June 2009 Edition | Volume 63, Issue 6
Published since 1946
Correction - Open Fields Program Has $50 Million Budget Request
The May Outdoor News Bulletin incorrectly reported that the Obama Administration had stripped funding for the Open Fields private lands access program. In fact, the Administration has requested $50 million for Open Fields in its 2010 Budget request. The program it chose not to fund in the request was an additional $3 per-acre incentive for landowners enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program who allow the public to access their property for hunting, fishing or other wildlife-related recreation. This program was announced last October during the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Policy and was proposed to enroll up to 7 million acres in the 21 states with existing public access programs. It was intended to be additive to Open Fields and other state public access programs, but this Administration determined that the Open Fields program was the effective private lands access program to pursue.