points for hunting and fishing current and available.
- Opening access to federal lands blocked by private lands
ACTION: UNLOCKING ACCESS - Blazing the trail for access to hunting and fishing grounds has been a priority of CSF's since 2003 when we began working with key Congressional committees and federal land management agencies for ways to address the issue.
- Conducted an in-depth analysis of hunter access to federal lands in Colorado
- Coordinated the Sportsmen's Access to Federal Public Lands Working Group to begin working on solutions and signed MOU.
- Boosted funding for recreational trails used by sportsmen from $50-million to $75-million annually.
- Secured $1-million for signage on federal lands to identify access points.
CSF is currently pursuing opportunities to utilize federal Land and Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) to purchase easements to unlock access to federal lands that are blocked by private property. Established by Congress in 1965, LWCF receives a portion of receipts from offshore oil and gas leases to use for conservation and the enhancement of forest and wildlife areas. In 2007, $113-million was available for federal acquisitions. If just a portion of these funds were specifically used for purchasing easements to ‘unlock' access, millions of federal acres could potentially be opened.
